The day before yesterday was a very beautiful day for me. I attended a concert by Zülfü Livaneli. He is loved not only for his music but revered for his very existence. Forced into exile from Turkey in the 70s due to political views, he became a symbol of freedom. Today, he is the father of all artists in Turkey.
Now, what does this have to do with DK MEN and a baby butt?
One step at a time:
About DK MEN: As a fragrance artist, this concert was very important to me. The most wonderful woman in the world by my side, my dearest friends with me, that was already great. And as a crowning touch, my favorite perfume ever-present at my pulse: "DK MEN".
Now the punchline with BABY BUTT:
About 20 years ago. I was meeting friends. I shaved that morning. Applied DK MEN. The couple came to pick me up, with their little son Marcel. I sat in the car. Marcel (about 4 years old) leaned forward to me and kissed me, pressing his cheek against mine.
Then came the best compliment I have ever heard: "Smells great ... skin like BABY BUTT :-) .
Next, I want to discuss details like name, structure, composition, and tragic backgrounds of DK MEN.
The name:
This fragrance is called "DK MEN". FUEL is the later released EDP version, which unfortunately was only available for a very short time. Before that, Fuel was just a "nickname" for DK MEN on eBay, etc.
About the structure:
This is not an ordinary perfume. It hardly has a PYRAMID STRUCTURE. Rather, it resembles the novel SINGLE NOTES. Especially Oud. Anyone who thinks single notes are simple and boring is gravely mistaken. Single notes are rather THE challenge for a perfumer. One must emphasize different facets OF a specific scent so that a certain image is created, and not JUST ANYTHING. A significant example: the rose. What image should be created? Which side of the rose? The white eternally innocent? The red fiery? Or the pink tender?
But back to DK MEN. The responsible NOSE has achieved a true balancing act here. A single note with LINEAR STRUCTURE and PYRAMID STRUCTURE at the same time. But which single note could it be? It is as simple as it is genius. No, it is not a wood note, as many think. It is rather
suede. Finest VELOUR LEATHER to be precise. Thus, we come to the composition.
About the composition:
Citrus plays a rather subordinate role. It is more other fruits that set the tone. For example, Davana with its mango and fig accents, even though Davana is an herb. Then other fruits come to the fore, such as: pineapple, to emphasize the exotic fruity opening. Juniper berry, which forms a transition to soft, almost sweet wood notes with juniper branches. Apricot, which bridges to almond (bitter almond). And blueberry (typical USA), which evokes smoky accents reminiscent of slightly rough leather. Thus, the impression of wild or velour leather is initially awakened.
Undoubtedly, DK MEN also has a floral side. One might speculate, is it jasmine, muguet, acacia, magnolia, or even violet? For me, it is simply the rose, the mother of all flowers. Here it is stretched with rosewood and geranium and, in unity with lavender (Vera), holds the ensemble together while also creating the base for the woody-leathery fundamental accord. Additionally, the rose, together with the almost ubiquitous sandalwood, gives off an attar like in Hammam Bouquet by Penhaligon's. Sandalwood is also the keyword for the mentioned velour leather note, which simultaneously represents the single note. It is basically the pivot of the whole affair. This special leather note is built upon sandalwood. Starting with juniper and blueberry, continuing with rosewood and cedar (Texas cedar?), it finds its conclusion in union with cade, birch tar, moss, patchouli, and other elements. Amber and musk serve only as fixatives so that the leather experience lasts a bit longer. They contribute little to the leather scent itself. The impression of leather arises from purely chemical additives. Here possibly through an additive that is partly responsible for the tragedy behind this perfume: isobutylquinoline.
Tragic backgrounds:
It is not certain that isobutylquinoline contributed to the discontinuation of this fragrance, but it is likely. This substance was developed over 30 years ago as one of the first synthetic leather components. It came into disrepute in the second half of the 90s due to possible health hazards. Consequently, many originals had to be reformulated again. It is possible that DK MEN fell into this category. But as I said, it is not certain.
The actual tragedy occurred elsewhere, in a completely different area. Namely, in the private life of Donna Karan. It started with the bottle. This bottle is not the work of a designer. It is a small replica of a sculpture by a sculptor named Stephan Weiss. He was Donna Karan's husband until his death from cancer in 2001. After his death, Donna Karan initially withdrew and sold her label along with perfumes to LVMH. So it was then for DK MEN: "Shape up or ship out". Either way, a legend in shades of gray was doomed to perish.
From the tragic end of an olfactory event, I now want to remember how it all began. Back to the roots, so to speak.
I had already noticed the bottle of "Donna Karan", the women's fragrance. Now I stood in the perfumery
Yaska in Braunschweig and couldn't believe my eyes. The men's fragrance by Donna Karan was there. The bottle was already screaming: "Try me!". I tested the scent on a test strip and told the saleswoman: "The tester must be defective. Something is coming out, but no perfume. I only smell the paper." The saleswoman smelled the strip and said: "Well, it may seem like paper to you, but it is indeed the right scent. It is a fine woody fragrance with leather notes." I didn't want to believe it. But I had already tried a few other new fragrances before. So I went outside and took a little walk to neutralize my nose. Then I went back to Yaska and told that same saleswoman that I wanted to test DK MEN again. This time please on skin. "Sure," she said and sprayed the fragrance on my forearm. Suddenly, I realized what a woody type was hiding under my leather.
Suede
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