Fashion de Leonard, launched in 1970, embodies the spirit of haute couture translated into fragrance. The name “Fashion de Leonard” immediately conjures images of elegance, style, and sophistication, with “Fashion” signaling modernity and chic Parisian flair, and “Leonard” rooting the scent in the prestige of the fashion house itself. Pronounced simply as “Fash-un de Leh-oh-nard”, the title evokes refined glamour, the poise of a woman stepping out in impeccably tailored attire, and the confidence of someone fully attuned to contemporary style. In the context of the early 1970s, a period marked by bold experimentation in fashion and fragrance, the name perfectly aligned with women seeking both classic sophistication and a hint of daring individuality.
The fragrance itself, created by master perfumer Jeannine Mongin, is a crisp aldehydic floral chypre that opens with a sparkling, almost effervescent aldehydic top, layered with citrusy bergamot that immediately suggests freshness, energy, and an air of refinement. A subtle hint of spice from cardamom and coriander adds warmth and complexity, teasing the senses before the floral heart unfolds. Here, Grasse jasmine, Bulgarian and Moroccan roses, iris, lily of the valley, and Bambao ylang-ylang create a lush, elegant bouquet, blending soft powdery textures with a slightly exotic, sun-drenched warmth. Each floral ingredient brings its own nuance: Bulgarian rose offers a rich, deep, slightly earthy complexity, while Moroccan rose shines brighter, fresher, and more dewy. Grasse jasmine contributes its singularly indolic, heady yet feminine aroma, and iris adds powdery elegance that softens the intensity of the florals. The combination is sophisticated, balanced, and unmistakably luxurious.
As the fragrance settles, it reveals a deeply sensual and grounded base, composed of precious woods and animalic notes that add both warmth and longevity. Java vetiver and Mysore sandalwood bring creamy, velvety woodiness, while Lebanese cedar introduces dry, aromatic strength. Yugoslavian oakmoss and Singapore patchouli provide an earthy, slightly green underpinning that contrasts beautifully with the opulent florals. Animalic ingredients such as civet, castoreum, musk, and ambergris create an enveloping warmth and subtle sensuality, blending with smoky touches of incense to evoke mystery and allure. The fragrance is rounded off with 28 secret notes, which add depth, complexity, and a signature personality, ensuring that Fashion de Leonard feels rich, multi-layered, and uniquely memorable.
In essence, Fashion de Leonard is a statement of femininity and elegance, perfectly reflecting the sophisticated fashion sensibilities of the 1970s. It manages to be both delicate and voluptuous, combining crisp, airy aldehydes with opulent floral richness and a luxurious woody-animalic base. For women of the period, it would have represented not only style but also individuality and refinement—a scent that could accompany them from the boardroom to an evening soiree, affirming their elegance and presence. In comparison to other fragrances of the time, Fashion de Leonard stood out for its complexity, blending classic chypre structure with a daringly rich floral-animalic accord that celebrated femininity in all its facets.
Fragrance Composition:
The original formula is classified as a crisp aldehydic floral chypre fragrance for women. It begins with a fresh aldehydic top, followed by an elegant floral heart, resting on a feminine, sensual, powdery base.
Press materials read; "Fashion by Leonard is a complex, spicy, woody, and animalic fragrance. It is composed of top notes of lemon, bergamot, orange blossom, lily of the valley, raspberry, fruity complex. The heart combines Grasse jasmine, Bulgarian and Moroccan roses, tuberose, orris, Bambao ylang-ylang, cardamom, and coriander. The base is blended with Java vetiver, Mysore sandalwood, Lebanese cedar, Yugoslavian oakmoss, Singapore patchouli, civet, tonka bean, vanilla, castoreum, musk, ambergris, incense. The fragrance has an additional 28 secret notes. The result is a delicate yet voluptuous animalic fragrance, with soft, sophisticated accents that celebrate femininity and evoke pleasure."
- Top notes: aldehydes, Calabrian bergamot, Sicilian lemon, Tunisian orange blossom, lily of the valley, raspberry, fruity complex
- Middle notes: Ceylon cardamom, Russian coriander, white lilac, Indian carnation, Bambao ylang ylang, Florentine orris, Grasse jasmine, Moroccan may rose, Bulgarian rose, Portuguese tuberose
- Base notes: Yugoslavian oakmoss, melilot, Tonkin musk, Java vetiver, Singapore patchouli, Lebanon cedar, Omani frankincense, Mysore sandalwood, Venezuelan tonka bean, Madagascar vanilla, Siam benzoin, ambergris, Abyssinian civet, Canadian castoreum
Scent Profile:
Leonard’s Fashion de Fashion is the kind of grand aldehydic chypre that seems draped in silk charmeuse and fur, poised between Parisian sophistication and untamed sensuality. The original formula possesses the unmistakable architecture of classical haute perfumery: a glittering, almost icy aldehydic opening; an overflowing floral heart of immense richness and complexity; and a shadowed, mossy-animalic base that lingers like warm skin beneath couture fabric. Yet unlike many austere chypres, Fashion de Fashion softens its dramatic structure with creamy florals, powdery woods, and voluptuous musks that make the fragrance feel deeply feminine and tactile rather than severe. It smells like cosmetics dusted onto bare shoulders, candlelight reflecting off gold jewelry, and the faint animal warmth of expensive vintage furs stored beside bouquets of white flowers.
