Royal English Leather

[professorchaos]

In yet another in a long list befuddling decisions, Creed has decided to vault (read: discontinue) Royal English Leather. My local Neiman Marcus had two bottles of it. Had being the operative word. They now occupy a place next to my stash of vintage Tabarome and Cuir de Russie.

[rearviewmirror]

I wanted to love it, but it smelled it like baby diapers to me. and not the fresh ones out of the box.

[professorchaos]

That's too bad. It is my favorite leather frag by a long measure.

[insomniac]

How does it compare to Tom Ford TL or Knize?

[The Nid Hog]

What a terrible decision. And I'm out too. Oh well. Maybe they'll make some new crappy grapefruit scented thing instead.

[professorchaos]

How does it compare to Tom Ford TL or Knize?

Never smelled Tuscan Leather and it smells nothing like Knize. It is a very rich, supple leather. The closest I've smelled to it is Luetens' Cuir Maresque.

What a terrible decision. And I'm out too. Oh well. Maybe they'll make some new crappy grapefruit scented thing instead.

Please don't give them any ideas ! They are just fickle enough to do it. I'll never understand their desire to distance themselves from their heritage.

[rickboone1]

In yet another in a long list befuddling decisions, Creed has decided to vault (read: discontinue) Royal English Leather. My local Neiman Marcus had two bottles of it. Had being the operative word. They now occupy a place next to my stash of vintage Tabarome and Cuir de Russie.

All 3 of these are ones I'd love to try, yet never have.

[rickboone1]

What a terrible decision. And I'm out too. Oh well. Maybe they'll make some new crappy grapefruit scented thing instead.

Hey, it's pineapple. Ladies love it. :) It's got real unicorn tears and pixie dust in it.

[Paul12644]

There aren't many of these left at a reasonable price. Amazon has them for close to $300.00. I got mine a couple of weeks ago at www.99perfume.com. They have some remaining at $145.00 less 10%. I have no connection with them other than as a customer; just trying to help someone out who may want one.

[Matt555]

In yet another in a long list befuddling decisions, Creed has decided to vault (read: discontinue) Royal English Leather. My local Neiman Marcus had two bottles of it. Had being the operative word. They now occupy a place next to my stash of vintage Tabarome and Cuir de Russie.

On the subject of discontinued fragrances, I have a question. From what I understand, a bottle of juice has roughly a 3 year shelf life. Is this correct? If it is, why buy bottles that will not be finished within that time period. On the same not, I see vintage and original bottles on ebay of scents that have been discontinued for years. Can you shed in light to how long a bottle of juice stays fresh and if buying an 8 year old original formulation of a scent on ebay (or anywhere for that matter) is safe?

[Obsessed]

In yet another in a long list befuddling decisions, Creed has decided to vault (read: discontinue) Royal English Leather.

I don't think the decision is all that befuddling. I can't imagine that REL is a big seller outside of a small group of diehards here and at Basenotes.

[Wildalaska]

There aren't many of these left at a reasonable price. Amazon has them for close to $300.00. I got mine a couple of weeks ago at www.perfume99.com. They have some remaining at $145.00 less 10%. I have no connection with them other than as a customer; just trying to help someone out who may want one.

Perfume99.com is a spam redirect

[The Nid Hog]

On the subject of discontinued fragrances, I have a question. From what I understand, a bottle of juice has roughly a 3 year shelf life. Is this correct? If it is, why buy bottles that will not be finished within that time period. On the same not, I see vintage and original bottles on ebay of scents that have been discontinued for years. Can you shed in light to how long a bottle of juice stays fresh and if buying an 8 year old original formulation of a scent on ebay (or anywhere for that matter) is safe?

My experience is significantly different than that. I have plenty of frags that I've been using for longer than three years, plus vintage ones that I've bought that are much older than that. In a very old vintage frag, I sometimes notice the loss of top notes but not to the extent that I wouldn't wear the fragrance any longer. Keep your frags out of the sun, in a moderately cool place and you'll be fine.

