Orchid Leather Van Cleef & Arpels for women and men

@Louismanuel -

I can only speak from my personal experience. I maybe get 6-8 hrs on a good day with Black Phantom before I barely notice it at all. However, when I spray Orchid Leather, I easily get between 10-12 hrs consistently. Also, considering the price point difference as well (I can usually get the Van Cleef's between $85-$110) Orchid Leather seems like the better choice for me.

@Frankascentsments,
Claims Orchid Leather outperforms Black Phantom. I agree but only on value for money.
I also have and love both, but Black Phantom Sillage is better.
In terms of longevity they both last 12+ hours which is all I need. Maybe Orchid leather lasts longer but as I shower within 12 hours after spraying, I don't know which lasts longer.

I always forget how much I love this fragrance. I have to agree with the below review in that I can't understand the TF Black Orchid comparisons either. Orchid Leather is not a floral bomb to my nose but rather a slightly sweat amber wrapped up in incense. I can definitely see the comparison to By Killian's Black Phantom though. This feels dark, mysterious, and sexy to my nose. It's a real stunner and longevity is great. Easily out performs Black Phantom.

I don’t get the Black Orchid comparisons frankly, i have both and even considered returning black orchid as i got it as a gift and was afraid they’d be too similar, and while the names are similar they don’t strike me as very similar at all, Orchid Leather is even heavier than Black Orchid, and is boozy, heavy vanilla ambery goodness with strong plum notes that pierce you at times, it’s imo more vibrant yet even louder than black orchid and even less versatile, only suited for winter, maybe only winter nights at a stretch, i firmly believe this perfume could make someone faint if worn on a hot summer day. It’s borderline nauseating and def not a blind buy, if you’re for fresh vibrant fragrances this one is probs not for u

Black Orchid on the other hand is darker, more medicinal and earthy and less sweet overall, and while both are strong i find black orchid to be less loud due to the earthiness in the notes and a lack of strong vanilla like is present in Orchid leather, neither scents present much leather despite the name in this one, and black orchid is slightly more versatile and can maybe be worn in all nights throughout the year.

Orchid Leather is my boyfriend's favorite perfume that I wear. I'll be completely honest and tell you he asks me to put it on when he feels "romantic". He is not a fan of my perfume collection in general because he is extremely sensitive to most scents... Such a torment to me because I collect perfumes! However, this one he finds very attractive on me. Out of my 100+ perfumes, the Van Cleef & Arpels Extraordinaire line is his favorite and mine! I'm wearing it today as per his request because we will be traveling by car and he won't be able to escape me. 😉
Orchid Leather is very wearable. A sexy leather jacket. Dark and mysterious with a touch of elegance. Cool rainy days out with friends or cool autumn nights cruising in a black Porsche with the top down. Cool 😎!

As a lover of Black Phantom I have to say they both have the same vibe/character. They are both in your face, arrogant, loud, sexy, mysterious and dark.
Orchid leather is boozy, sweet, warm plum with leather undertones. While black phantom is boozy, sweet chocolate and heady coffee.
Both are statement scents that would usually be accompanied with “a devil may care” attitude.
I love them both ❤️

I wanted to like this scent but it was a dissapointment. Heavy smoky labdanum, giving the scent a smoky, old school amber, leather profile. Unfortunately the fruity plum and vanilla are almost nonexistent. Basically what you get is a smoky, ambery leather fragrance without the good plum and vanilla to smooth it out. Sample before buying.

I wanted to like this. I love spicy plum, and cardamom has been a favorite, a little incense, but this just misses the mark for me. It's a nicely blended plum fragrance, warm and dark, a soft suede vanilla. It has leather in the name but not in the notes, but it has a leather scent to me, a woen smooth, aged sort of leather. I saw a review somewhere that said a scent reminded them of an lady's ages handbag with residue of makeup and perfume (I thought it was this one but I didn't immediately find it) and that image fits Orchid Leather, but some incense thrown in. The dry down is more plum vanilla but the leather is still there and it's a little off putting to me. This scent has soooo many good elements, and it's interesting, and I wish it melded a little better for me. I like it, but I like Precious Oud and Rose Rouge better so I'm not going to splurge for this one.