The opening is radiant and crystalline. Aldehydes burst upward first in a flash of cold brilliance, creating the sensation of sparkling champagne bubbles and pressed white linen. These aldehydes are synthetic molecules — materials such as C-10, C-11 undecylenic, and C-12 aldehydes — because nature alone cannot create that abstract “glittering air” effect associated with classical perfumery. They smell simultaneously waxy, metallic, citrusy, and soapy, diffusing outward like light reflected in mirrors. Their role is transformative: they lift the citrus and floral materials beneath them, stretching their radiance and making the entire composition feel larger, more luminous, and almost effervescent.
Beneath this shimmering veil comes Calabrian bergamot, considered the finest bergamot in perfumery because Calabria’s unique coastal climate and mineral-rich soil produce fruit unusually high in linalyl acetate. This gives the oil a velvety softness absent in sharper bergamots grown elsewhere. Sicilian lemon follows with vivid brightness — greener and sweeter than many lemon oils due to Sicily’s volcanic terroir, which intensifies the fruit’s sparkling citral character.
Tunisian orange blossom adds warmth and narcotic floral sweetness. Tunisian neroli and orange blossom absolute are prized for their balance between honeyed floralcy and bitter green freshness; the North African sun gives them a richness less delicate than French orange blossom but more sensual and sunlit.
Lily of the valley introduces a cool dewy freshness, though the flower itself yields no extractable perfume oil. Its scent must therefore be recreated synthetically using molecules such as hydroxycitronellal and historically Lilial or Lyral, materials that smell watery, clean, green, and softly floral, evoking white bells covered in morning dew.
Raspberry lends a plush rosy-fruity sweetness that likely relies on raspberry ketone, a synthetic molecule that smells simultaneously berry-like, violet-tinged, and powdery. The “fruity complex” probably combines peach lactones, cassis materials, and subtle esters to create a soft halo of ripened fruit beneath the aldehydic sparkle, making the top feel richer and more sensual rather than purely sharp or citrusy.
As the fragrance blooms, the heart unfolds with astonishing depth and refinement. Ceylon cardamom introduces cool aromatic spice — greener and more eucalyptus-like than Guatemalan cardamom because Sri Lanka’s humid climate intensifies its camphoraceous freshness. It smells silky rather than fiery, wrapping the florals in aromatic warmth. Russian coriander adds another layer of polished spice. Coriander from Russia tends to possess exceptionally high linalool content, giving it a uniquely clean citrus-pepper quality with faint floral nuances.
White lilac contributes airy springtime softness, though true lilac cannot be distilled naturally. Its scent is recreated through complex accords using anisic materials, hydroxycitronellal, and ionones to evoke cool purple-white petals touched with almond and green sap. Indian carnation introduces clove-like warmth through eugenol and isoeugenol, molecules responsible for the flower’s spicy, velvety richness. Because natural carnation extraction is limited and unstable, perfumers rely heavily on these aroma chemicals to amplify the flower’s fiery floral body.
Bambao ylang ylang — likely referencing exceptional ylang ylang from the Comoros or Madagascar region — floods the composition with creamy golden richness. Ylang oils from these islands are especially prized because tropical humidity and volcanic soils intensify their narcotic banana-custard facets. Rich in benzyl acetate and p-cresyl methyl ether, the oil smells buttery, floral, and faintly animalic.
Florentine orris is among perfumery’s most luxurious materials. Derived not from petals but from aged iris rhizomes grown around Florence, it must mature for years before developing irones — the molecules responsible for its extraordinary scent. Florentine orris smells of cold face powder, buttercream, violet petals, and soft suede. No other iris possesses quite the same refined cosmetic elegance.
Grasse jasmine adds luminous sensuality. Jasmine grown around Grasse has historically been considered the benchmark for perfumery because the Mediterranean climate preserves a perfect balance between indolic richness and airy floral brightness. Its scent is honeyed, fruity, and faintly animalic, with nuances of apricot, tea, and warm skin.
Moroccan May rose introduces a softer, more honeyed rose facet than Bulgarian rose. Moroccan roses possess a sun-warmed, almost saffron-like richness, whereas Bulgarian rose from the Valley of Roses smells deeper, wine-like, and more velvety because cool nighttime temperatures preserve delicate aromatic molecules. Together they create extraordinary dimension: one radiant and golden, the other dark and crimson.
