Today I am trying the signature scent of the French dance club Le VIP Room. The fragrance was created by nose Benoit Lapouza under the direction of Rami Mekdachi, and features notes of tiare flower, bergamot, tangerine, pineapple, sandalwood, vetiver, birch, iris root, leather, styrax, amber, vanilla, and musk.

VIP Room starts off sweet and tropical, with tiare and pineapple. There is also a slight hint of something like scorched rubber, but it is short lived; the rubber is gone, along with the tropical notes, inside of 20 minutes.

The dry down is smooth and soft, with pale woods and velvety iris. The amber and vanilla lend some warmth, but it is not a sweet fragrance by any means. The leather itself is restrained: this is not the inside of an expensive leather wallet that is Chanel Cuir de Russie, nor the aggressive leather jacket that is Piguet Bandit, but rather, a pair of suede boots smelled from 20 paces. It manages to smell like leather without smelling particularly animalic.

It is nicely done, and very wearable. I like it, but I have tried it 3 times now and so far I don't feel compelled to buy it. I will set my sample aside and give it another go later in the fall.

A 100 ml bottle of Eau de Toilette is $120, and it is available at aedes, first-in-fragrance, luckyscent, senteursdailleurs, or directly from VIP Room.