image: N. Broad Street Globe, Arizona USA photo credit 2019 @padredame
hello.
Back in 2014 I simultaneously founded two distinct perfume brands, DAME Perfumery...beginning with Black Flower Mexican Vanilla...and Parfums Retro...beginning with Grand Cuir. Independent perfume houses can only do so much at one time though and focus is needed; so even though my Grand Cuir perfume was receiving wonderful reviews and "Best of" awards I set the Parfums Retro fragrances aside to concentrate on DAME Perfumery these past five years. Thirty-four perfumes are now on offer at DAME; thirty-five if you include the new seventh DAME Artist Collection CHILEHEAD scent you'll read all about below.
As a creator and maker it is nigh impossible to restrain the creative process and this month of January 2019 I have brought back the original "paused" scents from 2014/2015 of Santal Superbe, Sous Bois and Grand Cuir as a separate and new JD JEFFREY DAME collection. Create. Re-create. Always raise the bar.
The scents are all from me to you though, for in both DAME Perfumery and JD JEFFREY DAME you will find my creative vision sprinkled throughout. DAME Perfumery fragrances are modern; very smooth, clean and perfectly balanced. Each one so very beautiful. The new JD JEFFREY DAME perfumes are by contrast rather postmodern; complex and rich...messy and over-stuffed. Incredible to wear of course [The only way I can do perfume.]. Some of the new JD JEFFREY DAME perfumes will raise an eyebrow; each one though will bring a little smile and unexpected compliment.
Enjoy!
Jeffrey Dame
Behind The Scenes [BTS] On the JD JEFFREY DAME perfume development workbench and coming soon...a 4th JD Noir Homme scent built around wearable funk.
Introducing JD Noir Femme
INSIDER NEWS: New & available now....JD MIMOSA MIXTE Noir Femme. eau de parfum spray 50 ml $38.00 perfume oil rollerball 10 ml $28.00 perfume oil jumble 2 ml $8.00
INSIDER NEWS: New & coming February 1st...JD LABDANUM DOUX Noir Femme...
JD JEFFREY DAME Postmodern Perfume. Richness, Complexity, Contradiction. Messy Vitality.
and new & now...
Behind The Scenes [BTS] On the JD JEFFREY DAME perfume development workbench...coming with the sunshine this spring will be a new, second JD Woman eau de parfum...a fabulous, bright & creamy white floral. [five flowers to be exact ~ jasmine + orange flower + rose + lily of the valley + lilac ~ plus a light touch of this and that to hold it all together.]
JD JEFFREY DAME Postmodern Perfume. Richness, Complexity, Contradiction. Messy Vitality.
Behind The Scenes [BTS] On the DAME Perfumery workbench...a new 7th DAME Artist Collection scent CHILEHEAD, DAME New Musk eau de toilette, DAME Chocolate Body Cream [yum!] and DAME Artist Collection Perfumed Body Mist in Black Flower Mexican Vanilla, Desert Rose, Dark Horse, Earth Mother, Sky Father, Monsoon and Chilehead. Also, two fabulous new DAME Perfumed Body Mist products have just arrived. Spray away:
At any one time I have a dozen or so perfume concepts percolating in various forms. Some perfumery ideas start with raw ingredients and formulas, recipes and directions which interest me and which I think might interest you. Other ideas start with a visual or mood or broad concept and I then work from the outside in to bring the finished perfume to fruition. The process from thought to perfume can be as swift as four to five months, and it can be as long as four to five years. It all depends on the my feel for the flow, and at times surmounting obstacles.
So here today I introduce to you the new 7th DAME Artist Collection scent - CHILEHEAD - and share the long four and a half year creation process. I'm a fan of chiles in all forms and variations and have spent time in Hatch New Mexico simply standing in awe drinking in the sights and scents floating in the air. Back in August of 2014 I thought how fabulous it would be to introduce a perfume based on chile peppers and my creative flow started to sizzle. The perfume name came early, with CHILEHEAD representing someone crazy about chiles. And my father, DAME Artist-in-Residence V. Dave Dame understood the concept at once and creating an amazing pen & ink graphic print - although later on I had dad change the color break from green chiles to red. Red is better.
And then, a long series of fragrance formula failures. A great perfume concept needs a great perfume formula. No exceptions. Multiple creative directions dead-ended, mostly because what exactly is a chile smell in perfumery? It's not black pepper, and it's not green snappy cucumber-y. But what is it? I started. Stopped. Started again. Stopped. Printed bottle labels. Started. Worked on the advertising campaign. Stopped the formula work again. Finally though I came to believe that love of chile was not love of a specific thing, it was rather love of chile as an experience, a melange of ingredients which come together memorably in a dish and a night out with friends. Everything all together perfectly. And then I was free and running with the CHILEHEAD formula concept and the recipe fell right into place.
Lime and cumin of course, and a fantasy chile accord. A celery note which drifts throughout, aromatic florals to lift and rich rich bases. It's all there, and it's dreamy. DAME CHILEHEAD perfume premiering sometime in February. I can finally tell my father that the painting he did for me three years ago is ready for the world.
CHILEHEAD is not out yet, but if you sign up on the link below you'll receive advance notice of a limited edition special offer.
A collaborative creation by perfume maker Jeffrey Dame and his father DAME Artist-In-Residence V. Dave Dame.
A blend of lime, chile, cumin, bergamot, celery, peppermint, thyme, neroli, galbanum, geranium, artemisia, ylang ylang, olibanum, labdanum, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood, birch tar, tree moss, castoreum, civet, myrrh and musk. For a woman or a man.
CHILEHEAD Pen and Ink drawing with Gouache color brushwork on vellum by DAME Artist-In-Residence V. Dave Dame
and here's dad doing dad stuff...
DAME Artist-In-Residence V. Dave Dame
Dad is working on a series of ten Shield Dancer statues in the studio these days, five paired themes. Shield Dancers have been part of his art for decades, both in his paintings and statuary. Dad's Shield Dancers are his own artistic vision combining elements from the plains Indian tribes where the shields are used for story-telling together with native American design motifs from the Southwest. His Shield Dancer painting here speaks to the four cardinal directions and paths taken in life.