The Review: Ex Nihilo Chandigarh Express

Celebrated the launch of Ex Nihilo’s latest fragrance, Chandigarh Express, at Cassina earlier this year. (Which was cause for finally hemming this Ludovic de Saint Sernin piece—and by that, I mean a rough chop with my sharpest scissors. The perks of a plissé fabric! No sewing required.)

I still need more time with it but my initial thoughts so far: Chandigarh Express is a dry and aromatic leather whose heart persists for hours before giving way to a transparent, almost powdery tonka bean. The finale is intimate—an ending wholly unexpected from such a patently masculine start. (It’s worth noting that this one is unlike any other fragrance within the Ex Nihilo line, which works well for this particular profile. The French house has a signature that to my nose, is a recognizable throughline even in its retailer-exclusive scents.)

The true beauty is in how Chandigarh Express develops over several hours with the warmth of skin. New leather and spiced wood go through a most marvelous evolution before revealing its tender interior. Be patient and you’ll reach the sweetened, vanillic-vetiver finish with traces of jasmine’s creamiest facets. It’s intoxicating, honestly—and now that my bottle has macerated for a month, the notes are even richer than I remember from the launch party.

All this to say: we may be on the precipice of spring, but cool L.A. mornings and chilly nights are still prime leather weather by my book. So while the masses start swapping their decadent gourmands for airy florals, I’ll be enjoying this. More to come on this one, soon.

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xx