Snapshot #5: David Seth Moltz, D.S. & Durga

(VV) Where did you grow up?

(DSM) Swampscott, MA 

(VV) Can you share a childhood olfactive memory? 

(DSM) I lived right by the ocean.  Wild beach rose grew everywhere in the summer.

(VV) Do you have any daily rituals? 

(DSM) Meditation. Making tea in the morning.

(VV) How does being a perfumer influence your everyday life? 

(DSM) I pay more attention to smells through out the day.  I can smell trouble from afar.

(VV) Do you think it’s better to be a perfumer today, in the 21^st Century compared to (say) the early 20^th Century? 

(DSM) Yes.  There are more materials to use, & more freedom to make bizarre scents.

(VV)  What raw materials are on your mind at the moment, and why? 

(DSM) Orris root, Indonesian Vetyver - two ingredients in a scent I'm working on.

(VV) Are you comfortable with all the attention you-the Nose and the line has received? 

(DSM) Yes.  I don't use the term nose - as I think that's for the people who went to perfume school.  We have been blessed with great fans & people who are really interested in perfume.

(VV) Can you explain Kavi’s role related to D.S. & Durga? 

(DSM) She does all of our designs.  She evaluates all the scents.  And she runs 1/2 of the business.

(VV) Can you talk about your updated packaging and web design, specifically talk about your visual sources? 

(DSM) We use a lot of old records & outdated manuals for our images that conjure up the people & places where our scents exist.

(VV) I find it very interesting that your website defines your fragrances as feminine and masculine, especially when there is such a strong push for shared fragrances in the industry, Can you talk a about this? 

(DSM) I understand all scents are unisex in reality, but I like to work with in the classic framework of perfume.  The freedom to wear what you want is a personal decision. 

(VV)  More and more I feel the general population is becoming more aware of their relationship to olfaction and how it can be both positive and pivotal in its power to influence who we are. Besides making perfume, are there any other ways you would like to influence the olfactive world? 

(DSM) I don't think people set out to influence something.  They just make what they make & if it inspires other people that's a bonus.

(VV) Any Gallery or Museum that you favor? Have you been to any shows lately? 

(DSM) I love the MET.  I have a one year old.  Don't get out much!

(VV) What do you like about living/working in Brooklyn? Do you see yourself as part of local artisan movement that’s happening here? 

(DSM) Brooklyn is a great place to be.  We love mixing with all the people making great things. There is much to be inspired by here.

(VV) Will you be traveling this summer or anytime soon? If so, what is the one thing you will not leave home without? What book and fragrance will you travel with? 

(DSM) We have been to 3 weddings already, & are planning a retreat to Nantucket in August.  Can't leave without swim trunks.  I always read Wodehouse on vacation.

(VV) Will you share some of the fragrances that you wear that aren’t your creations? 

(DSM) I usually am wearing tests of new stuffs honestly.  I rarely get to wear anything else.  I wear a co-distilation of sandalwood with gardenia sometimes, or one with rose sometimes if not testing things. 

Malin+Goetz: Shared Simplicity

It was early evening when I arrived at Borough Hall, as I walked toward my destination, Brooklyn’s landscape seemed different. Passing by City Hall, the sky seemed exceptionally close and the clouds were moving furiously; trees formed canopies overhead; lighting fixtures glowed inside long brownstone windows. I had a feeling that Andrew Goetz had something to do with this renewed interest in my constant surroundings. I had a chance to sit-down and talk to him earlier that day.

Andrew Goetz is "one half of a pair" that makes up the excellent SHARED skincare, body, hair and perfumery line Malin+Goetz. The M+G office is an open space with staff working side by side. Two larger desks are placed perpendicularly to the rest with ample space between them, one for Andrew and the other for Matthew Malin. Several meetings were happening at the same time which made the room feel part family dinner part sophisticated Santa’s workshop, and as I sat across from Andrew at his desk his warmth and intellect created an ease to our conversation. Andrew was born and lived the first two years of his life in Brooklyn, he spoke about his continued fondness for Brooklyn, especially its architecture and landscape, and how the Brooklyn of today reminds him of the Upper West Side in the 70s and 80s, bustling with artisans opening boutiques and restaurants. His father worked on building the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, then his family settled in Manhattan's Upper West Side, and that's where he ultimately grew up. Goetz shared some olfactive memories, which include the smell of ditto paper (so funny), his Grandmother and the smell of Rose, the fresh flowery kind, and how the smell of food can unlock many olfactive memories. His thoughts on olfaction were focused, "it's cerebral, Proustian." When pushed he thought that fragrance can improve the quality of life, he added, "anytime you can enhance the 5 senses it can improve the quality of life." In fact, his attitude toward fragrance almost borders on aloof, which I found refreshing. He explained that he wears his fragrances like he would wear a tie, when going out, to an event or party, or cultural thing. He comes across very selective. His favorites, Petitgrain Tonic  and Petitgrain layered with Synthesized Lotus Root.

