Message in a bottle: a modern take on masculinity

In men’s style, sprezzatura is the deliberately ‘off’ gesture that elevates fashion victim to fashion victor. It’s anti-dandy: the studied nonchalance of a suit worn with hiking boots, or the effortful effortlessness of a lopsided tie, blades askew. Masters of the art have included the swashbuckling photographer Peter Beard, his roll-neck jumper at odds with his tuxedo jacket, and Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli, whose signature was a chunky watch worn over his shirt cuff. (King Charles is sometimes cited as sprezzatura for wearing a double-breasted blazer rakishly unbuttoned, but his sprezza cred is shaky after reports that His Maj requires his shoelaces to be ironed every morning.)

Sprezzatura sits on the spectrum between try-hard and tramp, with a margin of error that’s whisker-thin. This is where the right perfume can blur one’s (unintended) imperfections, the olfactory equivalent of Vaseline on a camera lens. And Tobacco from Perfumer H is just such a perfume.

Tobacco is a gentle fog of patchouli leaves, tobacco, tree moss and amber, a hazy ‘boyfriend’s sweater’ fragrance that lands on the skin beautifully pre-faded. Perfumer H is the nom de fume of Lyn Harris, the British nose behind this ‘modern take on masculinity’. I’m modern enough to bypass gender divisions in my quest to smell great, which is why Tobacco, with its slightly scuffed elegance, is my new favourite perfume.

From £120 for 50ml (perfumerh.com)