Great fragrance, arguably best of house but comparing this to Plum Japonais is pure rubbish. Orchid leather is boozy ambery warm plum with leather undertone, leaning gourmandish. To my nose closer fragrance to TF black orchid parfum and in the same dna as rouge saray but less sweet. While plum japonais is boozy woody plum, not sweet at all. Great creation by julien rasquinet but Plum Japonais is still the best plum fragrance out there. Performance on orchid leather is great

This is a very intense room filling plum fragrance and don’t let the name fool you because this doesn’t smell like leather at all this is a sweet boozy plum fragrance, very strong, very long lasting. A gourmand scent, like a juicy plum.

Beautiful slightly sweet and boozy plum opening which progresses into soft suede leather notes. Very wearable, subtle leather, not animalic. The leather notes here are on the soft suede side of things. I think the people who can’t get the leather are probably used to very overt and strong leather notes.

Long lasting, moderate to close projection and good sillage. I get about 8 hours on skin and it lasts much longer on clothes.

This and Moonlight Patchouli are two of my favourites from VC&A. Both are great for going out on colder nights. Orchid Leather sits closer to the skin so I tend to reach for this when I want a more subtle and inviting fragrance.

Overall, I highly recommend but may be disappointing if you are looking for something with overt animalic leather notes.

I absolutely love this fragrance. Stellar performance and one of those scents that makes you go ‘ooh, yeeeaaah’ when you apply it. If you want to feel a million dollars and have everyone in a room turn their head when you walk in, this is the one. But you need to have some swagger to carry it off; you’re not going to rock it if you’re planning to do anything other than be the life and soul of the party. Boozy, fruity, sexy, bombastic. Get it on you;

discouraged....

Why is there talk about "leather" notes???? Where in the description of this fragrance is the note "leather" listed??? If the NAME of a fragrance is “orchid leather”, this does not mean that it contains “leather” notes.


THE SCENT IS DIVINELY GOOD.

bravo Maestro ❤️

Plum, incense, vanilla, spices. Rich, dark and sweet. Unisex. It reminds me of Tom Ford Noir pour femme mixed with Black Orchid. It is a little boozy, like a dark spiced sweet wine you wound drink in a cold Christmas day. I don't get the leather too much. Very good scent.

This is absolutely stunning. My wrist was stuck to my face all day today, one of the very few fragrances that made my head feel tingly with delight.

Gave me flashbacks of Plum Japonais.

It's a really boozy oriental smell that's cosy af!

I have and I have to say: it is fairly stronger, sillage and duration, than I ever imagined on it.
Plum and Orchid smell blend in harmony but strongly bounded, while the leather note can be less similiar to a real leather note due the fact that those in Orchid Leather are leather accords instead.
Cardamom and Incense notes can be found more on the skin/clothes but I like it that way.

I suggest to give a shot, like a small tester, and buy it if you like it (even If I consider it a bit overpriced, It can last long with just few sprays and the notes can be smelled even hours after you sprays)

I don't review fragrances after one spray, nor after one wearing.
I have Orchid Leather. I love leather. I have more leather dominant fragrances than any other note.
I get Zero leather in this fragrance. And if it is there, than for sure very weak and on the background, as if shy.
What this is for me, and probably for the majority of those who own both Orchid Leather and Black Phantom, is a lovely, luxurious, tasty fragrance, in the same style as my favorite By Kilian, even if a tiny bit more modest.
For half the price and 50% more juice than Kilian's Masterpiece. A fragrance worth every cent or penny.
But if you are expecting leather, or even suede, 99% chance you will be disappointed.

