Black Cashmere by Donna Karan : Perfume Review

Black Cashmere originally made a very short appearance in Europe, coming and going like a rare black bird that somehow lost its way while migrating. I remember seeing it, all peculiarly shaped (at the time bottles that did not stand upright were even less common than they are now…) like a large shining pebble that was recovered from a volcanic lake. Standing alone on a pedestal, supported by a crafty little stand, it seemed like a modern objet d’art that persistently called my name. Fascinated both by its look and its sensuous name, I picked it up and sprayed some right on my wrist with the conviction I would undoubtedly fall in love. Mistake; Thick, woody sweetness and an overwhelming sense of drowning in sandalwood and spice sent me running to the nearest sink to wash it off, my urgency exacerbated by my stomach’s protests. I stayed away from it thereafter, like a child that’s learned to respect the sullen nature of nettle and briar. And then it was gone, to my disappointment. Why disappointment? Because not liking something is not quite the same as not respecting it. In my mind, Black Cashmere had been branded as rare and unique, a perception probably helped along to a certain extent by its relative exclusivity, but nevertheless not illusory in its entirety. Black Cashmere was unique – indeed, it smelled like very few other things did at the time.

Smelling the re-released version now, I have trouble deciding whether the fragrance has changed radically, or whether it is my tastes that have changed instead. For Black Cashmere no longer evokes the dramatic reaction it once did. Whatever the case might be, it is still unique and edgy. It still is a controversial scent that challenges the notion of what an attractive personal scent is. The opening creates an illusion of dark leather, lovingly presenting a dominant, delectable, saffron note. As the top notes lift, the body of the perfume is sketched with feather light strokes, like a phantom: cinnamic and camphorous, a combination that gives the scent a rather medicinal vibe. Through a quickly dissipating cloud of smoke, comes a heavy, burnt rubber accord (constructed primarily out of excellent quality cedar)– a central aspect of Black Cashmere’s heart. Although it can appear slightly jarring and overly strange at first, it quickly mellows and shifts into the background, acting like the canvas upon which the rest of the notes are painted. The barely-there scent of clove is enfolded in the softest cinnamon hug, providing a soft, cuddly, comforting element to the already warm composition. The lovely scent of creamy, sweet sandalwood wafts in and out, caressing the harsh edges of cedar and snaking around the waxy, resinous scent of wenge. The drydown is beautiful, a coming together of dry patchouli, cedar and sandalwood, with amplified sweetness and a lasting impression of pure, sweet beeswax. Really, really lovely.

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