[professorchaos]

I don't think the decision is all that befuddling. I can't imagine that REL is a big seller outside of a small group of diehards here and at Basenotes.

Why is it hard to imagine that the unwashed masses are less capable of appreciating something than the few anointed cognescenti? The conversation I had with the fragrance reps didn't support your conclusion at all. In fact, he said that it was one of the most frequently requested Creeds.

[Obsessed]

Why is it hard to imagine that the unwashed masses are less capable of appreciating something than the few anointed cognescenti?

That's not what I said, Henry. Please.

[StylinLA]

I don't think the decision is all that befuddling. I can't imagine that REL is a big seller outside of a small group of diehards here and at Basenotes.

Agree. We are a unique group here representing a niche dedicated to traditional shaving and grooming. The average consumer of a high end fragrance like Creed in tony department stores like Nieman and Saks is probably a 30-35 year old guy experiencing some success in life. He shaves with a Gilette Fusion, or (egads) an electric shaver. He is horrified of wearing a scent that will potentially smell like something his dad, or horror of horrors, his grandpa would wear.

Vetiver '48, REL, Baie de Genivre, Royal Scottish Lavender and Bois du Portugal all epitomize what this guy is afraid of.

[Paul12644]

My apologies. I meant to type www.99perfume.com. Changed it in the original post.

Paul

[professorchaos]

That's not what I said, Henry. Please.

If I misunderstood you, my apologies. But I don't believe REL has lost its appeal. As a casual observer, it appears to me that Creed is more interested in drawing attention to its new creations than maintaining ties to its heritage. The end result is that they cheapen the brand.

Agree. We are a unique group here representing a niche dedicated to traditional shaving and grooming. The average consumer of a high end fragrance like Creed in tony department stores like Nieman and Saks is probably a 30-35 year old guy experiencing some success in life. He shaves with a Gilette Fusion, or (egads) an electric shaver. He is horrified of wearing a scent that will potentially smell like something his dad, or horror of horrors, his grandpa would wear.

Vetiver '48, REL, Baie de Genivre, Royal Scottish Lavender and Bois du Portugal all epitomize what this guy is afraid of.

FWIIW - I was wearing REL, Acqua di Parma and Blenheim Bouquet when I was a 30 year old dude shaving with some sort of Gillette nonsense - years before I found B&B. I truly do not believe that these older frags repel the average consumer. They simply aren't exposed to them, aren't encourage to explore them. And now that REL is gone, they'll not have a chance to know whether or not they like it.

Bois du Portugal is next ... ?

[StylinLA]

If I misunderstood you, my apologies. But I don't believe REL has lost its appeal. As a casual observer, it appears to me that Creed is more interested in drawing attention to its new creations than maintaining ties to its heritage.

Bois du Portugal is next ... ?

Agree that that there are certainly guys of all ages that would like many of the older Creed scents. You can't paint everyone with the same brush. But I do indeed think they see more upside to creating sand pushing the Aventus type stuff.

I don't know if Bois du Portugal is on the hit list honestly. I just know many young guys perceive it to be too mature for them.
I often wonder if a frag like REL falls into the category of scents that are hard to make with the new restrictions. I always had a theory that they hadn't cooked up a batch of Vintage Tabarome for years, and were just continuing to sell it until their last batch ran out. I get a sense from my Creed rep that she hadn't gotten any new flacons of VT in years when it was officially called discontinued. From the time I fist tried it late 90s, my sense is they had the same couple of dusty flacons in the back room. I never saw it soldin a bottle with atomizer.

My opinion is that they probably could not keep making VT due to new regs and cost of materials needed. If it comes out as a special edition, I'll have to eat my theory. But bet it won't quite be the same.

[JaDo]

No! Thankfully, I bought a brand new bottle a couple of months ago. Man, I am seriously bummed about this.