Description
Fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa enters the world of perfumes under the license of Beaute Prestige International and launches his first fragrance Alaïa. The fragrance is inspired by the designer’s memories of childhood spent in Tunisia like water poured over hot brick walls.
“My perfume is not reasonable — it makes time lie. I dreamed of it like an archaeologist dreams of sculptures from antiquity lying at the bottom of the sea for millennia, sculptures of perfect bodies, matched only by the women of today — an ideal and timeless beauty.”
The scent is based on the contrast of cool tones, such as red pepper, and oriental, hot flavors, like musk. The composition is signed by perfumer Marie Salamagne. It opens with airy notes and pink pepper. Middle notes include freesia and peony flowers, placed at the base of animalistic tones and musk.
Oriental bottle design is signed by Martin Szekely. The face of the perfume is Guinevere Van Seenus, photographed by Roversi.
The fragrance is available as 30, 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum.
Alaïa was launched in 2015.
mischa277 – :
A short burst of pink pepper reveals the smell of the coat room at a winter party of years gone by – a pile of leather purses and fur coats with the cold air and a mixture of their owners various floral perfumes still clinging to them.
Not entirely sure if I want to smell like this, but it certainly is evocative.
Toupponia – :
This is a floral fragrance for my nose, mostly violets. Nothing with leather at all!
limmusin – :
P.S. I’ve just read comments which compare this here rare precious stone with Tom Ford’s Black Orchid. Apologies to Ford (and his prices) but Alaiia’s Paris and The orchid do have nothing in common. I am pretty aware that our noses are “one of a kind”, however let’s call the spade a spade and put things straight : consider the ingredients, if you can’t take into account designers’ personalities, overall ideas, goals and approach. Paris to Orchid is just like the capital of France to the capital of North Korea. Not that I’m saying the latter is that awful (never been there to know). They are just different.
LexaKrava1995 – :
after so long time looking for Alaia in Indonesia after seen @harperandharley post on her instagram finally i got mine a month ago.
I was blind buy for this, and never try any leathery fragrance before so i lil curious and bit worry at the time when waiting the perfume arrive. But this fragrance surprise me, all i got is beautiful classic powdery which i love it. it is so beautiful, so intense and long lasting. I don’t know how the leathery fragrance supposed to be, however Alaia is one of my success blind buy.
kpavel3 – :
Had I not entered the shop seeking for a sample of another hot-stock designer fragrance, I had been told it’s worth a sniff, I would have missed this marvel for good. Or at least for a very long time. The shop-assistant sprinkled a few drops of the perfume on my wrist and while I was waiting for it to calm down and develop on my skin, started looking around for anything unfamiliar and interesting. I asked the woman if she had something subtle and sophisticated yet possessing an edge. She smiled and pointed to Alaiia’s shelf. I didn’t even remember the name of the perfume. Hours later I could only recall the shape of the bottle and its colour. It was beige. And those very few hours later as I was sniffing my hand I discovered that I had actually discovered a new world without even noticing it. Mind you, I’ve been deeply into vintage and niche fragrances nowadays, so the common modern perfumery although luxury cannot easily attract my attention. Most of them sound the same, but that was totally different. Several days later (actually today), I got back to the shop and asked about the same perfume. It turned out to be Alaiia Nude (or Blanche) It doesn’t matter because what really important is, I asked to try the Black bottle too. Within a few minutes I was already irreversibly and desperately in love with it.I fell for it like a teenage girl for a mature movie star. I love leather thread in perfumes, but when combined with a truly pure, genuine and fresh mountain air, modest violet and honest rose, I can’t help but adoring it. So beautifully unexpected! Blanche and Nude are exquisite, but this one is a marvel. Planning to purchase a bottle. It’s more than a worth. It is truly a story as some of the fragranticans noted. I can describe it as a troubadour’s love story. 6 out of 5. Rest in peace, master Azzedine! So sad I didn’t get to know you earlier. Yet I believe your perfumes are here to stay.
kopytsa – :
Alannah Myles black leather jacket drenched in her sweat and downdown girl perfume in a bottle. Very sexy. -end-
tancha88 – :
I purchased this fragrance during a Creed restock run. I totally forgot about it for about a month or so. When I finally did try it I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. But after three or four encounters it seduced me. I like the leathery peppery sweet mix of notes and I always get questions – what are you wearing? – which of course I love!!
mfu700speagoessenda – :
Classy and classic. I love this. Nice combination of forest, leather and musk. It’s a very unique scent – there’s nothing else like it. It’s a great special occasion / going out fragrance. Perfect for romantic evenings! It makes me feel very sexy.
