nased – 2022-06-22:

4 out of 5

This ended up in a sample swap and found out the maker is Jeff Dame from Dame Perfumery, which this same formula is morphed into his line called JD.
Its a neo classic scent. Meaning, theres elements of the great classics to be found in this formula, but also some strong new synthetic aromachemicals at play too that werent in the classic formulations. I like the concept, however the new materials used used coughing and a headache. If you arent bothered by modern formulas jump on in.. but for someone like me that is.. sample first. Its a bit of a strange phenomena as any DAME main line products seem to do well with me.

vysockaya tatyan – 2022-06-22:

3 out of 5

Parfums Retro Grand Cuir is framed for you before you even try it. Putting the expectation right out front is an interesting strategy. The name tells you it will be a backward-looking, stonking leather perfume. While the name is not an outright fiction, it’s a ruse. Grand Cuir is a leather perfume, but it plays rough with genres and assumptions. If you take the name as a suggestion rather than scripture, the perfume speaks for itself and the fun starts.
Grand Cuir refers to the big, androgynous leathers of the early 20th century, the smoking and drinking party girls and boys such as Caron Tabac Blond, the various Cuirs de Russie, Schiaparelli Shocking and Lanvin Scandal. It is formal but rakish in that unbuttoned tuxedo, end of the evening style. It also links to the whopping aromatic fougeres of later in the 20th century with herbal, soapy facets that smack of loud shower-singing. The references might be retro, but its genre-blurring was current when released in 2013 and the huskiness of the floral leather notes matches a pendulum-swing away from sheer suede/leather notes and toward smoky, peaty leather tones.
Like the early 20th Century Shalimars, Emeraudes and Tabus with their dress up, play-acting orientalism, the art deco-era leather perfumes had a bit of costumey amateur-theater to them. The aromatic fougère of the mid-20th century was equally burdened with drama, in this case the overstuffed props of a wounded masculinity. Grand Cuir takes the stage but does it with a wry, comedy-of-manners-style that suits the project. The irony is smart and never reaches into sarcasm. Grand Cuir simply lives in a world of props and set-dressing appropriate to the genres.
Grand Cuir plays with olfactory tones as much as it plays with genres. Soapiness is common to both floral-leathers and fougères and Grand Cuir uses it to modulate the tannic woodiness of the leather and scratchy herbal qualities. The perfume balances tones of voice that typically would be dissonant. The hissiness of the orange blossom-leather pairing sits easily next to the barbershop quartet of the fougère. Grand Cuir is a big broad perfume and holds these differences in place without them seeming shoehorned into the same bottle.
Taken seriously, lightly or laughingly, Grand Cuir is a potent but nuanced perfume. Its opening gives a picture of the journey of the next 12 hours. The details, though, are nicely calibrated and the sites that you see en route are delightful.
from scenthurdle.com

julianesterko – 2022-06-22:

4 out of 5

Such a good surprise this Grand Cuir.
The fragrance opens with an extremely aromatic and and kind of arresting herbal combo of lavender, pine and terragon. Hyper-green, almost strident and even challenging if you want because of the juxtaposition with a remarkable dose of birch-tar. Hang in there and let the fragrance evolve because this is just the beginning…
A masculine soapy-floral pattern (mainly geranium) breaks in in the middle phase driving the fragrance towards more traditional territories while a barbershop-type leather-patchouli base starts lurking in the back to then merge with the rest and give birth to a tremendously complex old-school clean leather that could have easily been included in the Geo F. Trumper line-up as well as, say, Czech & Speake.
If you like classic *gentlemanly* leathers a-la Knize Ten, you can’t miss this.
Indeed *rétro* and very, very good.
Rating: 8.5/10

Vier – 2022-06-22:

3 out of 5

To me this smells like nothing but lavender and Ivory soap. So, basically: my grandmother. Oh, it has a “leather soul,” does it? So did my grandmother.

gicubaxan – 2022-06-22:

5 out of 5

Really lovely and smoky leather scent. Yes there is a clean-ness to it but it is somehow soapy and smoky at the same time. A lovely dichotomy.