Orchid Leather is a middling quality leather perfume w/ a warm slightly vanillic amber base with slightly peppery top notes and a non descript fruity boozy quality. For me it smells like so many fruity/vanillic leather scents I have sampled before. It seems to me anyway that this scent profile is becoming to be like a dime a dozen on the market today. Probably they sell well w/ both genders and have a wide appeal. It smells like so many of the Tom Ford leathers and black orchid line I have sampled and that didn't grab me the way they grab so many others here. For some reason I am finding this scent profile overdone and a tad boring. The same w/ the fruitachouli and gourmands and all the bubblegum tuberoses. Do I own these types of perfumes, yes, I do but I find I need a break from them often. The fruity/amber/leather is another scent profile that is becoming overdone as well. I guess what I am saying is for a leather fragrance I think it lacks a real presence. The leather is there but a bit weak IMO. It just doesn't make a real bold statement. And a leather fragrance is all about making a statement. My mother was a leather craftsman, and I grew up w/ the smell of raw leather and finished leather goods in the house. Not to mention all the leather gear and goods we had around because we owned horses as well. So, I am well acquainted w/ the smell of leather. And for me certain fruitiness added to a leather accord just clashes and I think for me this perfume just seems out of balance. But if you like some of the fruity/amber/leather Tom Ford's you will like this, or his black orchid line you will like this. One big plus orchid leather is less expensive than a TF.

For me the best fruity leather that is smooth, well blended and much more balanced is Hermes Galop. Also, either Kelly Caleche fragrances are fine leathers, but they are not fruity. In other words, I find Hermes does leather right, much more so than any other fragrance brand I have tried. A cheaper option for a good leather (minus the fruitiness) is Bvlgari eau Noir. But that is a raw hide and rough leather, very masculine. My husband wears it. IMO for men but a good non sweet leather, w/ hints of tobacco, rose and oud. Very inexpensive but good quality realistic leather. Again, if you like slightly sweet and spicy, boozy fruity leathers you will love vancleef orchid leather. For me it is just a "meh".

Edit another nice and classy fruity leather is jean patou colony. Not in this style though. Orchid leather for me is very Tom Ford and I'm not his biggest fan.

a badass mix of slight fruitiness, smoky bourbon vanilla, and a rich ambery/leathery vibe from the labdanum.

reminds me of an even more niche mix between Plum Japonais and PDM Carlisle, well done.

Awesome unisex scent, especially for colder winter weather.

Orchid Leather is another good-quality, elegant scent from Van Cleef & Arpels. A vanilla-amber scent with a leather base, it is a subtle example of its genre but with good longevity - in keeping with others from this house.

OL opens with spicy vanilla, with incense enhancing the dry spiciness. I get cardamom here, subtle but unmistakable. It adds a nice peppery spice to the opening. The incense keeps things dry but never takes centre stage - unfortunately for this incense lover!

The plum follows, adding sweetness but with an odd rubbery, almost fleshy, texture. This paves the way to the smooth, leathery labdanum that dominates the base. It is more straight labdanum than a leather accord to my nose at this stage. It is resinous, sweetened just to the right extent by the vanilla that permeates this scent. It becomes musky as it fades, becoming a sweet amber skin scent with leathery nuances and vanilla remaining. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. It is a cold-weather scent.

A unisex sweet amber scent, OL is a well-blended, high-quality example of its genre with some edgy points of interest. Another underrated gem from Van Cleef & Arpels. 4/5.

I was in Harrods browsing these very expensive but incredible scents and was sold by "Givenchy leflamme" which was on sale for £220. The smell was amazing and I said I would like to wear it on my skin for a few hours and come back. After a short time I struggled to smell any note of fragrance....i was rather disappointed as I was in love with the fragrance of the plum, vanilla and soft tobacco/incense.
I then wondered through to house of Fraser and was approached by a lady working there. I told her my desired fragrance and she took me over to the "van cleef orchid leather".... I was amazed at the fact it was a carbon copy of what I fell on love with. Again I wanted to see how it worked on my skin. The whole drive home the scent was radiant, even the next day. I ordered orchid leather and adore this incredible fragrance.

