TOM FORD RELEASE OMBRE LEATHER PARFUM

Today I'm going to share with you some thoughts on the TOM FORD OMBRE LEATHER PARFUM that I was kindly gifted by the team over at TOM FORD Beauty. As many of you know I am a huge fan of the TOM FORD fragrances. Back in 2018 I wrote about the TOM FORD OMBRE LEATHER from the signature range. 

Perhaps a little backstory is needed here as even I was mildly confused to see this bottle land on my lap as a ‘new' fragrance. 

The original TOM FORD OMBRE LEATHER was released in 2016 that was the Private Blend and that came and went. That's the thing with these eclectic fragrances, they're not around forever. But it went, left a hole in my heart, but wait.. it came back in 2018! A new version released into the signature series. And now we have the latest incarnation, the 2021 Parfum. 

First impressions

Like I said, I was mildly perplexed. Wait, haven't we already done this? Haven't I reviewed it? Bought it a dozen times since? What year is it? Who is the president? OK I digress. So I quickly latched on. This was a new fragrance, the PARFUM version of the OMBRE LEATHER and this is denoted in the packaging by a white label on the black bottle (see above image for reference).

The scent itself doesn't have the punchy-delivery of its 2018 nor its original predecessors. The leather is more subtle, it comes into play slightly after a savvy floral opening of Violet Leaf beautifully entwined in cedar. 

Before I get into the dry down and the projection, here is a word from Tom Ford himself, 

Most of my scents explicitly capture some real aspects of my life. With OMBRE LEATHER, every note is connected to the American west of my childhood. The new PARFUM builds on the wild, unbridled sensuality of the original scent.. it is a heightened expression. 

Notes to look out for

TOP: violet leaf, cedar 
MID: jasmine, sambac, orris 
BASE - leather, woody notes and tobacco

Final thoughts

This isn't a niche leather fragrance, but if you're into your leather scents and prefer your parfums on the more masculine side then I'd recommend this one. I've heard it being classed as Unisex, and whilst Tuula did like the fragrance, it was a bit too strong for her to wear. Which is a win for me. It really jumps off the skin and has some great longevity. A couple of pumps on the collar and wrist in the morning and I was good to go for the remainder of the day. It actually inspired me to get the BBQ on the go and get some crispy bacon back in my diet. 

It does have a very impactful opening. As you'd expect. But it's not as direct as the signature or the Private Blend OMBRE LEATHER. It's too brawn for a first date. I would wear this comfortably to a black tie do. Perhaps an evening meal with Tuula if we were going somewhere swish. I'd like to wear this on a red carpet event hopefully sometime soon. It has a mystery to it. It's authentic and for my money, no one does leather like TOM FORD.