Sarah Horowitz-Thran Tapestry for American Perfumer photo via SHP©

“This scent is an homage to all those past and present that have laid the path for us. It is for the glamor of our mothers and grandmothers, it is for the rock our fathers – mine, who passed this year but who is forever with me, smoking his pipe (although he did away with it many decades ago now); it is for the traditions we carry on and pass to our children. It is the past woven into the future in a tapestry of deep shades of amber and green.” ~ Sarah Horowitz-Thran

Artisanal American perfumer Sarah Horowitz-Thran has been in my heart and on my radar since her early Newbury Street days when she and Dawn Spencer Hurwitz first opened a tiny boutique there, while still attending university (Dawn, at Boston University; Sarah at Emerson College). She has achieved success by dint of her sensual Taurean sensibilities and dogged stick-to-it-iveness – yet one more facet of her character which I respect and find endearing. Sarah’s aromatic signature might be well-described as plush, luscious, unabashedly romantic: within that framework sits an ever-present optimism expressed as wearable olfactory art. I honestly don’t think that it’s possible to wear any fragrance of hers and feel downtrodden.

Sarah Horowitz-Thran at the beach, 2021 photo via Sarah

Sarah’s limited edition perfume for Dave Kern’s The American Perfumer, entitled Tapestry –  smells like a concatenation of the lovingly familiar and the unexpected; it manages to evoke the sort of fragrance Sarah would compose, while incorporating an element of risk. It is this contrast which creates a finely nuanced and intriguing perfume which feels perfect for the current season. I feel that her description of a tapestry woven in rich, deep shades of amber and green is spot-on in its accuracy.

 

Sarah Horowitz-Thran Tapestry for American Perfumer

Knowing the perfumer (and having come from a similar cultural background), I perceive her intimate references keenly: the homemade pastries of childhood redolent with tart apple, cinnamon, clove and vanilla; the ever-present dill of our familial Eastern European chicken soup. This is how the Scented Skein links us to her. The aromatic pipe tobacco her father favored (and my Uncle Abe, who was rarely without) is deeply ingrained in her scent memory – and hopefully will remain, providing a measure of comfort during this challenging time of her recent loss. Indolic grandiflorum jasmine and dark amber nod to our matriarchs: so many of the perfumes which trailed behind them like scented wraiths incorporated these components. The jammy velvet richness of fir balsam mingles beguilingly with spices, a symbol of the festive season. The faintest whiff of a blazing hearth is intimated by a minute amount of potent cade. The overall effect of Tapestry is very comforting (for those averse to dill, it’s a top note which is fairly fleeting; although I’m partial to it, others may find it a polarizing note) and snugglesome. Its drydown is a bit deeper than Sarah’s characteristic one, but darker doesn’t equal morose. I confess that I love the first blast during which dill is most discernable: it’s so novel, welcome to my nose and takes me back to the most delightful aspects of my childhood and the gastronomic traditions of all the Gersenov women who preceded me. When wed to the spices, I’m reminded of the babkas which my raucous neighbors made me (after they pinched my cheeks hard, kissed and crowed at me and whacked my behind). Food and love are entwined in our consciousness – and the universality of them defies description.

Notes: cinnamon, clove, dill, green apple, jasmine grandiflorum, balsam fir needle, tobacco, dark amber, cade, vanilla

  Sample kindly provided by Dave Kern of American Perfumer – many thanks!  My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

Only 50 bottles were made and just a few remain you can purchase one here

 Thanks to the generosity of Dave Kern and American Perfumer, we have one  2ml. sample of Sarah Horowitz-Thran Tapestry for The American Perfumer for one registered reader in the USA (you must do that here). Please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about Tapestry based upon Ida’ review. Do you have a favorite Sarah Horowitz Parfums fragrance? 

Sarah Horowitz Thran was inducted into our 2020 CaFleureBon Hall of Fame

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