Reformulated???
I just bought new bottle to replace old used one and… what a disappointment 😳.Not heavily projecting anymore , it’s weak and faint.Old one was leaving traces everywhere , I couldn’t easily remove it from my skin , was lasting for a days. Unfortunately no more now , looks like VC&A follows world market trend to reformulate and water down its masterpieces. V shame …

This checks more than enough boxes for me. Vanilla is one of my favorite notes and the vanilla here is exquisite. Smells high quality, well blended and expensive. It's actually really well blended, all the notes are detectable and perfectly proportioned. Lasts all day, projects for many hours and the sillage when it becomes a skin scent is heavy. This is unique, at least to my collection, and nothing I own smells like it. Black Orchid Parfum doesn't smell like this and BOP is one of my favorite fragrances.

I first put this on blind and I was thinking, where's the leather? I didn't see the note breakdown so I'm thinking leather, but out of all the stuff I was testing (other VCA), this one jumps out at me as the star. Very noticeably better than the rest IMO. It all made sense when I read the notes, because they're some of my favorite. I like leather too... and there is leather, it's just focused on vanilla and resins with leather in support. Even then, the leather is very safe and clean, not animalic at all. Maybe the leather accord is just created by the labdanum.

I later realized this does remind me of one of my fragrances, Oud Bouquet. Orchid Leather smells better blended, smoother, more natural and leans more towards true unisex whereas Oud Bouquet leans feminine.

I really like orchid leather, I'm really confused as to why black phantom by killian was voted as something close to orchid leather??!! It's nothing like it lol

Deep vanillic plum. It is not sharp enough to be called a jam, the sweetness is definitely balanced. Like a plum cream in a room with incense.

Likeable and artistic
Just a little challenging
Bitter above sweet, reminds me of spring and overcast sky after rain
Boozy but you won't be easily able to tell
Dried fruits + leather + incense do indeed smell like Orchid
It is really quite amazing how leisurely the notes play with one another
Moderately exquisite and classy with a grungy undertone
Has a well defined identity that is soft but assertive (which is a massive plus)
Lasts just the right length of time and opens up your sinuses
Dries down to plum and vanilla jam
Will get you noticed by women plus this fragrance does stand out very much
Could work as a metal/goth themed perfume
Not very versatile, not blind buy worthy, can get tiring

Very similar to Black Orchid, but less sweet and a lot more wearable.
I love the chocolate note that mingles with leather and a jammy sweet rose (not mentioned but there is also oud in this frag).
The leather note is very pronounced so is the wood and vanilla base.

I like it. It's a warm, boozy and wintry frag, important but not choking your neighbour.
Yes, not very original as this has been done many times (leather plummy rose and chocolate combo) think Rose d'Arabie, Oud Bouquet, and the many Montales.

Plummy, sweetly smoked, moldy dark glamour, the scent of the main villain sorcerer/sorceress/ sorcerex (who is sexy in a kinky way).
Instant love.

Been eyeing this for quite a while and was so close to blind buying. Glad i did not. It's not the scent that i was expecting it to be, it smells very similar to Bath and Body Works Coffee and Whiskey on the dry down which is also similar to Black Phantom, the perfume that this is being compared to so it makes sense. It is lacking in leather and incense and is too sweet for my liking. It is nice but not for me.

This is by far the best birthday gift fragrance I've ever received. It was purchased by a dear kind friend who joined me on a bit of retail therapy. We were guided to the fragrance by a sales person who raved about it, and from first sniff, we were both hooked (I wasn't intending to purchase, but my friend insisted she buy it as a gift, because it smelt that good on me).

How does it smell - Insensey, plumby, sweetness, that is both smokey and juicy.

And it's powerful - it jumps off the skin and throws like an Olympic shot-putter. So this is definitely not an office sent. But wear it to the opera. Wear the $#*# out of it to the opera. Overspray and make em smell it in the nosebleed seats.

I smell this as a statement fragrance.

Being a statement fragrance, and both luscious, sweet and smoky - it is a seductive fragrance, though its sophistication and brand cache will probably attract 'older' fans. There is a market - much younger than Van Cleef's likely primary market - 20-30 yo men in particular) who would be wise to take this one clubbing. No-one, and I mean no-one, in the club is going to smell as intriguingly attractive as you.

