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…