ИгорьАсом – 2022-06-22:

5 out of 5

I recently got a leather bracelet from Ireland as a gift souvenir from my dad, and this smells just like it! Very suede-y leather with a light animalic quality. Real leather smell but quite wearable, especially in a fancier occasion. I’m wearing this to a concert tonight and in this setting, the fragrance feels kinda edgy but cool.

Alvoal – 2022-06-22:

4 out of 5

This smells almost exactly like Cuir de Russie, but harsh. Did not care for it. Note: not very fond of CdR either, but CdR is very, very smooth.

6069700 – 2022-06-22:

5 out of 5

Strong, beautiful, really evocative of a true leather scent without the tar smell. A bit of lavender and moss in the background, a little spiciness especially at the opening. But the dry down is pure leather, like a good leather jacket. Strong though might be hard to wear in many settings.

mihaillis – 2022-06-22:

3 out of 5

A perfume not so easy.
Yes is not so easy to have the opportunity to smell such Repellent fragrances.
Smells of mothballs aromatized with lavender the one like gled gel lavender.. that deodorant into the plastic box with holes that you put into the closet or the bathroom. just add some pure leather shoe. And Grand Cuir is Done.
sincerely this scent remember me the the plastic wardrobe for shoes of my grandmother: wax, shoe polish, and white petrol that she was used to use to remove stains. Plus a hint of fake synthetic lavender. my god. tremendous. based upon the opinions here I have ask to a friend to carry two samples from California. I put one drop and I wanted to vomit. from headaches. I do not understand the other comments. perhaps in some countries do not use mothballs lavender to ward off moths from closets. but those who have an idea of Naphthalene, white petrol and cheap deodorant of lavender (that is far away to habe the scent of lavandula officinalis) can understand what I mean. Who has nostalgia of the mentioned elements can found those all well blended in Grand Cuir.

eryoma – 2022-06-22:

3 out of 5

this one is quite shocking actually. it smells EXACTLY like Aleppo soap, or in Arabic (صابون الغار او صابون رقي او صابون ركي بالعراقي) it is a kind of soap that is made from olives from the 2nd process right after bringing out the extra virgin olive oil. this kind of soap was originally used by َQueen Zanobia the Queen of Palmyrene Empire which is in Syria, & Queen Cleopatra the Queen of Egypt.
it doesn’t smell anything like cuir or leather at all unless you combine your thoughts and try so hard to believe that it is leather in the most difficult way. not bad though & quite interesting to have that kind of smell in a bottle.

Boromlj – 2022-06-22:

5 out of 5

I sampled this without knowing anything about it. This is such a beautiful leather scent. In college, my boyfriend and I used to ride motorcycles through the forest on Sundays, then stop somewhere to rest and eat lunch in the sunshine. This fragrance smells exactly like a well worn leather motorcycle jacket warmed by the sun, and sunkissed forest. I am a huge fan of leather scents, especially Knize 10 and this is a lighter summery leather. Just gorgeous!

SEXIboi – 2022-06-22:

5 out of 5

I can’t compete with some of these other reviews, but I felt I had to comment. Does anyone else get “Barbasol” from this? At first spray, and still about an hour later, it reminds me of my dad’s shaving cream from the 1980s. I think I love this. There’s obviously more going on here than shaving cream, and it will take a few more wearings to explore. But for now it reminds me of my childhood and smells like “home.” Not feminine enough for me to wear out, really, but I imagine wearing it as a comfort when I’m stuck inside on rainy days and feeling lonely or nostalgic.

morozko1986 – 2022-06-22:

3 out of 5

Sorry for not commenting sooner but I am still enjoying my sample of Grand Cuir. Thank you Jeffrey. I love it! I don’t find it too masculine for me at all. It is so elegantly done, so many layers but blended seamlessly and it is extremely long lasting on my skin. Can’t wait to smell the new Parfums Retro releases in 2014.