It's expensive - but if someone is special to you and they love fragrances -then this is an incredible gift. Thanks Sheps my birthday buddy.

Please read this: I value my perfume collection very much, but some of the perfumes are missing the cap - so if you have emptied your perfume, I will be very happy and grateful if I can ask for your cap (size 75 ml)
Please send me a PM - Thank you.

Tried this on dry paper in a store, my moroccan gf said it smells exactly like a house when you light incense to prepare for guests (good thing)

In the same family as TF BO but by no means is it a dupe, for those of you wondering. Beautiful, medicinal leather and plum sweetened by vanilla. My nose thinks it smells benzoin (if you’ve ever smelled Madonna - Truth or Dare Naked you know what I mean). It was a blind buy and a definite YES for me. I’ve already gotten tons of compliments!

It was love at first sight for me and one of the few that is really worth the relatively high price. Rich, dried fruits of plum and smoky incense, both softened by the sweetness of vanilla - so perfectly blended that I get warm, spicy skin, even though it's not listed in the notes. Strong, sweet, sexy and attractive, with solid longevity + 10h. If you like leather scents or plum scents, you should try this. For me reminds me a lot of Vinegia 21 Merchant of Venice but Orchid leather is less sweet and cardamom.

The dry down somewhat reminds me of Tom Fords black orchid, but with a softer dry down (I guess it’s the vanilla). I’m surprised that patchouli wasn’t listed as a note, it was definitely what I picked up on the most during the first hour. Sadly I can’t smell any cardamom, but I do get the warm spicy leather and smokey incense, both softened by the sweetness of the vanilla.

In conclusion: Will wear it when going out in cold weather. Not office friendly at all, but sexy in both a sweet and spicy way

Imagine if Layton had a deep, rich dried fruits accord.
Congratulations, that's Hafez 1984 by Alexandria Fragrances.

Now imagine if that was made femini-- unisex, let's call it unisex. That's this.

Very nice, has a fleeting metallic note in the top but it's all smooth sailing from there on out ;)

Very solid longevity. In-between moderate and strong projection. Well complemented.

the opening is amazing but after 15 to 20 minutes it changes mostly into an absolute incense .try it before buy, don't buy blindly . unisex with good performance for 2 hours then stuck to skin for several hours .if any one tried Kalemat by the Arabian Oud , this is a copy-paste .
افتتاحية العطر منوعة من مكونات العطر المذكورة و مذهلة ثم يتركز البخور بعد ربع ساعة تقريباً ليصبح هو الطاغي..ينتشر لساعتين بوضوح ثم يلتصق بالجلد لبضعة ساعات..انصح بتجربته قبل شرائه.شتوي بامتياز .يونيسكس..لا يشبهه سوى عطر كلمات من العربية للعود تحديدا و لكم التجربة

I love this scent for evenings and winter, definitely not a summer one. Strong, long lasting - I can smell it on my clothes for weeks. Usually spray from very high up and just step into the cloud as made the mistake of applying directly to skin and it’s just too overpowering

To me it smells like Black Orchid, but if you would replace chocolate with plum. Basically smooth sweet orchid and plum. It does not smells like leather or vanilla to me. I really like it because I love black orchid, but I didn’t want to buy vc&a precious oud because it’s smells identical to it. So it’s something very similar, but not identical.
Be careful as it’s stains light clothes with oil stains, even though it’s not that high of a concentration.

Thought this leaned more masculine until I sprayed it on my skin and then it became much sweeter. It's a smoky leathery vanilla that smells expensive. I like it a lot. Good for cold winter evenings.

