Into the Woods: Dior Bois d'Argent, Odori Cuoio, Parfumerie Generale Bois Blond, L'Artisan Bois Farine

I knew the trend for slapping the "noir" label on fragrances had officially jumped the shark when Tom Ford released his Noir de Noir ("Why use it once when twice is twice as nice!"), and I'm just waiting for the same thing to happen with the "bois" descriptor.

Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the resurgence of deep, woodsy scents, but it's starting to get a little difficult to keep them separate in my head with all the "here a bois, there a bois, everywhere a bois bois" routine. Just cuz you're a niche company doesn't mean you can't put a little effort into the christening ceremony, you know what I mean? 'Nuff said.

In that vein of thought, I have several bois la la fragrances to talk about today, instigated by the mention of Parfumerie Generale Bois Blond in the comments to yesterday's post.

Dior Bois d'Argent: created by Annick Menardo, the mind behind Bulgari Black and Le Labo Patchouli 24, Bois d'Argent is one of a trio of masculine scents released in 2004 by Dior under the artistic guidance of then menswear designer Hedi Slimane (he's since been given the boot as only starving anorexics or severe bulimics were capable of fitting into his cutting edge silhouettes, which meant that while Dior Homme was awash in critical acclaim, the division hemorrhaged cash by the bucketload).

Bois d'Argent is described as a woody fragrance, with incense, myrrh, honey and leather aromas. Strangely enough, the somewhat spicy brew smells a lot like sweet ginger beer in its initial phase, which is pleasant enough and undoubtedly drives sales within a young demographic, but the honey-and-sugar sweetened character never fully recedes.

There are some nice wood and incense qualities to Bois d'Argent, yet its overall effect seems geared more toward priming the credit-card pump for the high-school/college crowd than satisfying a serious fan of woodsy scents. That said, it does get points for bringing a sense of youth to the table.

Odori Cuoio: yeah I know, Cuoio means leather, but this stuff is dryer than dry and reminds me of the smell of a cord of chopped hardwood stacked in the garage and covered in an ancient tarp. Yes, there are flowers, and yes, there is citrus, but the presence of both is fleeting and minimal, added to provide just enough softness to prevent you from getting splinters when you grab the bottle.

Patchouli, vetiver, birch tar and dusty spices make this a leather and dry woods scent that should appeal to consumers who are very strict about their boundaries. Nice and warm, too, with a touch of amber in its base. A solid piece of work.

Odori is an offshoot of Italian niche perfume line Bois 1920.

L'Artisan Bois Farine: Bois Farine was released in 2003, created by Jean Claude Ellena, one of my favorite perfumers. Ellena is known for his willingness to experiment and take risks (he's now head perfumer for the house of Hermes), and Bois Farine lives up to his reputation in that regard.

Probably one of the nuttiest perfumes I've ever smelled (and I don't mean crazy, I mean "nutty" as in cashews), it has a rich, foody texture brightened by Iris flower and underscored by the green spice of fennel seed. With the addition of cedarwood, sandalwood and incense resins, Bois Farine is an iron pan of buttery nut-bread baking in a wood-fired oven.

Ellena insists that Bois Farine is the result of his encounter with the white tree in the Reunion Islands, a tree whose flowers smell like . . . flour. Absolutely weird, utterly unique and unexpectedly cool, but don't be surprised if people around you start questioning about where that peanut butter smell is coming from.

Parfumerie Generale Bois Blond: a woodsy perfume with a cheerful disposition. Odori Cuoio may take its wood and leather assignment very seriously, but Parfumerie Generale appers to be having a lot more fun with its haystack in the old barn routine.

Bois Blond smells to me like the space Vero Profumo's Onda tried to inhabit but didn't quite reach. Whereas Onda steers itself toward vetiver and soapy musk, Bois Blond takes its sunshine and grassy hay and gang-piles it with cedarwood, tobacco and amber to result in a much warmer appeal. Friendly and outdoorsy and very easy to wear -- another one of perfumer Pierre Guillaume's heady and generous scents.

If I had to rank the four, I'd say: #1) Odori Cuoio for its stern good looks and vintage motorcycle jacket; #2) Parfumerie Generale Bois Blond because it's just so darn gregarious and comfortable; #3) L'Artisan Bois Farine -- I wouldn't ordinarily leave the house smelling like roasted nuts and baked bread, but it's certainly not a bad proposition; and #4) Dior Bois d'Argent, whose root-beer and incense brew I might have liked better if I were, maybe, twenty years younger.

All this talk of nuts, bread and root-beer has made me hungry . . .