SAIBRECER – 2022-06-22:

3 out of 5

This review is based on a carded sample. I get fresh pine mixed with birch tar and lavender. To my untrained nose, all the other notes are well-blended I hardly able to pinpoint individually so I’ll just quote what’s written on card :-
“A leather with soul. Part One: A Leather Soul with notes of cistus-labdanum, clary sage and birch tar rectified. Part Two: A Multi-Dimensional Floral Heart with notes of orange-flower, geranium, lavender, violet leaf, carnation and rose. Part Three: Accents with notes of cinnamon leaf oil and tarragon. part Four: A Comfortable, Relaxed Base with notes of pine moss, musk, sandalwood, patchouli and rosewood oil.”
To me, Grand Cuir is Mouchoir de Monsieur by Guerlain minus the indolic jasmine note with a little pine and birch tar added.

exciscers – 2022-06-22:

3 out of 5

Others describe this far better than I can, I purchased a 4 mil sample of Lorenzo villoresi’s uomo, they asked if I would want a free sample of anything else they carried ? I told them surprise me! this is what they included. wow ! is all I can say. I will try this one out soon, but just a drop on my wrist and I am instantly a fan. very nice surprise I will be researching this one more. very rich, fragrant..it is quality
update, since I only had the small sample, and not really ready to spring for a bottle , I bought two small samples from lucky scent, and put all 3 or the small vials into 1 new 3 mil atomizers I had lying around..enough to wear I could wear this for a day or two.. just an amazing aromatic scent that yells quality.. I will spend some more time with it, but I am so close to biting the bullet to buy this, I had planned on buying the uomo first…now I am not so sure. wonderful fragrance to sample. very classy and sexy is what my wife told me after sniffing this on me…she told me don’t put on too much.. it is a very well made fragrance.. so trying a spray , then 2 and finally 3 small sprays and she told me perfect.. one of those fragrances that I truly enjoy smelling it on myself, try this if you can.
it is
an evolving scent.. it opens a little bit like , oh wow…then after a little bit the scent will take you on a different path. I can smell the creativity of the perfumer .. so much depth and warmth of fragrance here but also some confidence or perhaps a daring side of this, on one side I think of romance and the other I see some hells angel with leathers on, a masculine presence in the highest form and this dude does not say a word, just a look. one of those rare fragrances that I get a 180 feel to. usually a fragrance I will sort of zone in on one view of perception. this one I could go either way. but both ways I like what this perfume says to me.. it is a seek out fragrance I think. I am still in the infatuation period..but think I could love.

qwertytricks – 2022-06-22:

4 out of 5

Grand Cuir by Parfums Rétro is a dramatically stunning perfume that recalls the lost last age of elegance. Created to be worn by both men and women, it is very classically French in its olfactory signature. Grand Cuir is purely rich and evocative of Pairs. It recalls an age of beautiful women who dress in chic elegant style at every hour of the day, who, for every occasion, had a perfume to match each mood, atmosphere and destination. Be that a shopping excursion, a romantic interlude or an evening alone at home reading “Bonjour Tristesse”.Yes it recalls all these things about women but when a man wears Grand Cuir it takes on the memories of women whom he has loved. The perfume’s tag line reads “A leather with soul.” This is true, it has soul, but it is not the soul of cool like in the late 60’s. It has the soul of chic from the earlier and too brief period between 1960 and 1964. It is complex, interesting, a bit demanding of your attention and utterly devastating. It is a brand new perfume created in 2013 that shows you can be modern and yet reflect elegance from the past.
The perfume opens with a little naughty slightly skanky labdanum which gives it its initial Gallic flavor. There is birch tar, clary sage and a resinous pine needles that keep it from wandering into Place Pigale nasty mademoiselle territory. It is perfectly controlled, bright and pops with an aldehydic shimmer without being to loud.
None of this lush French opening is lost as the heart notes come into play. There seems to be a note from every arrondissement of Pairs here and it works the perfume to perfection. Green from the geranium, violet leaf and a pinch of tarragon start to waft up from the Marais then from the Left Bank we get orange blossoms and cinnamon. Montmartre chimes in with lavender and finally a beautiful rose from the gardens of les Bois de Boulogne.
In the base it is all about warmth, sensuality and a masculine edged of expensive leather. The dry down is packet to baroque levels with leather, patchouli, sandalwood and rosewood. The musk and moss notes support and finish off the perfume at about eight hours.
There was only one thing that did not impress me about Grand Cuir and that would be the bottle. Such an elegant rich and expensive creation should be if at all possible presented in an equally stunning flacon. What we are given is a generic “perfume” bottle that is used by every new perfumer around. But I am being picky here. For really what is most important is what the juice does on the skin. And what Grand Cuir does to the skin is something wonderful. It creates a world of sophistication and beauty from which memories can be made.
Grand Cuir by Parfums Rétro Five Gold Stars *****
(FOR THE REST OF THE STORY CHECK OUT MY PERFUME BLOG ~ SCENTS MEMORY)