I often get sick of other fragrances after a while but this one keeps drawing me back. I never get tired of it.
The bottle is gorgeous. It goes perfectly with the scent.
Overall it’s so special. My husband bought me my first bottle and it’s his favorite on me. It’s one of my very favorites if not my favorite. I hope they keep making this one forever! I will always keep a bottle of this. LOVE LOVE LOVE!
xvx447InsuffBooni – :
So beautiful. Peppery and leathery. It’s such a nice surprise. From a designer, I was expecting another loud fruitchouly sweet perfume. Alaia is so etheral. It’s more a niche style perfume than a mainstream one. In his latest guide Luca Turin gave Alaia a 5 star rating and class it among the top ten best leather and feminine. I can understand why. It’s also a pleasure to realize that we still can find interesting perfumes in the mass market and at an affordable price. Niche brand are often too expensive and many designer have now a ”luxury ” line that is overprice. And as a designer lover, I can’t resist to the chic bottle designed by Martin Szekely.
Arianna_fromAC – :
I was unimpressed at first wearing. Should know better. Try 3 times before dismissing a scent. I’m on wear #3 and ready to trade my samples for a full bottle. This is a zen fragrance, calming, centering.
I recognize a faint similarity to Gucci II for her (pink juice, lethal weapon glass bottle), but I enjoy this much more. Others may think the comparison ridiculous, but that’s what came to me at first spray. Something similar in the pink pepper and florals, but Alaia is more expansive in scope and feel. It’s fresher yet more animalic. More sheer than Gucci II, yet by no means light weight.
Image of cold water hitting hot rocks is spot on. I used to work at a spa where hot rock massage was a popular service. Will never forget scent of steam rising from the water as it ran over rocks. It’s amazing how the perfumers captured that moment, & the symbolism it contains, in a bottle. To me, that’s why perfume is art, not just craft. The rocks are grounding, dense, heavy, and smooth, like Alaia’s base. The rocks are placed on skin, steam rises, warm at first, then in the metamorphosis from liquid to air, the steam shifts from hot to cold in wonderful, refreshing way. Luca Turin mentions this scent does that rare alchemy of starting at the base notes and progressively elevating to top notes as it lingers on skin. It so does. Will stop the oversell by saying I think Alaia is an incredible value, delivering a scent experience that could easily be mistaken for niche. Love.
Uttessoffib – :
Okay, I did not really care for this when I first purchased this, perhaps my chemistry was off the day I tested this (I normally will give 2 of 3 wearings of a fragrance before writing it off, and I pretty much did not like this one the first time I wore this and sadly wrote this one off a li’l too fast…).
Anyway……..because Alaia was literally at the very front of my fragrances on a day I was rushing to get ready to go out, I spritzed this one and thought..oh well, not my fave, but it will be fine!! WELL…somehow this smelled much nicer than the day I tested this, and I receive three (3!!!) compliments on this!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Now, this is might not be a ground-breaking scent to my nose, but it smells like a ‘nice perfume’. I can’t pick up any individual notes, to me this is sort of a ‘fragrance counter smell’. Again, I can’t pick up individual notes, to me this is about the accords, to me mainly floral/powdery. I really don’t pick up the leather nor the musk. To me/on me, this is a powdery floral. Nice.
I think this would be nice for a date night (nowhere too fancy, nowhere too casual, great for something like a dinner to a nice restaurant or maybe to an art gallery, that sort of thing). This got the hubby’s seal of approval, so that makes me happy! Moderate sillage and moderate longevity.