Portuguese tuberose adds creamy white floral sensuality, greener and slightly more restrained than the famously narcotic Mexican tuberose. Tuberose itself contains naturally occurring methyl salicylate and indolic compounds that create its strange duality — simultaneously buttery, mentholated, and erotically floral.
The base transforms the fragrance from elegant floralcy into true vintage sensuality. Yugoslavian oakmoss provides the shadowy skeleton of the chypre structure. Oakmoss smells of damp forests, bark, cool earth, and dark green bitterness. Oakmoss from the Balkans was particularly prized for its dense, velvety richness and exceptional depth. Modern restrictions have reduced the use of natural oakmoss because of allergenic compounds, so contemporary recreations often rely on low-atranol oakmoss combined with synthetic moss materials like Evernyl, which smells dry, woody, and hauntingly forest-like.
Melilot adds an unexpected softness — a hay-like sweetness rich in coumarin, smelling of dried grasses, almonds, and warm tobacco. Tonkin musk historically referred to deer musk, one of perfumery’s most legendary animal materials, though modern compositions rely on sophisticated synthetic musks such as muscone and macrocyclic musks to recreate its warm, skin-like sensuality ethically. These molecules smell clean yet erotic, simultaneously powdery, creamy, and softly animalic, dramatically enhancing longevity and diffusion.
Java vetiver grounds the fragrance in smoky earthiness. Javanese vetiver is darker and more leathery than Haitian vetiver because volcanic soils and traditional curing methods intensify its smoky root facets. Singapore patchouli contributes a smoother, polished patchouli note — less muddy than some Indonesian varieties, with velvety chocolate and damp wood nuances.
Lebanon cedar smells dry, resinous, and stately, evoking antique cedar chests and sharpened pencils. Omani frankincense adds luminous sacred smoke. The finest Omani frankincense, especially Hojari grade resin, possesses extraordinary lemony brightness layered over mineralic incense depth, unlike harsher or more bitter African frankincense varieties.
Mysore sandalwood brings creamy warmth of incomparable beauty. Genuine Mysore sandalwood from India is treasured for its exceptionally high santalol content, giving it a rich milk-like smoothness unlike the drier Australian sandalwoods. Modern perfumery often supplements this rarity with sandalwood aroma chemicals such as Javanol or Polysantol, which amplify its creamy radiance and persistence. Venezuelan tonka bean contributes deep coumarinic sweetness — almond, tobacco, cinnamon, and vanilla folded together into warm velvet.
Madagascar vanilla adds richness that feels boozy, creamy, and darkly balsamic because Madagascar beans possess exceptionally high natural vanillin content. Siam benzoin softens everything with ambered sweetness, smelling of warm resin, caramel, powdered sugar, and incense smoke.
Then come the animalic shadows. Ambergris introduces salty warmth and radiant skin-like diffusion. Historically formed within sperm whales and aged by the sea, true ambergris possesses a strange mineral sweetness impossible to duplicate exactly. Modern Ambroxan and ambroxide recreate its glowing woody-musky aura, extending the perfume’s radiance for hours.
Abyssinian civet lends dark sensuality — warm fur, skin, honey, and faintly fecal sweetness. Historically harvested from civet cats, it is now recreated synthetically using civetone and related molecules that preserve the erotic warmth without animal sourcing. Canadian castoreum deepens the base with soft leather and smoky fur nuances. Traditionally derived from beaver castor sacs, modern versions are reconstructed through birch tar, leather accords, and synthetic animalic materials. Together, these notes create the “soft voluptuous animalic” quality described in the press materials — not dirty, but profoundly intimate, as though the fragrance were warmed by living skin beneath layers of silk and velvet.
Fashion de Fashion ultimately feels like a grand floral chypre poised perfectly between refinement and instinct. The aldehydes create light; the florals create texture and elegance; the mosses, resins, woods, and animalics create depth and sensual shadow. The synthetic materials are essential to its magic — not replacements for nature, but amplifiers of it. They give impossible flowers like lily of the valley and lilac their voice, extend the life of fragile citrus oils, intensify powdery iris and creamy sandalwood, and transform fleeting animal warmth into a lingering aura that clings to fabric and skin for hours. The result is unmistakably vintage haute parfumerie: poised, seductive, powdered, mossy, and quietly decadent.
Product Line:
Presented in a bottle designed by Pierre Dinand in 1970. The bottle was manufactured by Pochet et du Courval.
In 1972/1973, Fashion de Leonard was available in the following forms:
- Parfum Presentations: Multi-faceted, rough-cut glass bottle with a large silver cap and a tortoiseshell-patterned label with silver lettering (1 oz to 2 oz); Atomizer Spray (0.25 oz and 1 oz)
- Related Products: Eau de Toilette splash (4 oz to 16 oz); Eau de Toilette spray
- Ancillary Products: Beauty Soap (140g).