Malin+Goetz launched in 2004 with a vision to become a serious player in skincare. Andrew described their products as “modest, and pared down.” In fact, it’s impossible to talk about Malin+Goetz fragrances, without mentioning their exceptional products. They are the crème de la crème when it comes to streamlining the (2 step) process of care. M+G's Moisturizing Shampoo, Cilantro Hair Conditioner, and Intensive Hair Mask, have rocked my highlighted, chlorine-ridden world (thanks Kenne at Barneys, my hair feels and looks like hair again.) Their Detox Face Mask has the most interesting texture part foam part creamy thickness, it’s almost hard to describe, combined with their (new) Replenishing Face Cream, I woke up in the a.m. feeling renewed. The smell of each product was subtle and fresh, try the Bergamot Body Wash. Andrew explained that the skincare is therapeutic and are made from natural extraits, "the scent of the products are ephemeral.”

For M+G "fragrance is a separate category, these are not traditional body fragrances," Goetz said. The EDTs were made to highlight the skincare line.  To my nose, these unique fragrances stand alone, but the line does encourage layering, furthering their concept of opposites creating balance. There is a sheer quality to these fragrances that I enjoy, and that said, they also have a definite point point of view too. As I wear them they remind me of a riddle, they smell so familiar, but it is impossible for me to pinpoint the familiarity. These fragrances bloom on the skin. Petitgrain Tonic, is incredibly pleasant, with its slightly bitter citrus top, a Hesperidic note that becomes creamy, Woody, and Floral. Synthesized Geranium Leaf has a bite to it that is Green and Rosy, it ends up completely rounded, very smooth on the skin. When I paired Geranium Leaf with Petitgrain, it created a subtle sweet (I was able to smell the Tonka Bean) floral cadence, perfectly balanced. When I smell Synthesized Musk, I think of my friend who has been wearing Keihl's Musk oil forever, M+G’s Synthesized Musk is her ticket to a fragrance makeover. Its composition is completely modern. I totally agree with Luca Turin on this one, it is highly recommended.

Near the end of our conversation, when I asked Andrew to talk about their Cannabis oil, which is only available at their three boutiques, this promptly made him get up from his desk and bring a bottle of it for us to smell.  There was an intensity and warmth coming from the bottle, just like Andrew. 

Visit my Soliflore Notes Facebook page to read what Andrew had to say in his own words. 
http://www.facebook.com/SolifloreNotes

Andrew Goetz with Cannabis Oil

Film still: Days of Heaven, 1978

Jean-Paul Millet Lage at MiN

Jean-Paul Millet Lage spoke to me about discipline and dreams, and his garden. Read it on Cafleurebon.

http://www.cafleurebon.com/an-evening-with-jean-paul-millet-lage-and-ambre-dore-maitre-parfumeur-et-gantier-at-min-new-york/

5 Interpretations of s01e01

Describing s01e01 without deconstructing it was freeing, and it made me think, why don't I do this more often.  Read the 5 interpretations of this blind perfume, the 1st of Chandler Burr's offerings on Open Sky. On Cafleurebon. Thanks, Valerie   

http://www.cafleurebon.com/open-sky-untitled-s01e01-five-interpretations-before-the-reveal-the-way-it-made-us-feel-draw/

UPDATE-June 29, 2012-The reveal: Prada Infusion d'Iris, EDP

http://www.facebook.com/SolifloreNotes

Orris Root, Odin Perfume Pop-Up Shop, Week in Review

Orris Root. Iris Florentina,  has been on my mind,  a middle note, a heart note, I see a color when i smell it. The palest violet.

