Mushrooms Haute Couture: DSH Cuir et Champignon
 By MarinaCuir et Champignon starts wonderfully dirty and ends amazingly elegant. There is an expression in Russian, iz gryazi da v knyazi (из грязи да в князи), from dirt to knezes, from rags to riches. In the case of Cuir et Champignon, it's not so much a tale of Cinderella marrying well. The composition transports the wearer from literal dirt of the forest floor into the most fashionable of homes. How about this...A wood nymph escapes to Paris and becomes a style icon, a muse to a famous couturier... The graceful subtlety of the blend is rather unexpected in a perfume that is about leather and mushrooms. I imagined a scent very tarry and very dirty and wasn't prepared to meet instead this exquisite creature with cinched waist in a style of 1940s. Having said that, "subtle" in this case is more of a reflection of an elegant structure of the well-balanced composition, not of the intensity of the star notes. Lovers of leather will be satisfied with the accord's unmistakable presence, from start to finish of the development. Fans of earthy scents will be delighted to know that under the exquisite veneer the nymph is as wild as ever. Melusine had a serpent's tail; this one is hiding roots... Mushroom-seekers like me (there are some out there, aren't there?) should be thrilled to smell quite a lot of cepes absolute alongside the leather. The pairing is genius. Mushrooms lend leather a vegetal instead of animalic undertone (although there is some of that too, with civet in the base), making it dirty in a new and unique way. And the leather turns raw and rustic mushrooms into a Perfume...and Haute Couture. Available at Dawn Spencer Hurwitz's Parfum des Baux Arts and Indiescents, $22.00-$100.00, depending on the size. Image source, Rodney Smith. |
posted by Marina |
12:00 AM
42 Comments:
Interesting that you got a lot of leather from this - I got some, but on my skin the mushroom was really powerful. I know I amplify white floral notes, and since they seem to be kissing cousins to the earthy/meaty mushroom absolute, maybe that's why it's so dominant on me.
The literal translation from the Russian is 'from mud to princes' - the English equivalent is 'from rags (not rugs) to riches'
I love this one. It is one of the few leather fragrances I can tolerate. DSH makes some amazingly creative scents. I love that they are daring, but always end up refined and elegant, no matter how wild the concept.
P.S. I love that image, it is perfect. :)
Wow! I have to say it's not like I imagined it - it's much better sounding. I have to try it soon. :)
Donna,
That's a good theory! I wonder than what your skin will do with Cepes & Tuberose then!
Elizabeth,
thank you very much for pointing out the wrong letter! I do think it can be dirt or mud in the Russian proverb though as their are synonyms, and "dirt" suits my purposes better :)
Birgit,
Very true. Often I read a description and think, oh, this might be too odd too wear. And inevitable, it turns out wearable.
Thank you for noticing the image! :)
Ines,
I did imagine uber leather and super dirt, and it is a very balanced, dare I say leaning towards traditional sort of chypre composition!
Marina, thanks for this review. I have been wanting to sample this for awhile now, and your review has made me antsy to do so.
*Jen
Jen
I am glad it did. It's really worth trying!
Marina, I appreciate the review and agree with you - DSH compositions are beautifully creative. As of yet, none of them last on my skin, which bums me out. How does Cuir et Champignon compare in that department?
Josephine,
I found it quite lasting, but the ones I tried all lasted well, so maybe I am not the judge. dirtyROSE in particular had formidable staying power :)
I need to try this again. I was a little overwhelmed the first time around--something in her base, since I get it in the other samples, too.
BTW, one of the samples in my CeC batch had an accord that was a dead ringer for Sotto Voce. Been meaning to figure it out and tell you since I know you're a fan.
Dirty and unique and leather. Sounds good. Does anyone else get a bit of mushroom in Aumouage Jubilation 25?
Cheryl
I love love love this one! Fabulous review M. Cuirass et Champignon fascinates as a fragrance , all of that leather but softened , spicy and just a touch salty/ sweet! It does wonderful things on my skin!
Are you gearing yourself up for the Russian mushroom feasts to come? :)
have you tried DSH Secrets of Egypt collection?
Alyssa,
oh, so which one is that?!
Cheryl
I need to try it with that in mind. I do get a ice dose of good old-fashioned cuminy goodness there though :)
Beth
I am sure it smells delicious on you!
V,
LOL, maybe subconsciously :)
I tried the Egyptian collection, what about you?
this is one of the scents that are keeping me with a desire to try since last year. this is probably mysterious to me, i think as i love humidity scent in the forest i can associate it to champignons, i don´t know, i have to try it.
Yes. ::raises hand:: Mushroom hunter here. So many things to love about that...the dirt...the warming sun somewhere just beyond...forest edge smells...all adding up to earth...
And then there is the reward, the morsels themselves.
This is two days in a row, you know. I might start tsk tsking pretty soon. I mean, how many desires can you prompt in one week? ;)
Rushes back in to say...
Perfume. I love mushroom hunting in perfume. Send me out for morels, and the moral of the story will involve not putting your life into the hands of the ignorant. Fungi can be lethal.
::drums fingers:: ...kind of like too many lemmings... {ahem!}
Still scared of the mushrooms...
Must say I adore the image, and thanks for the review. DSH is so inventive, isn't she?
Vintage Lady
You definitely should try it, it is is fascinating.
S,
yay, a fellow mushroom hunter! More mushrooms tomorrow :)
S,
and oh, that is exactly how I understood it. I am so not a natural in Nature :)
Mals,
Yes, so much imagination in her scents.
I am actually quite smug about the image, thank you for noticing! :))
No, I did not try it, I was curious what you thought about it.
Zamechatel'naja kartinka, zhdu gde by ona esche pojavilas'. :))
V,
xaxaxa :)
As for the scents of Egypt, I like several, and Keni was a stand out.
I'm really enjoying the mushroom exploration. Sadly none of the DSH work for me. I do get an odd shitake mushroom note later in the drydown of Champagne du Bois -but I'm sure I'm the only one.
I love earthy/soil notes in perfumes also and would love a series on this,too.
Thought your illustration was genius for the review!
aotearoa,
thank you! :)
Is Champagne de Bois by Sonoma Scent Studio? I need to explore...
i've been lurking for a while, but here, cannot resist such a cool picture, my favorite indie perfumer, and a Russian saying! ;)
Thank you for this review. I was quite scared of trying it, but now I will.
a.k.a. Warum
It really is not scary it all, no scarier than any other leather chypre. :)
Oh, do want, do want! This sounds astonishing. How lovely!
Linda,
oh you have to try!
That is an awesome picture! I can't say I've smelled any mushroom fragrances, but I would love to now!
Beautiful writing too.
Thank you very much, Joan!
I'd like to try it! Earth and leather are 2 of my favorite notes1
Marian
I think you would like this one then!
I had been wondering about this scent: intrigued by the "cuir" but leery about the"champignon". You have definitely made it sound worth trying.
You have every right to be be smug about your selection of that image. It is perfect. (And fashion photography focusing on the art of fashion is so much more intresting than that focusing on the latest anorexic 15 year old.)
- from Lindaloo
Lindaloo,
Thank you! Rodney Smith's work is amazing.
I don't think you should be afraid of mushrooms here. They are very civilized. :)
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