So, where I left off in my last post about making Iris Gris de Fath was in the skeletal structure that I began to test on my client’s skin. Let’s start there.
As you may have surmised by the description given by Mr. Coifan, the fragrance starts on a cloud of fluffy, soft, creamy lactonic peach (the ingredient is commonly known as aldehyde c-14 but is undecalactone gamma) so I began with that as well. Of course, the orris absolute and butter came right in next along with the ionones (alpha, and methyl gamma) to color in the correct amount of “grey and purple-y violet” in the heart. I ended with the addition of musk, ambrette and civet. There is a sheer clean-ness that the musk imparts and the sensual humanity that the ambrette and civet breathe into the base. As a skeleton goes, this one was lovely with high cheek bones.
When I am creating a bespoke fragrance I always want to get the ‘sketch’ on the skin as soon as I can which will give me some indication as to how the wearers skin will react, and in turn will inform me as to how I need to proceed toward our ultimate destination. The upside to working on a reformulation is that you have something concrete to ‘match’. I put a test patch of the original perfume on her skin and a patch of the sketch on the other arm so that I could determine what was happening on both arms. I was delighted (and rather amazed, really) that at the ‘first fitting’, the sketch was already at least 80% proportional to the original. I did notice that her skin exaggerated the ambrette and civet in the drydown and would need some extra peach to balance it but it was immediately elating; like hitting the ball right onto the green in the first stroke.
My next step was to expand the design to include the notes that give the perfume it’s nuances: the muguet, carnation (!), jasmine, lilac, and heliotrope in the heart and the oakmoss absolute, cedar, and vetiver in the drydown. The peach, along with the slightest touch of lemon, bergamot and violet leaf absolute is all that commands the topnote. This overdosing of peach gives the impression of incredible softness and approachability at first sniff that would just not be the case without it. Orris can be rather cold, aloof, and as others have also written, quite melancholy. But Iris Gris is not melancholy or aloof. It is elegant, to be sure, and so, so beautiful but not in a way that you must admire her from an ivory tower. Iris Gris comes down to be with you, and hold you close; lovingly.
A light touch was needed to balance all of these other notes. It would be all too easy to overpower that violet / orris heart and put a dent in that poof of peach meringue. So I went slowly and tread softly all the while keeping the original in mind. My client came for just two more fittings and we were done. She beamed so brilliantly as she sniffed both arms, again with the original extrait on one arm and her new perfume on the other. We both agreed that the only detectable difference seemed to be that the original smelled ‘aged’ and the other, well, new. This was the moment that she told me that she calls this her “Scent of Hope”. I was so, so moved by her passion for this fragrance and what it meant to her that I almost cried. She and I can both relate to medical difficulties and what it means to have something to inspire hope; the hope of a life free from (a lot of) pain, filled with optimism and most of all, beauty. It was right then that I thought that it would be something great to be able to release what we had made to a greater audience. When she came back to finally pick up her presentation bottle I asked how she felt about an actual release, with her name for the fragrance, Scent of Hope. She was not only very gracious, she was delighted to know that she would be instrumental in giving others a deep and meaningful pleasure in the smelling (and wearing!) of this design.
Now our final step is to find a partner organization to give 30% of the proceeds to. Ideally, we would like to find a women’s cancer organization, perhaps locally, who will help women with the resources they need to handle their treatment and when they are finished, to help them rebuild their lives anew. We know that after something like cancer, it is a re-building that must happen; there’s no going back to how it was. So, this is our wish and goal. The perfume will be released, in extrait only, when we find our ‘mate’. In the meantime, I will leave you swooning about the chance to wear a legend; the stuff that dreams are made of. ox
image credits: iris drawing by jan church found here; iris gris vintage ad found here.
ps: So for all of you who have always wanted to smell (and wear!) Iris Gris but won’t be making it to the Osmotheque in Versailles any time soon, now is your chance. 🙂 If you would like to pre-order, you can. Please just email us at dsh@dshperfumes.com as we can put you on our list. Nothing will be charged until we are ready to release and ship.
DSH notebook 
Oh my! Oh dear! Good Lord! It’s done? And in only a few fittings, nonetheless from you, Dawn! It must be amazing to make someone else’s dream come alive, especially for those who have little hope right now in their lives. My mum’s an oncologist, and I get to see and hear firsthand about how difficult everyone’s journey is. Even after being one for 14 years, her patients’ suffering makes quite an impact on her.
I wish I could help you find a partner, alas I live in SE Asia so finding a “local” organization would be difficult. I’d order SoH, but seeing how I still am financially dependent on my parents (still 17) I don’t have much of a say when it comes to splurges.
Cheers to another source of hope!
Hi, again, Belle~
Oh yes, the design is finished and the first batches have been macerating. 🙂 It was a truly amazing experience to work with my client and as you say, help make her dream come alive. I can only imagine how difficult life is for your mom at times, as well as for her patients. I am sure that she does so much to help alleviate suffering wherever she can. It’s a very difficult path to be sure and I have so much admiration and compassion for anyone who is dealing with medical issues and how painful those can be; especially the life threatening ones. That added terror that can be a part of that is unfathomable.
