I’ve come to realize I love many perfumes from Donna Karan. Black Cashmere is one of the best spicy, woody orientals period. Chaos is another exceptional woody oriental. Gold is excellent, albeit not my thing, but I can still tell that if I liked the scent of lily I’d be all over this one. Wenge is a unique and wonderful woody fragrance. Labdanum is delicious. I even like Cashmere Mist edt and the newer Cashmere Mist Luxe edp. The only DK’s I don’t like are the troop of Be Delicious yucky-yucks. I imagined Donna Karan Iris would be great and ordered it the moment it was available at Neiman’s.Well, I don’t think DK Iris is great. Here’s a little disclaimer though: I do not like the cold, rooty, damp irises like Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist or even Hermes Hiris. I like Hiris well enough, more than Iris Silver Mist, but never wear it. I like (don’t love) L’Artisan Iris Pallida but also never wear that. My favorite of the cold irises is probably Le Labo Iris 39. Le Labo’s iris has more going on in there to keep me interested. There’s an earthy interest, and some pepper, and a bit of what I imagine an iris flower would smell like. Prada’s Infusion d’Iris is decent, but it’s far too light for me, I hardly know it’s there after 12 minutes. Truly, my sort of iris is Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile (in both edp and edt). Most people say the AdP irises don’t even smell like iris at all – more like gardenia. I actually think the AdP Iris Nobiles smell like an iris flower – or what I imagine an iris flower smells like – but I can’t say I’ve ever come upon a fragrant iris in real life. So maybe I just don’t like iris scents in general. Nevertheless, I’m always in search of an iris that smells of iris flower and not solely orris which is the root/bulb of the iris plant. I thought Donna Karan might be my ticket into iris fan-dom. Well, it wasn’t.
Donna Karan Iris is just about as light as Prada’s Infusion d’Iris. In fact, I think I can smell more from the Prada. Maybe I’m anosmic? Is anyone getting much from DK Iris? I so wanted to love DK Iris since I think this house makes fabulous perfumes. Alas, DK Iris is not for me. It is quite sheer, light, and just barely a hint of a metallic, cool, iris floral. Sigh. For those who like Prada Infusion d'Iris, you ought to check out DK Iris because this could be your next sheer summery iris scent.
Ah. Here's another chance to mark overlap in "likes," and veerings.
ReplyDeleteFor I, too, think Black Cashmere is just wonderful. A fabulous execution of spicy woody. (Hmm...I wonder if the fact that it sometimes veers sweet on me is related to what makes you add the term "oriental"...many times, it is spare, but it can take that turn. I like it either way...usually. ANYhoo-how...)
Gold, I think is wonderful, too. It's one of the few places I like lily. Haven't tried Wenge, or Labdanum; have a hunch I'd enjoy.
As for irises in general...love all the forms you mention. Cool, earthy, warmed up, even sweetened just a touch. Which is what the AdP seems like to me...a warmer iris, touch of sweetener. Very nice. In both edt and edp, which behave and register differently.
I'd say you are on track with the iris flower/not root concept, because the flower is a very different animal from orris root. In fact, there are many different animals/variations of flower itself, when it comes to smell. But even if you stick with old strains, like a swamp iris or some old cultivar like the purple grape, there is a rich heady sweetness to them. See...sweet & warm? rich heady & sweet? :)
Any time you want to be more specific, just come to my garden in June. I'm an iris lover as a gardener, too. Got all kinds around, and you are welcome to stick your nose in as many as you like for as long as you like. The tea will be ready when you are.
Well that's too bad. I had high hopes for this one.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite iris fragrance is an el cheapo: Yves Rocher's Iris Noir.
It's one of my office scents--very wearable, but still fun.
I looooove DK Gold. I'm wearing it today. I've been meaning to check out more of the pre-Delicious scents (Signature, Black Cashmere, etc.)
ReplyDeleteScentScelf,
ReplyDeleteI *so* miss my garden in NJ. I had a big, beautiful garden that was all about fragrance. The two Iris plants I had weren't particularly fragrant, though. I purchased them from White Flower Farm in CT. One was deep purple and the other white. They were tall and stately and gorgeous but the scent was faint. Powdery and sweet but faint.
I'd love to stop by for tea and visit your garden. (Le Sigh) Do you have Casablanca lilies, David Austen Roses, heliotrope and tuberose, too?! Now that I'm in the arid southwest I'll need to figure out what grows well here. I know hollyhocks do well as I see them everywhere. And butterfly bushes (which smell fab - like honey).
Junaduft,
I've got to try that Yves Rocher. It's been recommended to me numerous times. Thanks for the reminder.
Elisa,
Do check out the pre-yuckDelicious scents. It's well worth it. DK Signature, Chaos, etc. are fantastic.
My current favorite is DelRae Mythique which is full of orris but is warm and comforting rather than cold and rooty. Can't say it smells particularly floral though, but then neither do the irises in my yard.
ReplyDeleteDespite what most people say Iris Nobile EDT (I don´t know the EDP) does smell EXACTLY like an iris flower. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHeliotrope and tuberose are a bit tough in my zone. Roses and lilies, yes...though David Austens and Casablancas were in the old, moved from garden (sob!) and it won't be until this year when I might get some of those in.
ReplyDeleteI *do* have a clone?sibling by division? of an apothecary rose I had there, and it is FABULOUS. Old fashioned rose, old style. It was something I had rescued from an old house in the neighborhood, and couldn't stand to leave behind. Zoodles of irises. Oriental and asian lilies. And daylilies. Much else...plenty of good smells through the season...looking forward to lilac not *too* long from now (she said, optimistically)....