In 1977/1978, Fashion by Leonard was available in the following formats:
- Parfum Presentations: Classic presentation bottle, multi-faceted glass bottle, label enhanced with purple lacquer and pure white (from 0.25 oz to 2 oz); Sculpted glass atomizer with a square tortoiseshell cap, encircled in silver. For the purse and vanity.
- Related Products: Refillable Parfum deToilette atomizer (3 oz); Eau de Toilette classic presentation bottle (from 4 oz to 16 oz); Eau de Toilette atomizer (3 oz)
- Ancillary Products: Soap in a tortoiseshell box or a box of three (140g); Deodorant (5 oz)
In 1984/1985, Fashion was available in the following formats:
- Parfum Presentations: Presentation luxe (from 0.25 oz, 0.5 oz, 1 oz); Refillable bag spray (1/3 oz)
- Ancillary Products: Scented soap
Fate of the Fragrance:
Discontinued, date unknown.
1993 Reformulation & Relaunch:
Fashion de Leonard was reformulated by Jacques Fraysse and relaunched in 1993 in association with Classic Fragrances, Inc.
It is classified as a sweet floral oriental fragrance for women with fruity notes.
- Top notes: plum, green notes, tarragon, violet, raspberry, peach, bergamot, neroli and lemon
- Middle notes: lilac, carnation, tuberose, orris, orchid, orange blossom, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-valley and rose
- Base notes: sandalwood, tonka bean, ambergris, patchouli, musk, benzoin, vanilla, vetiver and cedar
Scent Profile:
Fashion de Leonard, in its 1993 reformulation by Jacques Fraysse, opens with a dazzling, multilayered top that immediately enchants the senses. The plum note bursts forth with a rich, juicy sweetness that is at once ripe and slightly tart, evoking the sensual warmth of summer orchards. This is complemented by crisp green notes and the tender freshness of violet leaves, which add a dewy, almost sparkling brightness that balances the fruitiness.
Tarragon contributes a subtle, herbal sharpness, reminiscent of sun-warmed Mediterranean gardens, while raspberry and peach lend a velvety softness, their sweet nuances mingling harmoniously with the top’s citrus accents. Bergamot from Calabria introduces a sparkling, bitter-sweet brightness that lifts the composition, while neroli, sourced from Tunisian orange blossoms, radiates a honeyed, delicate floral facet. Finally, lemon adds a crisp, sun-kissed acidity, creating a vibrant, airy opening that feels both elegant and lively.
The heart of the fragrance unfolds as a sumptuous floral bouquet, rich in both texture and emotion. Lilac evokes springtime freshness with its green-tinged floral scent, while carnation offers a warm, clove-like spiciness that tingles on the skin. Tuberose imparts its heady, creamy richness, enveloping the wearer in a luxurious, exotic aura, while orris (derived from the precious root of Florentine iris) introduces a soft, powdery, violet-like elegance that deepens the sophistication of the bouquet.
Orchid contributes a delicate, slightly soapy sweetness, and orange blossom (likely from Moroccan or Tunisian groves) adds a radiant, sparkling floral warmth. Jasmine, the star of the floral heart, exudes an indolic, intoxicating richness that is both seductive and comforting. The tropical creaminess of ylang-ylang from the Philippines, the green dewy freshness of lily-of-the-valley, and the velvety, romantic nuance of rose—sourced from Bulgaria and Morocco—round out the heart, creating a multi-dimensional floral ensemble that is both elegant and captivating.
As the fragrance settles, the base emerges with a warm, sensual embrace. Sandalwood, particularly from Mysore, India, provides a creamy, milky woodiness that is both grounding and luxurious. Tonka bean adds a sweet, nutty vanilla-like warmth, harmonizing beautifully with the rich balsamic facets of benzoin. Ambergris lends a subtle marine-animalic depth, enhancing the fragrance’s sensuality, while patchouli imparts a dry, earthy resonance that adds sophistication.
Musk softens and enfolds the composition, creating a skin-like intimacy, while vanilla enhances the gourmand sweetness without overpowering the florals. The earthy smokiness of vetiver and the aromatic clarity of cedar provide structure and longevity, ensuring the fragrance lingers gracefully on the skin. The resulting sillage is a delicate yet voluptuous balance of fruity freshness, lush florals, and warm oriental woods—a modern, feminine fragrance that is at once approachable, elegant, and irresistibly sensual.
This reformulation maintains the charm and sophistication of the original Fashion de Leonard while giving it a brighter, sweeter, and more Oriental character suitable for the 1990s woman—confident, sensual, and endlessly chic.