Yesterday, I received a haircut at a local barbershop. The sign in the barber's window said "traditional" and that is what I wanted. I noticed that he had some eau de toilette bottles on display in the window as well, and one caught my eye since it was marked "Cuir de Russie"; so of course I had to make a reservation. The haircut involved the barber mostly cutting my hair with a straight-razor and in the course of our conversation, I brought up the "Cuir de Russie" question, and he told me that this particular eau de toilette was based on an old Russian legend involving the Cossacks having their leather boots scraped up while travelling the woods and then liking the resulting smell. This got me wondering about the use of "Russian leather" on strops, which has a velour-like surface. Could the legend apply to the surface-quality of Russian-leather strops as well?
In any case, the eau de toilette, made by the L.T. Piver company of Paris, smelled wonderful, but at 42 euros a bottle, was a bit much for me--especially as I do not wear colognes or use eau de toilette. The haircut, on the other hand, was a reasonable 13 euros and was very well done.
So, has anyone heard of this "cuir de Russie" legend, and if so, does it apply to the surface quality of Russian leather as well? And, for those who may know such things, what is the history of the development of Russian leather as used for strops?
In any case, the eau de toilette, made by the L.T. Piver company of Paris, smelled wonderful, but at 42 euros a bottle, was a bit much for me--especially as I do not wear colognes or use eau de toilette. The haircut, on the other hand, was a reasonable 13 euros and was very well done.
So, has anyone heard of this "cuir de Russie" legend, and if so, does it apply to the surface quality of Russian leather as well? And, for those who may know such things, what is the history of the development of Russian leather as used for strops?
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