HofeSmoonna – :
– Human essence – ★★★★★
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
A true olfactory masterpiece. An invisible story written in molecules, sweetly sailing through the air. Words fail me when I smell Alaïa – it surmounts me with the utmost beauty and sublime grace. It smells of past life, the caress of your loved ones, childlike naiveite and devastating emotional hardship. Like the perfume itself contains the life stories of its past wearers. I smell feelings and memories of things I never experienced yet I’m tricked to believe they’re mine – a benevolent aura layers me with human affection. You can genuinely smell that Azzedine Alaïa himself was deeply involved with the creation of this eau de parfum. This is his personal story to us, an emotional gift that is profoundly nostalgic and longing but ultimately loving and joyous. Marie Salamagne was the perfect choice of a perfumer for this job, she truly understood Alaïa. If I look closely, there is a part of her story hidden in that bottle aswell.
I rate full five stars.
Soundtrack:
Pink Floyd – The Great Gig In The Sky
*edit*
After reading the Luca Turin review (he gave a whopping five stars) and wearing Alaïa alot, it dawned upon me what makes this so personal and familiar to me. It indeed smells like “olfactory crowd noise” as Turin put it – like you’re at a social gathering and you get whiffs of various fragrances yet only vaguely and nothing dominates (no Poison at this party). Perhaps reminescent of the general perfume counter smell aswell. Powdery, sweet-ish, some freshness, makeup. Why does it feel personal? Because this hard-to-pin-down expansive and hazy beige aroma was always present at dinners and other gathering when I was growing up, and I learned it as the universal scent of human beings when they’re happy and enjoying their favorite people.
Still madly in love.
kirillv-2000 – :
The vials I received finished so quickly that I am now dying for more, I need a full bottle. It’s so bewitchingly delicious. I underestimated the notes. Couldn’t believe the result can be so beautiful!
fantom2007 – :
Oh, what a masterpiece! There is one word that perfectly describes what Alaïa is, and “masterpiece” is definitely it. I will write a lot, I guess, but for a good reason – this is definitely one of the best perfumes I have ever smelled, and many prestigious perfume houses have not, so far, made a perfume as unique and as smart as this one.
I must say that, like any perfume that is unique and artistic in a way (yes, because it is a true work of art), Alaïa is a perfume that stirs up “hate it or love it” reactions among those who have tried it – I am one of those who actually LOVES it, no wonder I bought myself a 100ml bottle.
And why the extreme reactions? I will tell you why – this is not a perfume for everyone. It is feminine, but it could definitely be unissex, thanks to the combination of floral and leathery notes. This combination, however, may not be appreciated by people who are not open-minded in terms of perfumes and fragrances… What I mean is, if you’re someone who’s merely beginning your journey into the world of fragrances, if you don’t know many essential oils and if you don’t like distinctive, exotic fragrances, stay away from this perfume, since Alaïa is a powerful juice that transports you to other eras, other places, other ways of thinking….
The opening notes – mountain air and pepper – are exactly it. It’s amazing. The first seconds embrace you with lightness, something ethereal, that you can’t quite describe or understand – I suppose this is the “airy” note of the fragrance. Then a few minutes later comes a beautiful, floral core, and the rose here is beautiful and elegant. I am not talking about a childish or girlish rose , I am talking about a serious, adult, elegant rose that only gives you the permission to acknowledge it’s a rose when you really pay attention to it.
But it’s the base notes, in my opinion, that really are the main stars of this show, and that really make this perfume the work of a master: how could a perfume have leathery notes in such a beautiful, seductive, feminine way, without smelling brute or masculine? Alaïa gives you the answer: the leathery notes – so typical in men’s fragrances – are essential to make this feminine perfume powerful and fascinating. Leather and violet here are cleverly combined – a beautiful romance of base notes, a lovely union that gives you a contrasting, yet hypnotizing combination. What could be a normal, nice floral feminine perfume becomes an exotic trip to the deepness of femininity, to what being a woman truly means.
This is not a perfume for any woman. I imagine a clever, opinionated, powerful, successful yet seductive, mysterious, artistic and very feminine woman wearing it. This is not a perfume for bland girls who want to live in a princess’s world. This is a perfume for audacious women who want to lead the world. This is not a perfume for a woman who wants to be pretty, flawless and perfect all the time – this a perfume for a woman who wants to be, above all, herself, no matter what people think of her.
