Blacks Club Leather is a dry woods fragrance for men and women. Blacks Club Leather was created for Shay & Blue London by Julie Massé and Dom De Vetta, and launched in 2014. The scent was inspired by Blacks Club of Soho, London. The fragrance is described as “A homage to the eclectic membership of Blacks. A celebration of the spirit of Bohemia.”
Blacks Club
Blacks Club is a private members club in the Soho area of London, although it has also been described as “a famously louche bohemian drinking den.” The Blacks Club website explains that “the criteria to apply for membership is that you are extraordinarily interesting and interested.” It will also cost you £500 (about $700 U.S.) per year. Home to Blacks is a Georgian townhouse, built in 1732 and furnished in shabby bohemian decadence. Every inch and detail of the place oozes character. Black’s hosts monthly themed supper club nights, music nights, poetry nights, and art viewing events. The house cocktail is a Broker’s gin and tonic made with rosewater. The coffee there is also reportedly divine.
Fragrance Review
The opening of Blacks Club Leather by Shay & Blue smells like old, leather-bound books. I imagine myself lounging on a slipper chair in Blacks Club, reading from a gilt-leather covered copy of Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. The smell of furniture wax and strong, black coffee swirl around me. The smell is luxurious but familiar, and comforting.
As Blacks Club Leather warms on my skin, it begins to smell like a glass of cognac. Sweet raisins, bitter chocolate, and smooth tobacco, with a hint of spicy oakiness. Also, weaving in and out is the smell of the fireplace at Blacks Club. Woody notes and ash, reminiscent of crackling firewood. At times I detect the aroma of bitter orange, which makes the ashiness smell more like burnt incense.
After the first hour, the cognac and ashes start to fade, and Blacks Club Leather begins to transition into a soapy phase. Replacing the decadent booziness and cozy fire comes an aroma like a coffee scrub that you use in the shower, or a bar of caffeinated soap made with coffee beans. At this point, I feel like the good people of Blacks Club have discovered that I am an interloper in their exclusive, fascinating club — and they’re quietly ushering me toward the door.
After four hours, Blacks Club Leather smells like a soft musk. It’s similar to what I imagine a manly man’s laundry detergent would smell like. Nondescript woods and clean, artificial musk. Total longevity on my skin was about 8 hours, and sillage was moderate. Blacks Club Leather leans toward the masculine but could easily be worn by women as well.
I think that the artists who created Blacks Club Leather for Shay & Blue have captured much of the spirit of Blacks Club in their fragrance. One of the things that I noticed while looking at photos of Blacks Club is that there are fresh flowers in nearly every photo. I would have loved some deftly-placed florals in this fragrance to give it more lightness and roundness. Just like plants and flowers add life to indoor spaces, they can also add life and breath to fragrance.
I was particularly drawn to this little daybed nook, with its gorgeous scarlet tufted velvet chairs and bowl of red roses — I imagine that it smells simply divine there. After experiencing the fragrance of Blacks Club, I’m a bit fascinated with the place. Ms. Massé and Mr. De Vetta have certainly created a transportive work of art that gives its wearers a glimpse of this fabulous and exclusive London icon.
Blacks Club Leather is a unisex fragrance by Shay & Blue. It is sold in Parfum concentration. The current price for a 100mL bottle is $140 at shayandblue.com. Manufacturer’s listed notes are leather, cognac, firewood, mahogany, and beeswax.