BorodaLTI – 2022-06-22:

4 out of 5

My sample is courtesy of Jeffrey Dame. Although not listed on Fragrantica, Grand Cuir possesses a complex-but-familiar top accord of bergamot, lemon, lime, clary sage, oakmoss, birch tar, and pine needles, but here the notes are wedded together quite closely, and create one great big woody-citrus note. This is one of the best mossy-citrus top notes I’ve ever smelled, the sort of thing I wish I’d smelled in Dior’s Fahrenheit, as it would nicely complement its tarry hawthorn notes. A singular comparative of Grand Cuir’s top can be found in the current (or vintage) English Leather cologne, only there it’s far simpler.
Within a couple hours the floral notes emerge, with orange blossom appearing first (also quite prominent in English Leather), followed by the lemony uplift of geranium, peppery carnation, dry rose, and a rather dirty labdanum. Things get exceedingly sooty and dry in the manner of a classical early twentieth-century leather, with a healthy balance of oakmoss, patchouli, and the barest hint of sandalwood in the base.
Grand Cuir is a beautiful perfume, and it’s beautiful because the ingredient quality is high, and the balance is just right. I generally dislike leathers, and this fragrance does nothing to change my mind on wearing them (I don’t make it a point to wear leathers for the sake of smelling like leather), but I’d be lying if I said this didn’t smell great. In some ways it resembles English Leather, but it’s far more complex, and it moves more. I’ll possibly update this review in the future to compare GC to The Knize Ten.

Haz – 2022-06-22:

5 out of 5

For those of you who ever wished someone would create a fragrance that parallels the plot twists of an Italo Calvino novel you need not look further.
I have to admit that this fragrance frustrated me … at first, because every time I sniffed something interesting it would begin to change. Fortunately I wore it a few times and realized every time it changed I would forget about what it smelled like just minutes before and would instead become intrigued in it’s present state. Luckily for me, there is an ashy leather note that lingers throughout and seems to tie it all together and give it a story line.
For anyone who enjoys fragrances that develop and change over a few hours you might want to give this one a try.
It starts fresh and invigorating and somewhat herbal and humid in a Dior retro way. Add to that a slightly vaporous dry-cleaned shirt – immaculately white. A powdered musk note keeps the fragrance light for at least the first half hour before it starts to settle into a clean ashy sweetness.
On my skin there is a soft leather note that really begins to come forward after the intitial notes begin to fade. It also starts to get dry, floral and woody. The ashy note is really comfortable juxtaposed to the soft leather and a clean note that feels like clary sage, rose and patchouli.
The wood and the clary sage last to the dry-down as does the clean ashy note and a bit of spice like cinnamon and some light pepperiness. The combination gives it a very subtle liquorice quality. There is a clean musky soapiness in the dry-down as mentioned by other reviewers. Pleasant. All of that in around 8 hours.
I am no longer frustrated with how this fragrance changes and instead am quite enjoying the ride.

Ieronim88 – 2022-06-22:

5 out of 5

It went on with a pleasant, if somewhat strong, leathery scent and then became unbearably soapy after about an hour. Not the leather scent I’m looking for – not at all.

diplomat – 2022-06-22:

3 out of 5

I received a sample of this, not knowing it was a man’s fragrance, and I wore it and loved it.