Yikes, a major blind buy regret. I get no vanilla or leather here. It’s an overwhelming dirty patchouli, what I guess must be plum (?), and incense. Does not smell anything like I wanted it to. For some reason smells almost identical to Bond no9 Nuit de Noho, even though the note profiles are totally different. VERY strong and long lasting. Appropriate for evening. Not my type of scent whatsoever. Would love to get rid of this as I will never wear it.

its like black phantome from kilian, not 1:1 but very similiar, prefer BP, but this has something polarising too to me

but price tags, much different, its not easy choice, BP 230€ (50ml) and BO 137€ (75ml)

Absolute love at first sight and one the very few frags where I think that the juice is genuinely worth the fairly high price. Strong, sweet, yet leathery, sexy and appealing. On me projects moderately, lasts very long and every time I wear it I feel like I want to taste and eat myself. Advertised as unisex, but it leans more in the masculine. I use it predominantly for the nights out all year round, but I feel it best works in spring, summer and maybe fall. In winter I would grab a different DNA scent.

Almost 1:1 Black Phantom. Good, but unoriginal. More emphasis on the leather.

This is love at first sniff. The plum and labdanum blend perfectly. The incense, labdanum and cardamom are blended in such a way that it creates a leathery accord not listed in the note breakdown. I personally love labdanum and i feel that this is one of the perfect fragrances for exalting this note. The labdanum is central to the concept, it boosts the plum and is the backbone of the leather accord. If you love leather scents, or plum scents, you need to try this.

It's heavy, thick, and there's too much going on. Not a smooth scent story, each note clamoring to be heard over the others. Yes, it reminds me of Black Orchid, didn't care for that one either. Too chaotic. The dry down 30min-1h in remains disjointed and unsettled. I just don't have time/patience for this.

Review of full bottle blind-buy (I wish I hadn't).

another blind buy disaster. smells like leather. don’t believe the reviews below that suggest this doesn’t smell like leather. it does. the name is orchid leather. they really meant this name to tell the whole story. if you like leather, do it, it’s all about this note. don’t be me, the fool, once again, reading a few reviews and thinking it would be a stunning gourmandish oriental with little to zero leather. this is all about leather. have I used the word leather enough times for you to listen?

Not just a love at first smell but an obsession. This one lasts a long time on me and I had people obsessively smelling me when I wear it (not in a creepy way). This whole collection is beautiful and I highly recommend Orchid Leather. It’s sophisticated and gorgeous.

Ooh this is gorgeous. The drydown is a liquorice like black leather but a bit fruity, resinous, sweet and fragrant. This isn't a smokey incense-leather at all, just smooth, sensuous and even seductive on the right person. Wow. Intoxicating.

What a gorgeous scent! A cozy and intoxicating wearable leather with a fruity sweetness.
Very long lasting (can still clearly feel it on my skin seven hours in), creates a soft and warm scent bubble around you. A more softspoken classy scent that dosent need to be loud to be beautiful.

After further testing, this smells like a cross between Black Phantom and Rouge Saray. Two 10/10 scents. So yeah, it's good.

If you are trying to imagine how this smells
Imagine that Black Phantom by Kilian fused with Carlisle by PDM
This is just too good to be true for me

how to describe this perfume ? perfection in bottle
once i wear it i kept on coming back to this perfume, i was obsessed with this perfume i wanted to wear it was sexy, heady, it was everything i want and i need

I like it more than ''black phantom'' it's boozy yummy fragrance, it's simply elegant and modern,

fantastic creation from ''VCA'' and it's really enjoyable,
my concern about the name of the perfume ''orchid leather'' and there is no leather or hint of that .

overall 9/10.

So...this is nice, but it's only vanilla. That's all you can smell for 12 hours straight. The sillage and the longevity are great, but it smells as if I sprayed myself with vanilla extracts. The dry-down (meaning around the 13th hour mark) smells a bit like James Heeley's Cardinal, I am assuming it's the labdanum/incense accord, which at that point is only a skin scent.
Overall, I would say this leans slightly feminine.
For the price, the name (Orchid Leather) and the nose behind it, I would have expected something with more depth.

I noticed this fragrance as new and sprayed it on my skin; I was immediately both incredibly impressed and hooked.

I love labdanum in fragrances, as I find it to add a rich, plummy and resinous warmth, and here it is intensified in a way by the opening plum note. This doesn’t necessarily make Orchid Leather a fruity scent, at least not on me, but lends a subtle astringency to punctuate all the other heavy and luxurious notes present here. There is also a faintly animalic note in the opening followed by dark chocolate and warm leather that makes Orchid Leather so intriguing.

