DSH Perfumes Pashmina 1810 review

DSH Perfumes Pashmina 1810 with AI background

…it meanders dry
dancing its sensuous breath
into my room,
the cupful of perfumed wind
from the patchouli trove. ~ excerpt from Patchouli by SandhyaSuri

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes

Patchouli – that indefatigable member of the mint family – has been with us for centuries. It is frequently cited as a polarizing note in perfumery: a deal-maker vs. deal-breaker, depending upon your personal perception. Patchouli is currently ‘having a moment’ these days as it experiences a revival among multiple fragrance brands. Artisanal perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz  recently lauded this highly aromatic plant in her new trio of fragrances entitled Patchouli Postcards.

These eaux de parfums mirror patchouli’s history from the commencement of the Napoleonic era  (known in England as the Regency era) to the 1960s (I remember them well!), and on to an aromatic image of current day Venice in all its urbane suavity. Dawn was kind to send samples of all three, from which I had to choose just one  to review. Being the history buff that I am, I chose Patchouli Postcard no.1; Pashmina 1810. History wasn’t the only determining factor for me, however: I was swayed by the perfume’s stealth and complex subtlety, which provided me with my own scented travelogue. The other two fragrances in this series, Kashmir and Wafting Smoke in Venice, are equally compelling and possessed of their own distinct personalities.

DSH Perfumes Pashmina 1810 ideation by Dawn based on François Gérard’s 1805 portrait of Mme. Juliette Récamier

One of the beauties of perfume is its ability to enrapture via armchair travel: without moving a muscle, you are immediately whisked away to another time and/or place. In DSH Perfumes Pashmina 1810, we have alighted on a tumultuous time. This was the era which witnessed the zenith of Napoleon Bonaparte’s empire: wars broke out alarmingly between Russia and both Persia and Turkey. Great authors put pen to ink: Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, Jane Austen. And established trade routes enabled luxury goods to be shipped to Europe, where they became the darling of the aristocracy. The pashmina shawl has a very lengthy history which traces back to the third century BCE in the Indus River Valley.  The Persian word pashm translates simply as ‘wool’ – but it refers to the silky undercoat of the native Tibetan/Himalayan Changthangi goat, from which the highest quality cashmere is made. Shawls woven from this ultra-fine material are treasured for their diaphanous, weightless warmth and traditionally ornate paisley designs. They were beloved of the Mughal courts as well as those of the Regency. Napoleon’s gift of Kashmiri pashmina stoles to Empress Josephine became the stuff of legend and helped popularize the pashmina throughout Europe.

DSH Perfumes Pashmina 1810 recounts the arduous overseas travel of rare Eastern textiles in cedar-lined wooden trunks. Cedar deters pests – but to be absolutely certain of safeguarding the precious sequestered cashmere woolens, dried patchouli leaves were liberally strewn between the fragile layers of fabric. Patchouli’s distinctive loamy, earthy, sweetly pungent aroma clung tenaciously to textiles; in fact, its wraithlike presence remained inside these chests for decades to come. As these colorful, graceful garments made their way across Europe, they revolutionized existing tastes. Polite Englishwomen adored their sensuous drape and the exotic aroma which they emanated – a far cry from their previously discreet choices of floral waters and delicate eaux de colognes.

DSH Perfumes Pashmina 1810 is beautifully spectral and serenely animalic, a fragrant equivalent of the garment itself. The scent is sheer and haunting, suffused with kaleidoscopic finesse: the delicacy belies its intricacy. It can be daunting to ponder the long list of notes which Dawn includes with her vivid descriptions – but each element serves a specific purpose. This contributes to our sense of wonder at her accomplishment: cogent, original, and as transparent as layers of aquarelle masterfully applied by a skilled hand. Patchouli, in this case, is limpid, refined, a ghostly suggestive murmur which lies close to the flesh. Feathery echoes of rose (absolute and attar both) entwine with neroli and sumptuous jasmines in a suggestive manner, air-brushed, accented with bergamot and spice notes. Her proprietary deer musk accord and castoreum fairly lilt; there is no bludgeoning here. I find that cedar is more vocal, softly tempered with rosewood. Ambergris and ambrette are graceful components which underscore the perfume’s tenderly animalic tone. Other woods hum in the background: sandalwood, oud, Siam wood. Further gentling of this gossamer perfume is provided by frankincense, myrrh, beeswax, amber resin. Pashmina 1810 hovers like a benediction: understated and ever present, bearing the odor of sanctity associated with the saints.

Notes: bergamot, spice notes, rosa centifolia absolute, gulab attar, Tunisian neroli, jasmine sambac, jasmine grandiflorum, orris root, rosewood, papyrus, East Indian patchouli, East Indian sandalwood, deer musk accord, fossilized amber resin, frankincense CO2, myrrh gum, French beeswax, castoreum, Himalayan cedar, ambergris, ambrette seed, oud, Siam benzoin, Siam wood

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

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

Thanks to the generosity of Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes, we have one 30 ml EDP of Patchouli 1810 for one registered reader in the Continental USA. To be eligible, please leave a comment regarding what sparked your interest about Ida’s review and that you live in the USA. You must register or your comment will not count. Draw closes 10/26/2026

All images courtesy of Dawn Spencer Hurwitz unless otherwise noted

Dawn Spencer Hurwitz was the first in our American Perfumers Series which officially launched July 11, 2011 (to date there have been 185).

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