Black Cashmere
Donna Karan (2002)

The dusky woods and spiced incense of Black Cashmere has given it a cult status of sorts: at the time of its release in 2002, it was bold to introduce such a dense amber fragrance with so much chewy, gothic labdanum. One could argue it did actually ride the coattails of CdG and its incense series, but here, Rodrigo Flores-Roux, opted for witchy nuance, employing what I am convinced is a good helping of Hydrocarboresine.

Produced by Biolandes, this derivative of both labdanum absolute and cistus absolute (a more top-note heavy and vegetal, sweet extract from the leaves) is one of the more evocative materials I've encountered. Not only is it reminiscent of church incense, but it imparts smoky qualities without feeling charred, campfire- or barbecue-like. It's quite lovely, and it's rumored that Norma Kamali Incense is pretty much mostly Hydrocarboresine in a bottle. With Black Cashmere, it serves more as a foundation for the melange that orbits it.

This one swaddles and hugs the skin, it is one of those where the sillage haunts rather than accosts. Now you smell it, now you don't, now you smell it again: it's ambient, but present, and persists for hours. This is best experienced when carving out some time for some deep breathing, removal of distractions, and perhaps a prayer, if you're into that sort of thing. I must admit that I am, now and then. Also, the bottle is a church mouse. Why? Because I said so.

I have this frag in a strange, flat black bottle that is exactly like a computer mouse. The bottle is the only thing about it that is flat. IMO, the name is perfect--this one wraps itself around you in a smoky, warm, sexy, shroud of incense. It has a mix of spices that slam into the back of your nose, in the best possible way. As it matures, it mellows into a dark tangle of sequins on black velvet. Chaos, another Karan offspring, is very close but has a sweeter thread running through it. Definitely not an everyday fragrance, this concoction is for dark, cold nights and errands of a questionable nature. I don't wear it often, but when I want it, nothing else will do. And it always delivers.

there is NOTHING feminine about it. Its about as unisex as a fragrance can get. I have the original scent, bottled in something that looks like a computer mouse, on steroids. Its a favorite of mine. I call it an intimate, 'dinner scent', because thats about how long it lasts on me...but nonetheless, its a pretty special fragrance. It reeks of class and uniqueness. Lasts a while longer in warmer weather. I thought it smelled like prunes, stirred in saffron, first time I smelled it...and then my nose, readjusted and I started to dig into the other notes, featured, here. Its just a beautiful perfume.

If Karan had stopped here, and not made another fragrance, she'd be less wealthy, but probably more respected in the fragrance community. There is not another Donna Karan scent that trumps this one, in my opinion.

I hear that Chaos, is a more powerful version of BC...I'll have to smell it to know for myself.

I agree with everyone who says this is unisex. I'm a woman and I LOVE this fragrance, and can totally imagine how sexy it would be on a man! This fragrance is, in my opinion, a sexy black cashmere LOW cut sweater barely covering what it needs to. So sexy. VERY easy to get heavy handed on this, so spritz lightly. I recommend to any and every one! it's yummy!

Black Cashmere opens with an incredibly thick and dark accord of ultra-dense amber, ghastly rancid fruity notes, a humid bouquet of flowers right out of a Baroque still life painting, a gloomy fog of dusty incense, balsamic woody notes and on top of all of that, a *load* of spices. Remarkably "niche" for sure, for being a designer scent - where niche means creative and quite "daring", in a way (surely "nicher" than most of today's niche). There is quite a clear similarity with Lutens' style, as other reviewers have noted, notably for example Arabie for the candied-syrupy notes of resinous fruits and spices, carrying the same kind of exotic warmth and mystical sultry elegance. Still, Black Cashmere is far more dark and urban, at the same time dirty and sophisticated, smelling like luxury black velvet stained with black ink. Fascinating for sure, not the most versatile around though: its thick gloominess is as much intriguing as a bit challenging to wear, also given this scent is quite loud in my opinion (in terms of projection and sillage). Finally, the thing I honestly don't enjoy much is that since the evolution is quite monotone (or should I say absent), the scent remains quite like that - that dark, nasty, obsessive bomb of spices - for hours, and it can easily become a bit cloying soon. And in fact it did so to me. Apart from this, a remarkable scent for sure, Definitely suitable for men too. Worth a try!

7,5/10

Genre: Woody Oriental

Black Cashmere goes on as a mélange of spices with plenty of very dry cedar, blending with thick, caramelized fruit in an accord that I can only describe as – well – black. If there's something familiar about this opening, it's probably because it parallels some of the more popular orientals from the Serge Lutens line: scents like Arabie and Fumerie Turque. Molasses, caramel, and burning spices carry Black Cashmere forward through its next several hours. If the caramelized accord is the “black,” then perhaps the dust-dry cedar is the “cashmere” in this scent. It certainly provides a smooth, warm foundation for the sweet, dark oriental structure that straddles it.

With its dried fruit, cedar, and bottled spice shop interior, Black Cashmere channels not only the Sheldrake-Lutens formula, but Donna Karan's own Chaos as well. The resemblance is so close in fact, that Black Cashmere could be taken as an unacknowledged flanker. Donna Karan could have easily released it as “Chaos Noir” or “Chaos Double Black” and been perfectly accurate, if not terribly inspired. As it is, Black Cashmere reads like Chaos dressed up for an evening out: heavier, darker, and more elaborate, but with the same structure recognizable beneath the added finery. In keeping with its weight, Black Cashmere is a potent scent with plenty of sillage, and will certainly not go unnoticed. My advice: if you like Chaos, Féminité du Bois, or any of its offspring in the Serge Lutens range, give Black Cashmere a try. It's a worthy variation on the theme.