Smells like Tom of Finland

Homoerotica in a bottle at Motley

By CHRISTINE LIU

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"Most leather guys won't wear a scent," says Doug Palardy, owner of Motley, with a smile. "You go to a leather bar, and it smells like ... armpit. The guys just want to smell like guys." As savory and sticky as that sounds, this hypersexual gang is precisely the niche market (or at least in spirit) that a new fragrance, exclusive to Motley in the US until an official launch in June, aims to tap. Etat Libre d'Orange, a French perfumer ("They do a lot of 'erotic scents,' believe it or not," says Palardy, which I confirmed with the "Hotel Slut" scent in their arsenal), joined forces with the Tom of Finland Foundation to create an exclusive eau de parfum that, in their words, "does not disturb the odor of men."

Famous for his meticulously detailed pencil-and-charcoal World War II-era illustrations of strapping guys in uniform making eyes with knowing ripples under tight pants, Tom of Finland (née Touko Laaksonen) could feasibly inspire the odors that dreams are made of. The fragrance (XXX images on the inside of the box requires perfume buyers be over 21—really) includes a bevy of notes featuring "crumpled leaf, suede, metal, pepperwood, iris, vetiver, tonka bean and musks." It's a distinct whiff, of which I found to be a conceptual mélange of spicy, citrusy vanilla bound in rubber latex. Oh, officer, why thank you!

[Available for $90/50mL at Motley, 623 Tremont St., South End, Boston. 617.247.6969. shopmotley.com]