DSH Perfumes The Stratosphere Heirloom Elixir 34 courtesy of the brand
Dressed to the nines, they make their way through the throng to their table: he in his well-cut tux and genial smile, she in white gloves and satin. He looks like Gary Cooper with a sprinkling of Paul Newman; she looks like a young Rosalind Russell. The waiter tells her so as he sets down the drinks, something she’s heard about half a dozen times already that night. Lighting a cigarette slipped from its monogrammed box, she surveys the packed tables to see who’s here tonight and sips at the crystal saucer brimming with foamy pink fizz popping softly and smelling of violets. Velvet-and-cream orris rises from the drink in her hand as the room laughs and a five-part combo at the far end of the long room twangs and wails a Benny Goodman tune. This is the Stork Club, New York’s ritziest nightclub circa 1940something, the dapper couple are my grandparents, and the drink – a Stork Club specialty – was called the Stratosphere.
Matchbook from the Stork Club stock
While the lights went out at the storied hotspot way back in 1965, perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz has come up with her own version of the club’s Stratosphere – a romantic concoction of crème de violet and champagne – and given it a fragrant, retro-modern twist. DSH Perfumes The Stratosphere centers around a classic rose-violet combination and then jazzes it up with champagne, citrus and earthy notes. The result is a delightfully sparkly, elegant and ever-so-slightly offbeat fragrance that may make you want to cut a rug to some Postmodern Jukebox tunes.
Crème Yvette liqueur pixabay apped
The classic violet-rose combination that dominates The Stratosphere is, of course, at the center of many early and mid-twentieth century perfumes, and it can therefore come across as old-fashioned. But not here. Spencer Hurwitz stops short of going a vintage homage route by stripping out the usual violet face powder note in favour of a darker, more woodland violet and then leavening the florals with champagne. As Spencer Hurwitz explains, “Unlike many fresh or powdery, candied violet fragrances, the Stratosphere is dark, with twinkling stars and deeply sophisticated with a slight nod to a retro style of fragrance while remaining quite modern.” And, although current iterations of the Stratosphere cocktail tend to call for crème de violette, the Stork Club classic blended champagne with the more complex crème Yvette, a Belle Epoque-era liqueur made from French violet and rose petals, wild strawberries, red raspberries, cassis, subtle spices, and vanilla and, along with champagne. That combination of ingredients – or, rather, their aromas – is, according to Spencer Hurwitz, the “essence of Stratosphere.”
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz courtesy of the perfumer’s Instagram
Spraying on The Stratosphere for the first time feels like walking into a post-war party quite late on a warm spring night where champagne and red lipstick mingle with raspberries from the garden and corsages of violets waltzing by. This retro mood is broken briefly by a cold metal reverb in Stratosphere’s top notes that winks to the outer space-ness of its name. In fact, Stratosphere initially reminded me a bit of another violet-metallic beauty, Comme Des Garcons Stephen Jones. But where Stephen Jones leans into its ozonic chilliness, The Stratosphere warms up with earthy dots of patchouli, oakmoss and vetiver. The dense notes in the base could have weighed down the fragrance, but lemon, neroli and bergamot keep things buzzing brightly.
stock photo
On first testing, The Stratosphere struck me as primarily a rosy-aldehydic fragrance – the rose fairly pops like a cork off the top. But an interesting thing happens in the heat; the violet, which was the secondary note, takes over. I often think of violet as either woody and opaque or powdery and sweetish, depending on its bedfellows. Here, it veers woodland but has a fresh, greenish quality I don’t normally find in this shy little flower. It shifts the composition shifts darker without adding weight. Orris, with its face powder and cream facets, adds a touch of vintage as the champagne accord and aldehydes continue to fizz, while a rather prominent raspberry note juice everything up. The whole thing makes me feel all smiley and girly.
With its vintage-meets-modern ebullience, DSH Perfumes The Stratosphere smells like a big band waltz sounds, spritely and romantic. While The Stratosphere is not the sort of perfume my grandmother would have favoured in her Stork Club days – she went for full-bodied, status scents like Joy – this lovely, vivacious fragrance is certainly one I would have introduced her to. And I would not have been a bit surprised if she nabbed my sample.
Notes: Aldehydes, bergamot, Bulgarian rose otto, cassis bud, East Indian patchouli, green oakmoss Indonesian vetiver, lemon, musk, neroli, orris, orris concrete, pink champagne (accord), raspberry, rosewater, violet leaf absolute, wood violet.
Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor
Disclosure: a sample was provided by the perfumer; my nose my own
Bottle of DSH Perfumes The Stratosphere, image via the brand
Thanks to the generosity of Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, we have a draw for a 60 ml bottle of The Stratosphere for one registered reader in the U.S. only. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what grabs you about Stratosphere based on Lauryn’s review. Draw closes 7/17/2024.
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Please read Ida’s review of Whiskey + Ginger Heirloom #33
Michelyn’s note: Happy 13th anniversary to Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes who was first in our American perfumer series, which officially began July 11, 2011. The Stratosphere is perfect for the celebration (there are currently 177 Americans featured in the series as of May 24, 2024 with Chris Christiansen of Gentlemen’s Nod).
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