DSH Perfumes Partners in Crime courtesy of DSH Perfumes

“Like a team of thieves in the night, Labdanum and all its gorgeous facets act as “Partners in Crime”; they’re bandits that steal your heart and seduce at every encounter.” ~ Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, description of Partners in Crime

 

Last scene of Vanessa Ives and Ethan Chandler (Eva Green and Josh Hartnett) From Penny Dreadful IMDb

Partners in crime: be they charming and quirky, dark and mysterious, or oddly matched – daring duos and their cohorts have always captured our imagination. A simple phrase conjures images of ill-fated lovers Vanessa Ives and Ethan Chandler in Penny Dreadful; the Bonnie-and-Clyde antics of Sean Kerrigan and Tina Brien in the British TV series Cracker (To Say I Love You); and detective John Luther and his nemesis/love Alice Morgan in the crime series Luther.

 Dawn Spencer Hurwitz courtesy of the perfumer

One of artisanal perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’ newest autumnal offerings is DSH Perfumes Partners in Crime {a honeyed labdanum perfume}, which became love-at-first-spritz when I sprayed my sample the other day. It is a complex chypre intended to beguile and bewitch both wearer and those within their immediate orbit – and thus far, it’s a succès fou, as far as I am concerned.

Unsplash Dawn’s ideation

I often reach for animalic perfumes and chypres: they suit my personality, blossom on my skin, and return the love many times over. Overt optimists have been known to harbor an intense craving for the profoundly mysterious and darker aspects of life – in music, art, literature – and that would accurately describe my tastes and predilections, artistically speaking. DSH Partners in Crime fills this wanton desire with considerable aplomb – and is the sort of perfume that makes one greedy for more. Because it is Dawn’s creation, we are assured of consummate elegance and multiple entanglements, a fragrance which develops over time, revealing a narrative all its own – for Dawn is a storyteller of the first water.

 

John William Waterhouse Tristan and Isolde with the Potion via wiki

DSH Perfumes Partners in Crime, for me, evokes the 12th century Celtic legend of Tristan and Isolde. Tristan was a Cornish knight during the reign of King Arthur; he had been entrusted with the mission of escorting Isolde from Ireland to wed his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall. Along their journey, the couple ingest a love potion which was supposed to be given to Isolde’s husband-to-be, King Mark, on their wedding night – and as result they fall madly in illicit love and lust. Their adulterous end is a tragic one, and both lovers die.

Dawn’s Ideation Unsplash

Partners in Crime is not a perfume of despair and despondency, unlike the tale of our legendary star-crossed lovers, but it possesses their unmitigated passion, an irresistible force which will not be denied. Everything I adore is in it – so perhaps I cannot be said to be unbiased here, but I suspect that many of you will share my feeling about it. The introduction shimmers with a shaft of bergamot followed by the warm metallic glow of saffron and spice (black and pink pepper, cinnamon); it’s piquant and grabs your attention. This warmth is augmented by a lavish abundance of honeyed fruit and flower, epitomized by plum, roses, and jasmine. The cool tones of orris are complemented by unctuous honey and tobacco absolute: sweet, coumarinic and animalic. The leathery chypre base upon which all this loveliness rests boasts a significant dose of leathery, dusky labdanum fused to Himalayan cedar, oakwood, oakmoss, cashmere musk, ambrette, ambergris, and sandalwood. It is a perfume of secrecy and provocation which encourages one to lean in and bury their face in the scented nape or cleavage. I think that Partners in Crime may well be one of my favorite fragrance releases this year…

Notes:  bergamot, black pepper, pink peppercorn, saffron, cinnamon bark, plum, Moroccan rose absolute, Bulgarian rose absolute, grandiflorum jasmine, orris, honey, tobacco absolute, leather, cashmere musk, green oakmoss, labdanum, Himalayan cedar, oakwood CO2, ambergris, ambrette seed, sandalwood

Sample kindly provided by the perfumer – many thanks! My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

DSH Perfumes Partners in Crime courtesy of the perfumer

Thanks to the generosity of Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes, we have one 30 ml EDP of Partners in Crime for one registered reader in the continental USA. To be eligible, please leave a comment regarding what sparked your interest about Ida’s review of DSH Perfumes Partners in Crime and where you live in the continental USA. Draw closes 9/21/2025

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