The ambiguity and mysterious notes of this perfume make me think, in a way, that it defies the stereotypical view society has of a woman – that a woman should be sweet and nice all the time. This is not a “sweet and nice” perfume. This is not a boring floral or a predictable-full-of-vanilla “seductive” perfume. This a journey to a woman’s inner self – floral yet bitter, sweet yet leathery, feminine yet masculine, tender yet harsh. A world of contrasts inside one bottle.
If I had to describe this smell to someone, I’d say it smells like a living room in a mountain cottage filled with flowers – you feel the mountain air, the woody and leathery smell, but at the same time you are embraced by the floral notes. I congratulate Azzedine Alaïa for giving the most perfect inspiration – its childhood in Tunisia – to create this perfume. He showed with his fashion that he truly admired women and understood the beauty of a woman body – and with this fragrance, he – together with Marie Salamagne – have shown that they truly understood the essence of a woman. The true woman isn’t girlish, isn’t sweet all the time, isn’t perfect, isn’t predictable. The true WOMAN is bold, unique, audacious, amazing, mesmerizing – just like Alaïa is. Alaïa is not merely a perfume, it is a journey to the real meaning of femininity.
qazbek – :
I came on to review this and I can’t add one thing to the review below…exactly my thoughts. I wanted to love this but…no go.
EDIT… I gave this another try recently and have found I am growing to like it…stay tuned!
Ecoke – :
I SHOULD love this!
its got all my favorites; leather, violets, pink pepper…
So why does it smell like a musty old book that has been sitting covered in dust for years when i spray it on me?? maybe its just not for my chemistry. Ive tried it twice, a free sample that came with something else the first time and i was cooking dinner about an hour after i put it on and i just kept getti g whiffs and thinking “Ugh.. no!”; then a tried a friends bottle the second time and still.. nope, nothing but dusty old newspapers.
I can appreciate that its a finely made scent, it smells expensive and quirky in its own little way. But sadly it just doesnt meld well with me. Shame really.
ksot23b – :
Beautiful composition for a couple of minutes. (With a little drop of a natural ingredient everything could change). But in the end, all you get is an overload of ionona and isobutyl quinoline. 🙁
alexandr63 – :
This is not nothing like tom ford noir d pour femme! Its more like Bottega veneta edp…i like it ….but kinda masculine in a dusty old fashioned way…..not sure if im keeping this….dont see the hype. Giving it a few days try. Its powdery…n i hate powder…hmm…on the fence.
Oscisilia – :
Superb.
To me this perfume is a masterpiece. It is peppery and leathery but undeniably feminine.
It does not overpower but impresses. Unique and sensual but not an assault on the senses.
This has all the elements of a true classic and I will come back to it over and over again.
Beautiful bottle as well – a great reminder of the creative genius of Azzedine Alaia.
wwova – :
Sweet leathery peppery scent, yet powdery!; classy, sophisticated, not for day-to-day “at least for me” I find the scent bold and Sharp”.
Nice one to own, it deserves 8/10.
Edit 1/5/2018:
I found this fragrance similar to VALEntino Donna noir absolu 😉
Fearinuarraks – :
Beautiful leathery floral. Water flowers on a dense suede base, a little powdery, a little fresh, deeply intriguing. Agent Provocateur MAITRESSE smells exactly like Alaia but is five times cheaper.
Orarneunreard – :
This scent makes me feel like I’m drinking Cabernet while breathing in the cool & stoney mountain air.
It’s dark,mysterious, strong, powdery and long lasting. To me, there is nothing else like it. I get the deep leather hyde from this.
frish – :
I have used a few samples and finally got my full bottle. The bottle itself, and the packaging is beautiful.
To me, first of all, Alaia’s first initial vibe was : omg, 80’s ! And my mother. Why? because she was using Currara perfume, and it was her to go out scent. And it’s got the same vibe as Alaia, or the other way.
I get the sweetness and almost no leather.
I don’t get any violets.
I am sure it could be sickly and cloying for some. I am also sure that this is a sexy, date and erotic scent that can make your man to crave you more.
But, as with perfumes, it’s all personal and depends on your nose. To me it’s beautiful,but I feel nauseous now andI wonder if this is my PMS or I really can’t wear it at all? We will see.
