Last night was the kick-off event for the Northwest Indie
Perfumers’ Circuit at Blackbird Apothecary in the Seattle community of Ballard.
As Blackbird owner Nicole Miller observed, we were without a doubt the coolest
kids in town. So cool, in fact, that people passing by on the street dropped in
to see why we were having so much fun.
The concept is to have a monthly event in which the work of
a Northwest perfumer is featured. Each perfumer will create a fragrance called
Blackbird, and will have their regular line displayed in the shop for the
entire month. The first perfumer to go was Christi Meshell (photo, left), of House of Matriarch. Her Blackbird fragrance was beautifully displayed in crystal bottles
of various sizes as well as roll-on dispensers. The juice itself was dark, sort
of a transparent purple-black color. It was reported to contain over 100
natural materials, including oud. It seemed to be quite well-received by those
who sniffed it. This new scent, along with Christi’s other fragrances, will be
on sale at Blackbird for the month of December, so if you live in Seattle, this
is your chance to visit Blackbird and test-sniff all of her creations.
The shop was festive-looking, with lights, decorations,
plates of food and chocolates, and a small bar serving some amazing drinks. The
space was packed with a big holiday-spirited crowd, all having a great time.
The co-sponsor of the event was Wine World, a local retailer of wine and
spirits. They have tastings on a near-daily basis, so if you live in the
Seattle area, go check it out sometime. I intend to do so. The highlight of the
bar was an amazing grape vodka made by Glass Distillery, another local
business. Christi has been working with them on cocktails flavored with a mix
of essential oils, which are sprayed into the glass from “perfume” bottles
before adding champagne or vodka. I tried the one called “Air”, which was
mimosa and galangal, and later the one called “Water”, which was jasmine and
something else. Both were tasty, and a really fun concept. Their Kona coffee-flavored
vodka was also excellent.
There’s something magical about spending an evening mingling
with a lot of perfumers, perfumistas, and people off the street who want to
learn about perfume, drinking unique cocktails, eating tasty tidbits, and
spraying and dabbing ourselves with all manner of fragrant potions. I ended the
night covered with Christi’s Blackbird, Montale White Aoud, Montale Chocolate
Greedy, Mesha Munyan’s osmanthus tincture, and several of Christi’s other
fragrances. The series is off to a fantastic start.
Here’s this year's lineup as it stands right now:
December 8: House
of Matriarch by Christi Meshell
January 12: Rebel
& Mercury by Nikki Sherritt
February 9: Sweet
Tea Apothecary by J.T. Siems
March 9: Meshaz
by Mesha Munyan
April 13: Blooming
Dream Natural Fragrances by Suzinn Weiss
May 11: Ayala
Moriel Parfums by Ayala Sender
June 8: Pirouette
by Karyn Gold
July 13: Olympic
Orchids Artisan Perfumes by Ellen Covey
August 10: Lulu
Beauty by Julie Wray
September 7: Sweet
Anthem by Meredith Smith
October 12: Imaginary
Authors by Josh Meyer
November 9: Puente
by Eliam Puente (launch of his new line)
[Photos by Nicole Miller or Christi Meshell, used with permission]
Posts
Ellen, Thanks somuch for posting the schedule for this series at Blackbird! I had no idea it was happening and would love to attend when possible. I've ordered a few samples from Christi Meshell in the past and will try to get over to Ballard to check out more of her line this weekend. It's always helpful to take frequent "sniff" breaks when navigating the Christmas shopping craziness: )
ReplyDeleteCymbaline, I'm glad the posting of the Blackbird schedule is helpful. I hope many more locals take advantage of it. There's nothing like supporting home-grown perfumers! Maybe I'll get to meet you in person at one of the Blackbird events.
DeleteWhat an interesting project! Thanks for the info!
ReplyDelete