Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Cuir Fétiche, a new women’s perfume, just launched. According to house perfumer Jean-Paul Millet Lage, he was inspired to create Cuir Fétiche on a scouting trip to southern France where he was looking at (and apparently sniffing) leathers for a new line of Maître Parfumeur et Gantier gloves. (As Robin said last week; I’m pretty tired of “creation stories.”)

Cuir Fétiche tries to be “racy;” it’s advertised using a woman wearing nothing but leather gloves (that make her hands look a tad masculine!), and the Cuir Fétiche bottle comes wrapped in a red corset.* Though Cuir Fétiche’s ads may be “suggestive” for Maître Parfumeur et Gantier, the perfume is far from “sexy;” it’s “bound” by convention, not leather handcuffs. Cuir Fétiche is a classic leather fragrance: elegant, calm, well-dressed (not, well, “un-dressed” for sure).

Cuir Fétiche contains fragrance notes of red mandarin, lemon, bergamot, geranium, leather, ylang ylang, jasmine, rose, iris, vanilla, musk, ambergris, patchouli, cedar and sandalwood. Cuir Fétiche goes on bright with glints of citrus and aldehydes...

French niche line Maître Parfumeur et Gantier will launch Cuir Fétiche, a new perfume for women, this fall. House perfumer Jean-Paul Millet Lage was inspired by a trip to Millau in southern France in search of new materials for the brand's line of leather gloves...

French niche house Maître Parfumeur et Gantier has launched intense versions of three of the house's best selling fragrances — Eau Pour Le Jeune Homme, Fraîcheur Muskissime and Vocalise — under the name Les Eaux Extravagantes...

Classics from Guerlain: Eau de Guerlain, "heralding a hot, fragrant summer in Provence"; $94 for 100 ml at Neiman Marcus. Or, Vetiver in an alcohol-free Deodorant Stick, $27 at Bloomingdales...

I’m a fan of Maître Parfumeur et Gantier; I wear, or have worn: Route du Vetiver (my favorite vetiver fragrance), Jardin du Nil, Parfum d’Habit, Iris Bleu Gris, and — a top compliment-getter — Baïmé. I’ve been looking forward to Bois de Turquie’s release and wondering what makes wood smell Turkish.

Bois de Turquie contains bergamot, tangerine, orange blossom, Laurus nobilis, geranium, iris, jasmine, ginger, cinnamon, sandalwood, patchouli, myrrh and frankincense. Bois de Turquie is smooth and semi-sweet on application; its citrus notes, both fruity and floral, are warm, not cold or bracing. The mid-development of Bois de Turquie smells a bit herbal and “leafy” (bay leaf and geranium become apparent). A powdery iris-jasmine accord follows the leafy stage and gives Bois de Turquie a quiet, lazy vibe...

The vetiver root, a plant originating from the Bourbon Islands, surprises with its raw strength and its warm, wooded scent.

Maître Parfumeur et Gantier unveils it in its most authentic state.

Hyperbole is generally a given in fragrance ad copy — no matter how dull the juice, we'll be told a perfume sparkles with dazzling radiance, that it is exquisite, daring, sensual, luxurious, sublime and intoxicating. Maître Parfumeur et Gantier's description of Route du Vetiver, quoted above, is that rare example of the opposite approach, "raw strength" being in this case something of an understatement.

I am a big fan of vetiver, but I'm not a purist about it. Almost any variation will please me, from the genial and summery (Paul Smith Story) to the buried-in-roots-and-damp-earth (Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire). I'll even take my vetiver toasted with a little vanilla sugar (Hermes Vetiver Tonka). Maître Parfumeur et Gantier Route du Vetiver (notes of Bourbon vetiver, black currant, green leaves, precious woods, jasmine, sandalwood and musk) is the wild beast of vetiver fragrances, and I haven't quite come to terms with it...

I first tried Sanguine Muskissime several years ago, and was not overly fond of it. A sample recently came my way again and I thought I would give it another go. For a few minutes, I thought it might work for me this time: the top notes are a lovely, sparkling blend of citrus, very bright and summery...

In Black is the latest fragrance release from the Spanish design house J Del Pozo. The fragrance was created by nose Christine Nagel and features pink grapefruit, rose, black cherry, black lily, peach wine, jasmine, violet, vanilla, musk, patchouli, cedar and liquorice wood. No word on when this will be in stores...

Maître Parfumeur et Gantier released Bahiana earlier this year to celebrate "The Year of Brazil in France". The fragrance is geared towards a younger market than the brand usually targets, and at the time it was launched, they had not yet decided whether it would be a limited edition or part of the regular line. It features notes of Brazilian orange, caïpirinha lemon, yellow mandarin, tagette, green leaf, rosewood, gaiac wood, elemi, amber, musk, and coconut.

I have only tried Bahiana twice, and rather quickly at that, so these are early raves but I think I have found another summer favorite...

Lulu Guinness has released her latest summer limited edition, Pink Pearls. The "radiant floral" features notes of pink grapefruit, tangerine peel, orange blossom, pink tulip, buttercup, apricot, tonka bean, amber, and sandalwood. The fragrance is a tie-in with Guinness's new book, Put On Your Pearls, Girls! and is available in 100 ml Eau de Parfum...