It’s definitely long lasting, not that well projecting though.
diffalleddY – :
This has not been discontinued, but Saks will be carrying it online only. Perhaps it will be discontinued in the near future as it’s now made more difficult to obtain. I was able to obtain a sample from fragrancenet.com, and they had full bottles as well.
This is a brilliantly crafted perfume, really accomplishing the designers intent to replicate the scent of water over hot bricks. There is a gentle spice to this that I do like in a perfume. Unfortunately, as lovely and well-made as this is, I do not feel good smelling like wet bricks. I won’t be purchasing this.
trol – :
Just got pulled off the shelves at at Saks. Maybe discontinued? That was the only retailer I knew who carried this…
Vit0606 – :
The “imported air” Maria walks on in that Blondie song? I’m positive this is how it smells.
Achingly elegant and inscrutable, this sphynx-like scent defies straightforward description. Quiet and unobtrusive, but not the least bit boring or workaday. Like a cold gust of air in a (recently) abandoned palace.
Edit: Anyone else think that Amal Clooney would be the perfect face of this scent?
olegoli – :
Oh my gosh! I wish I was getting some of the sweetness that people were talking about, but alas, all I get is leather on me. I’ m definitely not a leather person. If it was just a little bit of leather with the sweetness that people mention, I can see how this would work.
I actually see this more as a man’s scent than a woman scent. Or, at least equal.
This would be a man and woman scent if I was to go out on a limb. Definitely heavy on oriental. I would say the combination makes it more of a bitter wood. I would definitely not consider this a floral scent on me even though it shows four different florals in the notes. Definitely DO NOT BLIND BUY. Try it on first. It appears to be very very different on each person.
WHAT I DID DO, however, was that I sprayed it on a piece of wrapping paper that I put in a bag with a gift of wine for someone, and the person said that the presentation of my gift to them was quite classy. I think this scent can be considered classy. Just not for me to wear.
PUMAAAAXE – :
i can’t stop buying it since it’s on market. i adore it smells divine i am wearing it it’s almost 3 yrs. sometimes i think i need to stop using it but I’m horribly worried when the bottle gets lighter . i do use another perfumes as well such as van cleef&arpel . or killian or armani prive but i keep buying the Alaia.the idea to stay without alaia is killing me . love love this scent
EnamiditBiams – :
As a man, this is one of the sexiest scent i’ve ever smelled on a woman.
RoMaN_13 – :
One of the most wonderful bottles. It has a Cleopatra style. Anyway, the opening is great, very leathery and spicy. When 5 minutes pass, on my skin , it becomes more generic. I would like this intense leather to last. I think it has a shampoo kind of smell after a while, with just a hint of pepper. It was a love at fist sniff but in short term.
tza231speagoessenda – :
When I first saw an image of Alaia’s bottle, I was enchanted. It’s really a beautiful thing to behold. In my hand, it exceeds the expectations I had of it. If you hold it to the light, you can easily see how much juice you have left, which I like a lot and didn’t expect. Opaque bottles are gorgeous, but a bit of a pain in the butt.
I bought Alaia because of the bottle, which is why I wanted to talk about the aesthetic first. I didn’t know if I’d like it, and honestly I thought I would but I knew there was a chance I wouldn’t (given the tricky relationship I have with musk). I don’t think Alaia is a good blind buy, but I got lucky because I absolutely love it.
My nose is not super developed, so call this a layperson’s review. I have three spritz on different parts of my body so I can be more thorough and accurate with my thoughts.
The opening is sharp and citric, not in a cheapie, alcoholic way but in a purposeful one. (I’m guessing this is the pink pepper). It quickly goes a bit sweeter, but this fragrance is not very sweet, although that’s subjective. I think this is when I get the leather note, and it’s lovely.
About twenty minutes later, the sharpness fades and turns slightly softer, and the leather is the star from here on out. There’s musk but it doesn’t bother me.
Even later still, there’s a creamier quality to the leather, I get a quality like amber in there, too. I don’t get a lot of florals, and I can smell a hint of something “air-y” although I wouldn’t have noticed that without looking at the listed notes.
