Black Cashmere

I received a bottle of Donna Karan's Black Cashmere when it first came out, lo, these five or six years ago, and have never worn it. The bottle itself, which looks like a polished black stone, is justification enough for its existence in my collection. But for not good reason at all, I felt drawn to it this winter, and have been wearing it pretty much non-stop. While I have favorite scents that I wear all the time, I've often had passing favorites that seemed to go with a season, afterwards becoming little more than mnemonic devices for recalling the past. This feels like it will be one of those scents for me. It is dark and woody, with oriental spices and pepper, a bit melancholy, and I find it soothing and hushed right now, where before I found it wooden and clunky, charmless even. It may be that this perfume does indeed lack charm, and I'm just not in the mood to be charmed or charming myself--I'm craving serenity, not sparkle. It is well-named, as it does have the enveloping softness of a favorite (and expensive) sweater.

Comments

[Helena Handbasket]

Better buy more while you can, it has been discontinued as far as I know. Which is a crying shame, as it was one of the few truly original mass-market fragrances.

[Mary]

I really tried to like this one, but it comes off like car exhaust on me.