Cardamom is there in the background adding a very nuanced, camphoraceous spice note, and this is all enveloped by a sweet and balsamic vanilla incense. The only nod to leather on my skin was in the pleasantly dirty immediate opening. In all, it sort of reminds me of Tom Ford’s Velvet Orchid with its deep honey and flowers, and of Prada Amber in the dry down, as I find the latter to also showcase that same sensual and intoxicating, plummy labdanum-patchouli-amber note. Orchid Leather lasts for days on my skin and clothes with decent sillage (I douse my suit in it and my bedroom constantly smells of Orchid Leather). It is definitely sweet, but resinous and very slightly earthy like dried fruits or dark chocolate.

I tried CdG Floriental for comparison and cannot agree that these two are similar at all. Floriental is quite harsh and peppery on my skin, with fleeting sweetness and performance; it feels to me like it is missing something. I also tried Killian’s Black Phantom, which I found to be more chocolatey than jammy. And Atelier Cologne’s Gold Leather is more earthy and has some bitterness compared to Orchid Leather.

Official Olfactory Notes:

Top notes: Cardamom, Plum Accord

Middle notes: Black Leather Accord, Incense

Base notes: Cistus Essence, Vanilla Pod Absolute

In the opening I get a really boozy plum like plum liqueur, gorgeous!
Sweet velvety vanilla and then the leather appears, a soft wearable leather.
Later you get the incense, but not to smoky, only to make it interesting and oriental feeling. And when it dries down there’s this heavenly warm spicy cardamom. The sweet boozy plum note and the oriental vanilla are there the whole time.
Phantastic night out fragrance for the colder month. This is not a daytime perfume, it's for special occasions in my opinion.
Unisex, but female leaning, because it’s really sweet.

One of the best, if not the best from the collection.

This is a combination of Black Phantom and Myrrh Assoluto.

Delicious boozy Plum, some creamy Vanilla, Incense and some spice. Even tho Leather is in the name, Leather plays a background role supporting the fragrance, but it’s not a Leather fragrance in my opinion. Anyone coming here for a Leather fragrance will be disappointed.

As a collection, they have some amazing fragrances all of which have terrible performance, except this one. Performance is very good and by far the best.

Unisex and smells great.

Harsh leather opening. Dries down to a plush leather with plum incense and cardamom. About a half hour later the vanilla comes in to smooth and sweeten everything up. I love that the leather in here is like a really soft leather jacket, the type that’s so soft and plush you want to lay your face into it.

I’m not a fan of leather but this this a good beginner leather fragrance (you just have to get over that opening)

The performance is outstanding on me. Projects for 4 hours, great sillage and lasted until I washed it off at night (10+ hours)

Definitely unisex. Perfect for cool/cold weather.

Edit:

This is so sexy! The plum and the vanilla blends so well with the leather. I feel so sexy when I wear this

Emt1986 I understand it’s helpful but that’s also what the “this perfume reminds me of” section is for.

I guess I enjoy detailed reviews to what people are experiencing with the fragrance. It’s kind of like telling someone ketchup tastes like a sweet tomato sauce when they never ate a tomato a day in their life.
Can be helpful for some but not for all.

Can we stop reviewing scents saying it smells like another fragrance? It doesn’t help when you haven’t smelled the other fragrance mentioned before…thank you kindly :)

I tested it earlier today. 98% Black Phantom in half price. Nothing else. 😁

To me this is in the same family as Kilian's Black Phantom. However, it's different enough to own both.

It's a freaking beautiful gourmand (IMO) fragrance. Sweet, tad spicy, smoky, airy, woody, with a hint of fruitiness from the plum. Gourmands are my thing so for me this is a 10/10. Can't wait to add a bottle to my collection.

Bought today from John Lewis in Nottingham UK, great service and knowledgeable staff. Very vanilla and dark berry, woody and smoky. I have tobacco and vanille by tom ford and it's quite similar, but fruitier and sweeter. Absolutely lovely with good performance and sillage, projection was good outside this evening, 4 sprays is enough. Glad I bought it!