Alaia lasts about average on me, although I don’t really care about longevity in my fragrances since I can always reapply. I don’t have a problem of not noticing it throughout its lifespan, it’s consistently there for me. I’ve worn this in early February in 80 degree Florida heat and I plan to wear this in autumn, too.
Alaia is very unisex, although I think anyone can wear any fragrance.
troyan123456 – :
Loved it on paper strip but not on my skin, it’s horrible on me, such a disappointment 🙁
Yorik – :
Do you know the feeling when you walk into a room and feel that you have just missed an important commotion or conversation? Perhaps a sense of tension in the air, or swirling dust motes that suggest recent movement, or people breathing a bit harder than they should? Alaia feels a bit like that – something exciting or important has happened but you’re not sure what. It is not a loud perfume, or even a perfume-y perfume, but it creates significant ripples in the atmosphere around you.
In terms of notes, I find a juicy berry note, very abstract florals and a musky, leathery base, but the most interesting note is the mineral one – it really does smell like cold water on hot stone. It gives it an airy radiance and lift, which are a great contrast to the dark, shadowy base.
I own and love Bottega Veneta already, which is a sunnier take on leathery fragrance; I tested La Panthère a lot but couldn’t get on with its shampoo fruitiness; I nearly re-purchased Narciso EDP for a smooth musk, but I am happy I have Alaia instead. My young son said it reminded him of Black Orchid but less sweet and fruity. This struck me for two reasons: 1) I reflected on the impact of my interest in perfumes that my child has such broad perfume references aged 10, 2) He is right – I would never have made the connection but this is dark like TF but much less sweet and thick.
There is something very clever about this. It is very abstract and hard to pull apart and it is definitely more than the sum of its parts. It smells like much more than the fragrance pyramid and conjures up a strong feeling of mood. Nahéma is the only other fragrance where I have resorted to random visual images or Proustian memories in order to convey my response. For Alaia it is: cold outdoor air, an old leather jacket, library books, waking up and smelling the skin of the person next to you.
The longevity is excellent – 10 hours on skin and days on clothing. Sillage is arm’s length. People do smell this and compliment me. It is more radiant than it seems, as – for all its dark qualities – it feels weightless.
An edit: within a month I have finished my 30ml bottle. I wore it most days, although not all. It strikes me that I needed to spray too much too often for it to really stay and I’m not sure I can justify this rate of use.
lapaev68 – :
Sexy and intense.
I like this fragrance, just not on myself as it is not quite the tone im going for. Smells like creamy leather with a hint of powder. I would say this is an unisex fragrance and recommend for someone looking to make a statement
simplititas – :
This has a kind of sharp almost aldehydic opening that’s kinda rough for me. Somewhat like the first blast of La Panthere but nowhere near as good. I also don’t care for the pink pepper. As a scent ruiner for me, It’s a common culprit. I don’t get a lot of musky at this point, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. The leather isn’t as prominent as I’d like either. All in all, I’m not a huge fan.
virt241088 – :
Weird, i could almost tell this had a raspberry note in it and after looking it up, there’s nothing juicy, however something gives it the juicy vibe…
It is leathery, but the leather disappears fast.
Not special enough to buy a full bottle, nor does it have a good staying power. But a nice scent otherwise.
yorkuspb – :
This has the same musk drydown as Narciso in the square white bottle, and I’m sure the same musk of many others, the names of which I do not know. The Alaia adds a leathery/suede note and replaces the sharp, sweet gardenia of the Narciso with softer violet/freesia/peony. I’d say the Alaia is a smoother, more nuanced composition than the Narciso, but it’s the same cloud of musk that surrounds the wearer after an hour or so. Those who find it fleeting are probably anosmic to the musk.
In the perverse way that modern perfumery affects me, I find it equally beguiling and sickening. I’d love to smell it wafting by me, but on my own skin the tenacity of the aromachemicals cause me to be annoyed by my own skin. It sticks in my nose and eyes, yet I kept spraying the sample vial on til it gave me a headache. It’s addictive, but it has the unpleasant association of a caged animal repeatedly pressing a bar for an unhealthy treat.
EDIT 8/14/2017 ….ANNNNNNDDDD I bought it… *bites bars on cage*
siba – :
Azzedine Alaïa has always been a guilty pleasure for me. Those shoes! The dresses! Those bags! (The bottle here emulates the stunning laser cut totes from the 2015 RTW line.) Alaïa is perfectly tailored sexiness.