This week while wearing Odin Petrana 04, I began to make many connections about Iris fragrances like never before.  Violet and Cassis, Violet Leaf, Pink Pepper, and Vetiver live here too.

I've been looking at photos of Jean Carles and his perfume pyramid. Many times this week I wished I could smell Vero Profumo Mito, wanted to be in Italy. The best whispered words of the week came while at MiN, Tuesday night. Girls write perfume blogs and boys review fragrance on youtube. Looking forward to rediscovering my neighborhood with my favorite Nose, all week long I've been-writing and smelling. Thank you Yves Cuilleron a Chavanay for a very fragrant and delicious wine, Viognier. My post on the Odin pop-up is on Cafleurebon (the link is here), get up and go out and visit it if you can. End of school, beginning of summer, father's day, pull the weeds. dry the bedsheets in sunshine, water the garden, smell the rotting mulberry and abundant mint in the backyard-it makes me smile.

http:/a/www.cafleurebon.com/odin-04-petrana-and-odin-pop-up-pop-in-pop-up-plus-the-rchitect-speaks/

Black Iris, 1926
Georgia O'Keeffe (American, 1887–1986)
Oil on canvas

The Kids are Alright, DEMETER Fragrance Library in the Classroom: Part 2

I recently read a transcript where a professor of biological sciences said that the problem with our sense of smell, or some of us thinking that we don’t have a very good sense of smell is that that we humans walk on two legs which allows our noses to be 5-6 feet in the air, however all the good smelling stuff is about 8-12 inches from the ground. This got me thinking that some of us are just out of practice, as far as our noses go. So considering kids are still a bit closer to the ground, and that many of them still play in the dirt, this makes them better candidates than most adults when it comes to olfaction. While I was with the kids in the classroom, my very loose intent was to make sure they got to exercise their noses, experience their sense of smell through nature, and begin to become more aware of their sense of smell in their daily life. 

Along with my very exacting arsenal of Demeter Fragrance Library, I brought in an apple, a tomato, some mint, a few lemons, and couple of other things with the hope that they would begin to notice that most fruit and plants that they encounter in the real world carry a scent. Most mornings, five noses at 8:30am would huddle close together to get a whiff, a touch, and even a taste. Not only did they want to smell the mint, but they wanted to eat it, making the intimate connection between smell and taste. Not only did they want to smell the earthworm, but they wanted to hold it. After a while, the kids wanted to know how the apple or tomato got inside the perfume bottle. Considering this is the last question I thought they would ask, I described that there were different ways to extract the oils/scent from a flower, plant, root, or fruit and this liquid eventually makes it into the perfume bottle, and they accepted this quite easily.

Without my lead, the kids began to smell notes inside notes, Theodore swore he could smell Coconut inside Demeter Play-doh, and he kept smelling it and repeating it several times. Kara smelled Green Delicious, and swore she smelled Strawberry too.  Hilary smelled the same Green Delicious, and said this smells like my mother’s hairspray, a little nod to functional fragrance, and thoughts of mama.  

I also brought in some jars of Play-doh, and a box of crayons so that they could smell the real stuff compared to the juice, Crayon and Play-doh. They were very emphatic that the juice and the fragrance didn’t smell exactly alike; they got it! Fragrance is an abstraction, woo hoo kindergarteners. I told them that smelling the real thing and smelling the perfume was sort of like having a real apple on the table in front of them and then drawing that same apple that’s on the table in front of them. They are similar, but not the same. 

Most days we started by smelling an earthworm, literally. My son and I searched our garden the day before, looking for an earthworm or two. I then would put them in their temporary Tupperware home, punch a few holes, and add a leaf for a snack, at my son's urging. After they gently handled the earthworm, we carefully placed him back in his temporary home. Then we sprayed Demeter Earthworm onto the blotter (the kids were always so excited about spraying the fragrances onto the blotters) so they can smell the difference or the sameness. Earthworm, has a wetness, and dampness to it; it smells of wet earth and rotting leaves-camphor-like, and it is so incredibly beautiful. Along with Dirt, and Honey the kids just couldn't get enough of it. Earthworm got some kids thinking that they smelled rat and poison, gotta love the city kids, and remember all perfumistas know that there is no such thing as a bad smell.  