Vanillic, floral, leather. I’ve smelled it elsewhere before, not sure where?
It’s very nice. I think the creaminess of it is really something, with the bite and warmth of resin behind it. This is a very good line from VC&A and this one continues in that tradition.
I’m not especially excited by it though.

Bought this a few days ago.. my first impression was "wow". I didn't stop sniffing the paper and had to buy it, even bought a second bottle just in case. Unisex IMO. The projection is not as strong as I wish it was, but it is an amazing scent, love it. Safe blind buy.

It hasn’t much to do imo with Armani’s Oud Royal suggested in “reminds me of” section, which is very woodsy, however it’s more of an an incense vanilla in the vain of Mancera’s Aoud Vanille and Scent Story 24 Gold Oud but much sweeter than both - as sweet as Psychedelic love/Valentina Myrrh Asoluto (which are sweeter and denser than baccarat rouge 540 in comparison). If you own anything similar - Orchid Leather will not fill a gap in your collection, unless to you sweet is not sweet enough anymore and you need something even sweeter and dusty like talc (Velvet Vanilla by Mancera is an example of “very sweet” by my standards, Valentino Noir is like talc).

I like this offering from the house and hadn’t I owned enough in its category, I’d go for it and be covered in this genre. Don’t be building your expectations around the name - I feel no leather really and the plum feels a bit weird in comparison to well used plum in Ambre Eccentrico, suppose that’s the note trying to give an “orchid” impression here. The plum is more like in Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois.

If you haven’t experienced this kind of scents before, it will surely and instantly intoxicate you, but then it will eventually tire you with its sweetness and intensity, so easy on the sprayer until you get the amount right. It lasts and projects for 3 hours, then gets closer to the skin, but you can still smell it for quite some time after.

I prefer scent story for being gentler on my senses for daily wear, it’s not as mesmerizing - it has less complexity to it, but it makes for a more versatile use, and its lower price point is a plus. And as for intoxicating incensy vanilla sweetness I prefer the richness of Carolina Herrera’s Gold Incense, because it doesn’t tire as much during longer wear, blends better with my skin and has no weird plum note. But that’s just me.

If you can tolerate the level of powdery sweetness, you will enjoy this perfume a great deal. It may be offensive to others - as a rule, where you wouldn’t wear Mancera’s vanillas, you can’t wear this one either. It leans feminine, but it can be layered with masculine fragrances - then it will feel somewhat like a sweet Valentino Noir Absolu Oud.

UPDATE:
Aoud Vanille by Mancera does accurately describe the potency of Leather Orchid, but it was still bugging me that I can't put my finger on the exact perfume that Leather Orchid takes after (besides CH Gold Incense and CH Bronze Tonka). And it finally hit me. Tiziana Terenzi Chimaera. If you are aware of the comparisons between Precious Oud by VC&A and Black Orchid, you will understand what I mean when I say that Chimaera is richer, more ambery-nutty, more complex, more defined and refined than Leather Orchid, and you can actually get that medicinal hint of fine leather which I love about it. Leather Orchid is more stripped down, more potent, more long lasting, more fruity (plum) and more vanillic version of Chimaera, but again, you can tell that only by side by side comparison. The main accords will feel more or less the same to people who will smell them on you or in the air. And unless you don't have some soft spot for Chimaera as I do, whichever perfume you can find cheaper will do for your collection.

FINAL NOTES:
I often contemplate purchasing a bottle. I grew to like the plum accord here. Layering Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois with Valentino Noir seems to satisfy somewhat my craving for this Orchid Leather. If you have those two perfumes already in your collection and if you are somewhat tired of them - try this, until you get a sample of Orchid Leather and decide for yourself if it’s a keeper.

Can’t wait to test this! Love this line and those notes look gorgeous!!! Please be as good as the rest of this line.

Can't wait to try this! Love van Cleef & Arpels Extraordinaire Line! Also their perfumes for the bigger public like Pour Homme, Midnight in Paris and New York are delicious :)