This perfume is such a match to Alaïa designs – violets and leather – it should not work but it does.
It won’t be everyone’s cuppa tea, but I adore it.
rqx116Bessinepome – :
Alaia is an extremely well-done fragrance. It’s one of the nicest violet-leather combos on the market. If you like scents such as Bottega Veneta and Armani Prive Cuir Amethyste you’ll probably enjoy this fragrance as well.
It’s a soft, sensual leather fragrance, more feminine than masculine. The floral aspect tames the leather and wears both musky and powdery on the skin.
Violet and leather are the most dominant accords to my nose, followed by peony, pink pepper and white musk. You could potentially wear this fragrance during Spring, however I think it best suited to the cooler months. It’s a very comforting, warm fragrance with a subtle hint of sensuality.
I am surprised by all the negative reviews this fragrance has received since its release. I understand that leather scents are not always everyone’s cup of tea, however I find it to be a beautiful leathery composition. Each to their own I guess.
On another note the longevity is quite impressive on my skin, lasting a decent 6-7 hours. The sillage is moderate, neither too heavy nor too soft.
Van Di – :
Alaia opens with pepper smell combined with airy notes. Fresh, sunny and light, thin as air on the mountain. Something bitter appears and disappears like a night light. I can’t tell what it is but it remains as much as the perfume somewhere in the back. The heart of the composition becomes sweeter, warm with a note of freesia. Peony also appears to bring light. At this moment it is a sweet warm floral mixture like a ray of sun on the high mountains. We didn’t get off the mountain because the air from there is always with us.
The bitterness from the beginning has become more sweet but has not disappeared completely. Heart of the combination is much warmer than the rest.
The dry-down is warm and musky with a pale leathery note. The airy note sets on the basis of the composition as if going to bed. The lasting power is very good.
The perfume is different from everything found in the mainstream zone so it deserves a try. Lighted, airy and leathery – this is Alaia.
m13av – :
I was given a sample if this in House of Fraser and from sniffing the bottle, I thought it was promising.
Having tried it on my skin, I find this to be a very strong/cloying old fashioned fragrance. It reminds of something my grandmother used to wear. Or a Bvulgari one my mother had years ago. Not quite Chanel No. 5 but still that heavy kind of scent that doesn’t really develop (on my skin).
Kristi01 – :
Before i started collecting perfume i disliked this perfume and thought it smelt like a dirty animal.
But now it smells totally different to me. Its fresh, musky, cosmetic and leather smelling.
Its a bit like the smell of an expensive department store.
I sometimes get a hint of cigarette from this too, maybe from the pink pepper.
Overall i really enjoy it and think it smells fresh, classy and sexy.
kubik911 – :
No doubt this is a beautiful fragrance. I’m glad I got it at a discount though and probably won’t repurchase and here are the reasons why:
I’ll begin by describing the fragrance. Firstly, I’m not finding any similarity to Tom Ford’s Black Orchid and I really don’t get a lot of pepper at all. This starts off sweet with a little spice and musk. It isn’t a heavy fragrance at all. It’s what I like to think of as perfuming the skin. It is stronger than a body spray, but I don’t think it’s worth the full retail price. I sprayed this on at 2:45 PM today and it is now 7:00 and I barely smell it. It becomes a skin scent within the first thirty minutes of wear and fades soon thereafter. I was very disappointed in it’s projection and longevity. I recommend purchasing a travel atomizer to use with this scent. It’s sad because I love it. 🙁
petr49 – :
When I first tested it I immediately related it to tom ford black orchid, which I don’t like. Alaia was a blind buy, so I’m glad i bought the smallest bottle (30ml)
gfx035bedyWelty – :
love it what can i say sillage is pretty bad but juice is bada** is amazing leather awesome!
this rock and roll, so lovely and edgy at the same time, i just can’t i love it like i love bulldogs and red lipstick is just good!
Asmodeus – :
I got the sample miniature version of this bottle. Upon the first spray, it struck me to be a very elegant scent. I love the opening musk and leather scent. I find it to be a very cool and calm perfum