By Donna
The prolific Dawn Spencer Hurwitz
of DSH Perfumes is
having an especially creative year, and that is saying a lot. Once
again, she is showing us that no matter what the genre of fragrance
or the challenge presented is, she will find a way to make Art from
it, and I am in awe of the results.
One of my favorite new launches this
year attained that status as soon as it hit my nose. Metropolis
is nominally a masculine scent, but I fell in love with it
immediately and I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates a
truly modern perfume experience. Its character is elegant but not
cold, an Art Deco piece translated into smell. Like a handsome
vintage automobile, it's all about the lines; it has an easy grace
and airiness that makes it sleek and streamlined, but with a sturdy
underpinning of strength that gives it the power it needs. Along with
such traditional notes as cedar, leather, oakmoss, musk, petitgrain,
rose otto, and woods, it also includes “brushed steel, glass,
concrete and motor oil” according to the official description.
Because this is DSH we are talking about, these unconventional
elements are abstracted and seamlessly integrated into the whole, so you know
you are smelling something unusual but you can't really pin down what
it is. If this perfume were a car, it would be one of those
gloriously swoopy Pierce-Arrow, Bugatti or Delahaye classics,
timeless and luxurious without seeming excessive in any way, just
pure design for its own sake.
Another new sensation is the
much-anticipated Scent of Hope, which was inspired by one of
the rarest and most coveted perfumes of all time, Iris Gris by the house of
Jacques Fath from 1946. I have never smelled the original – few people ever
have, it seems – but I have wanted to try it for many years, having
read much about its legendary beauty. Now those of us who missed out
on it no longer have to search to the ends of the earth for it,
because Scent of Hope is sublimely lovely and well worthy of the
acclaim it is receiving. Had I the power to alter time and space, I
would create an infinite quantum loop wherein I could smell the
opening notes of this perfume over and over again, it is so so
ineffably exquisite. The lightest puff of peach, an alpenglow cloud
of delicacy, arises from the skin mingled with the most refined iris
note I have ever smelled. This initial impression soon subsides but
never disappears completely; the unfolding of the perfume proceeds
with the slightly sweet and subdued peach in perfect harmony with the
iris, keeping it from becoming either rooty or metallic, as iris is
wont to do at times. It also lasts surprisingly well, which I did not
expect – I put it on one evening and I could still smell it on my
skin in the morning. If you need any more reasons to try it, here are
two: 1. It is only available in perfume extract form, the strongest
concentration, and 2. 30% of sales will be donated to Sense
of Security, a Denver-based organization that helps breast
cancer patients in need with their treatment and living expenses.
Amid all the excitement of such
creative fragrances, it's easy to forget this perfumer's mastery of
of another style – the soliflore. “Simple” florals are seldom
as easy to pull off as they seem, and indeed the perfumer is expected
to make them smell as close as possible to the real thing, in
contrast to more abstract scents that allow for artistic license to
be taken. I am very happy that she has relaunched one of her older
classics that I had never encountered before, White Lilac. I
always have high hopes for lilac compositions, but some of them fail
to capture the fragile beauty of these blossoms. White Lilac is
everything I could ever want in such a perfume, closer to nature than
any other lilac soliflore I know, sweet and pure and true to life,
and it remains fresh and vibrant throughout its development. I gave a
bottle to my younger sister for her birthday since it is her favorite
flower and she adores it. She is the strictest judge of lilac scents
I know and this one passed her test with flying colors.
One of my own favorite flowers is the
peony, and DSH Perfumes' new Peony is one of the best of the
genre, highlighting the rosy aspect of these lush, showy blooms
rather than the sometimes overly sharp freshness that characterizes
most peony scents. It will not be mistaken for a rose perfume though;
it is clearly a tribute to the unique aroma of the flower, which
gives off a sweet scent with a nose-tickling undertone that is
sometimes just a little indecent, which to me is part of its charm.
If you are seeking a peony perfume that actually smells like the real
deal, seek no further.
Image
credits: The exceedingly rare 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow, of
which only five were ever made, from rarecars.co, orginal source
unknown. Closeup photo of an iris flower from hdwallpaperpc.com.
Vintage lilacs & roses wallpaper from the graphicsfairy.com.
Disclosure:
I purchased the samples of Metropolis, White Lilac and Peony for this
review. My sample of Scent of Hope was given to me my DSH Perfumes.
Labels: Donna, DSH Perfumes, natural perfumery, New fragrances |