I thank you for your sincere and heartfelt comments! Who knows, maybe there will be a way to try Scent of Hope without a splurge from M & D. 😉
You had me at iris, but with your description of your creative process and the notes I’m totally done for! 😉 Can’t w-a-i-t until I can try this wonder for myself! xoxoxo
😀 Tarleisio!! You shouldn’t have to wait long .. unless the post will decide to send back your samples to me (again). I just can’t wait to get your impressions of it. (And La Reine des Fleurs… and Metropolis… and Fire Opal, and White Lilac). Big hugs from the whole clan~ oxox
I can’t wait to smell your version of Iris Gris. I was lucky enough to get my hands on some of this legend, and agree that it’s every bit as beautiful as you say. I have to add that it’s so funny you used picture of IG in her ivory tower, in my half finished post (I have quite a few of those) of IG, I use that picture too.
Hi, Asali~ Thank you so much for stopping by! Of course, I have to say that great minds think alike, no? 🙂 I love that we both felt this reference with IG (and I am sure that we are not alone). There is such a sense of preciousness, in the rare and cherished sense, not a hallmark kind of precious, that IG evokes that makes one think of an Ivory Tower, but don’t you sense the realness, too? It was this deeper feeling that was more surprising to me. But I love that about it and I hope that I have been able to capture that sense most of all. I hope that you will love it, once it is released. (Please do let me know what you think / feel from it). fragrant hugs, Dawn
ps: I stopped by your blog (lovely!) and just have to ask, do you really have a little bottle of Iris de Coty in your collection??? (I see it on the photo image at the top – front and center. *THAT perfume* is truly one of the “white whales” for which I search, on behalf my little perfume museum…and my own insatiable appetite for knowing what everything smells like.)
Thank you so much, you are very kind:-) Oh, you are absolutely right, what is truly striking about IG, is the ‘realness’ of it- how it’s *not* aloof (as you say) or distant, but wants to share its gorgeousness with you. It helps loving peach aldehyde and orris root of course.
And because buttery orris root is one of my favourite smells, I couldn’t resist buying the Iris by Coty, like for you, my curiosity was too great. It wasn’t expensive, but of course there’s not more than 1 1/2- max. 2 mls left in there. It’s a rounded iris, with some grittiness and earth, and as it starts to open up its petals there’s sweetness and a deep violet colour. I would love to share, but since I have so little, I don’t know if it would make sense. Perhaps 1/8ml or so… 🙂
Hi, Asali~ Yes, loving peach aldehyde does help if you want to love IG 🙂 Oh and I have to say yes, if you are seriously offering even 1/8 ml of the Iris de Coty, you are on. Shall we trade?? I’d love that! Please email me at dsh@dshperfuems.com and we can exchange addresses. Oh JOY!! oxox~ D
e-mailed you 🙂 Hope it’s correct I assumed you made a typo on @dshperFUMES?
LOL, Asali~ I didn’t get the email (let’s try: dshbijouxarts@gmail.com) but I did make a typo on perfFUMES. 😀 That tickles me so… I look forward to emailing with you!
Ok, just tried again. Hopefully it works this time 🙂
Hi, Asali! I wanted to thank you SO SOOOOOO MUCH for the amazing gift! It arrived just about a week ago but with the launch of Scent of Hope, I have been so caught up that I hadn’t had the chance to write to you. The Iris de Coty is amazing and SO fits in with what I have experienced with is early work in his Lilas scents, Heliotrope, La Jacee and even L’Origan. It is a great privilege to have even a few drops in my collection. Thank you! I will be sending off some Scent of Hope for you this week. I hope that you LOVE it. oxox~ Dawn
You’re very welcome, I’m glad it arrived safely<3 Lilas de Coty! Now there's one I always wanted to try. Ever since getting my hands on Vacances I have a mild obsession with lilac centered fragrances. How to catch the soul of the lilac without its own essence?
Hi! 🙂 Yes, it’s lovely! So, I will be sending off some scent of hope AND a little Lilas (blanche) de Coty for you. ❤ Oh, Lilac is a very tricky note indeed. I am working on a little Lilac post but I haven't completed it yet. ( I'd hoped to do that in June… hilarious). There is now a botanical lilac essence but apparently it is VERY difficult to work with, is very faint and VERY expensive. Not three things that a perfumer is generally looking for in a new raw material.
Really? Yay, thank you SO much. Right now I’m wearing your ‘the afternoon’ which is such a lovely lilac fragrance. It always makes me think about English picnics in a merchant/ivory film.
That botanical essence sounds like the ultimate challenge, I thought the essence didn’t smell of lilac, but perhaps this essence does, albeit volatile. I’m really looking forward to your post, I’m sure you’ll explain everything there 🙂 and thank you again ❤
I’m so happy that you are enjoying “the afternoon”, too. It’s such a pretty escape for me… And I can absolutely see a picnic in a merchant/ivory film; yes.
I haven’t worked with the essence personally; I have only heard about it from colleagues. Some really like the aroma, however fleeting, but for the cost alone, many have opted to leave it. Oh yes, and it’s also quite volatile in terms of availability from year to year, so that’s another factor. I think that part of the allure of lilac is it’s short bloom, it’s impossible beauty and the fact that it is just so difficult to capture in a bottle. Isn’t that kind of ‘hard to get’ aspect part of true love??? lol 😉
[…] wrote this post, or most of it, quite a while back, but reading the news that Dawn Spencer Hurwitz is creating and going to release her version of IG, called Scent of Hope, […]