Next up was Honey, it is a fascinating fragrance, mostly because it smells like the work of the honeybee. When the kids smelled Honey they smelled different kinds of flowers, sunshine, and powdery freshness. After we smelled Honey, I read the book, The Honeybee Man, by Lela Nargi and Krysten Brooker. It's about a sweet man who makes honey on top of his roof in Brooklyn, and the journey and work of a honeybees, a day in the life....

I saved Birthday Cake for the very end of class, and they immediately yelled out chocolate, vanilla, sweet, and yumm mmmmmm, others surprisingly yelled yuk. Then I noticed Maya. She had created a fan with her blotters and she was waving all six fragrances at once, under her nose. Exactly like photos I have seen of famous perfumers holding multiple blotters in one hand. She said, "See, I can smell all the fragrances at once."  Without knowing it, Maya immediately passed go and went directly to layering and blending. Now why didn't I think of that, here's to the future. Cheers, Demeter.

The Kids are Alright: DEMETER Fragrance Library in the Classroom: Part 1

I suppose I knew that going into a kindergarten class to wake up kids about their sense of smell would be a lot of fun, but I didn't expect that the kids were going to bring a heightened attention, thoughtfulness, and slight seriousness to the art of smelling. To my surprise, these 5 and 6 year-olds were fully engaged most days for 40 minutes. We worked in small groups twice a week over three weeks, and we mostly did blind smelling, meaning I had them guess what was on each blotter. The beautiful thing is I never directly asked the kids to tell me about memories or stories related to what they smelled, their reactions just naturally poured out of them.

The idea for going into the classroom came to me after I had listened to an art historian from Rotterdam on a webinar entitled, "Smell This" (pretty obscure, I know.) Listen to it here...http://www.v2.nl/events/test_lab_smell_this.  Anyway, the art historian spoke about a "youth" survey where the majority of kids said they would rather give up their sense of smell than give up their electronic devises. She then continued to state that luckily in the near future these kids won't have to make that kind of decision; scent will finally catch up to technology or vice versa, but in the meantime this put me in a bit of a spin, and I was going to do something about it. Right about the same time I met up with Carlos Huber, Arquiste Parfumeur, and I mentioned how important it was to get kids smelling, and how I wanted to bring essential oils into the classroom. He immediately thought of Demeter and how much fun it would be for the kids.

Even though I hadn't thought about Demeter in a while, I had very fond memories of visiting their boutique in the East Village in the late 90s. Demeter fragrances narrow in and capture singular notes/things like, Grass, Martini, Bubble Gum, or Snow. Christopher Brosius founded Demeter Fragrances in 1993; he has since left Demeter (sources tell me his departure was amicable) and continues building his work with his line CB I Hate Perfume. Demeter continues to grow and carry on as well, just take a look at their impressive on-line store. Weeks later when I connected with Demeter they immediately and most generously supplied purse size travel sprays for the entire class, and filled my very specific request for scents from their Fragrance Library collection: Dirt, Earthworm, Tomato, Golden Delicious, Honey, Play-Doh, Crayon, Birthday Cake.

The Kids are Alright

Jose picked up the blotter and remembered the day his family went on a hike through the hills and sand and arrived at the ocean, more exactly it was the day his mother taught him how to swim. He was holding the blotter tightly as he relived and shared this special moment of his life. Franco picked up his blotter and almost instantly recalled the time he played an electric guitar when he was little and how his feet on the earth made the sound even stronger. They were both smelling Demeter Dirt. Other kids had one word guttural reactions to what they smelled. Lucia said "green" as she smelled Dirt, and I have to agree there is a freshness and expansiveness about it. Dirt most certainly was the scent that brought forth all sorts of memories and ideas from the kids. It appears that kids are still thankfully connected to the earth.

At times the connection to smelling and taking action was immediate. After they smelled Crayon, the kids wanted to draw. Maybe there is something about scent as motivation, ya think.... Jose picked up his crayon and began to draw an ocean of earth.

More to come....stay tuned.

Listen to Christopher Brosius talk about Demeter here; his description of Dirt is awesome.

http://www.studio360.org/2006/oct/13/snow-in-a-bottle/