Dawn Spencer Hurwitz has had a lifelong fascination with vintage perfumes preceding her art student days at Boston University.
Dawn and Sarah Horowitz [pre-Thran!] had a small boutique together on Newbury Street in Boston called Essence. It was there that I first made their acquaintance. I walked in and inquired: “Could you recreate Le Galion Sortilège for me?”
Years later, we reconnected through the Perfumed World. I never dreamed that I'd be writing about it, or that loving familiar faces would re-enter my life in such a significant manner.
Call it karma.
Notes:
Top: aldehydes, bergamot, white pepper
Heart: juhi jasmine absolute, jasmine grandiflorum, sambac jasmine, tuberose absolute, Spanish orange flower absolute, Bulgarian rose absolute, gardenia
Base: French beeswax, ambrette seed, ambergris, African stone tincture, castoreum, civet, costus, brown oakmoss, labdanum, opoponax, Mysore sandalwood, oud, Peru balsam, vanilla absolute
I've chosen this font hue because it evokes the richness and warmth of Rendezvous' exquisitely animalic nature – a perfume which I bought blind, in the beautiful bottle [Yes, it was an advance birthday present, money saved judiciously for that purpose; Ican buy blind from Dawndear. There are precious few of whom I can actually say that].
One has to introduce the major players: to this end, Dawn tickles the olfactory palate with shimmering aldehydes, vivacious bergamot, and a potent puff of white pepper.
Very like Germaine Cellier [one of my favorite perfumers], Dawn chooses to overdose in the grand tradition. Too much is just perfect as growling, prowling jasmines breed sanguinely with the fulsomeness of orange blossom, smoldering tuberose and narcotic gardenia. Flower as feral - that's where we are headed, make no mistake. You just watch your step. It's a jungle in Dawn's garden.
[Where is Rose? Where she often is found: gracefully allying all the other components, smoothing out the rough edges; she's the perfect perfumed playmate.]
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The base?
It is all about abundance. Every lusciously decadent animalic substance imaginable has wended its way into Rendezvous' formula, sparing no expense. With the exception of civet and castoreum, every other fragrant material hails from the natural world; we are treated to the Golden Standard, Mysore sandalwood - which contributes to the joy of a simmering drydown, erotic on the flesh, both carnal and intimate.
I can only speak to the parfum, not the eau de parfum strength – butRendezvous feels very much like a private affair. Unless you deliberately plonk on an inordinate quantity, the perfume exudes a delicious raunchiness which is elegant and worldly. |
Over time, it becomes more of a skin scent: a lovely, intentionally willful déshabille. It reminds me very much of an encounter in the early '70s with an immense Danish ex-monastic-cum- photographer at the Rhode Island School of Design, dark hair down past my waist, and a vintage fur coat.
And no other garments to speak of.
A darkly erotic encounter with no holds barred.
Very much a rendezvous défendu.
Men may delight in wearing Rendezvous.
I simply can't perceive of blithe neophytes and the pre-pubertal finding this to their taste... YET. <3
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz and Dr. Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids will be having a trunk show at Tigerlily Perfumery in San Francisco on March 4th!
I wish I could be there...
But all of you who can, do attend.
It should be a real pleasure.
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