Parfums Dusita Moonlight In Chiangmai (fragrance visualisation by Despina Veneti)©
Our understanding comes
not because we are
on earth together,
but because we are under
the same heaven.
– Montri Umavijani (1941–2006)
Pissara Umavijani of Parfums Dusita & Parfums Dusita Moonlight In Chiangmai (courtesy of Parfums Dusita)©
After flirting with abstraction in her deeply comforting, fig leaf/orris-centered Pavillon D’Or, Parfums Dusita founder/perfumer Pissara Umavijani showcases in her brand new fragrance, Moonlight In Chiangmai, the direct, affecting beauty of minimalism. The 10th Parfums Dusita creation is an instantly captivating blend of succulent citruses, night-blooming jasmine, and an exclusive Thai teak wood accord. On me, Moonlight In Chiangmai blooms in a manner that somewhat defies the “olfactory pyramid” logic: most of its basic notes eagerly embrace me from the moment the perfume touches my skin. The way these notes keep interacting with one another, however, enables the fragrance to hold a few olfactory surprises for the wearer. The combination of zesty, refreshing yuzu and pomelo-sweet, antidepressant white grapefruit transcends its expected citrusness, helping generate a discreet, tropical-fruity vibe when merged with the intoxicating Indian jasmine (delicately fruity itself), and a touch of banana-like ylang-ylang. The prominent, dulcet-toned nutmeg lends woody nuances to the jasmine, making the transition to the Thai teak accord appear seamless.
Pissara Umavijani in various trips around Thailand (Pissara’s personal photos, selected by Despina)©
A proper composition on its own, this teak wood accord is realised with the mastery of an elaborate fragrance base. Although it includes some deeply earthy components like patchouli and vetiver, it ultimately smells like moist, aromatic, ethereal woods drying after a summer rain, with aromatherapeutic (pine and cedar), as well as vanillic (tonka bean and sandalwood) undertones. The warm, resinous beauty of top-quality myrrh and benzoin tints woods and jasmine in amber; an air of exotic seductiveness is now added to the otherwise soothing, contemplative Parfums Dusita Moonlight In Chiangmai, floating around the wearer like a gentle nocturnal breeze or softly diffused moonlight. Thoroughly enchanted by this soulful, serene fragrance, I had an in-depth talk about it with its creator. With her usual frankness, Pissara Umavijani answered my questions about her inspiration for Parfums Dusita Moonlight In Chiangmai, her exclusive teak wood accord, what it’s been like creating in confinement, as well as what this scent signifies in regard to the trying times we’ve all been experiencing.
View of Chiangmai from the mountains (via getyourguide.co.uk)©; lanterns in the sky during the Loi Krathong celebrations (Tanachot Srijam/Shutterstock)©; Chiangmai night bazaar (via inspiration.rehlat.com)©
Hello Pissara, and thank you for having this talk with me just before the release of Moonlight In Chiangmai. You’ve been working on this fragrance during the period of strict confinement in Paris. Do you feel that this affected your creative process?
Pissara Umavijani: Hello Despina, so lovely talking with you! I had actually constructed the teak wood accord used in Moonlight In Chiangmai even before confinement, and placed it in my personal “accord library” (along with many other ones I’ve already composed), till the right project for it would come along. I tried to find some positive aspects in confinement, like having more time to work at home; since the Dusita boutique had to remain closed, I literally lost count of the hours I spent in my home lab. During those months, I felt happy and grateful that I was able to continue working on what I love. Apart from that, I think I was affected in the sense that my nostalgia for Thailand grew bigger, not being able to take my annual trip there, or have my family visit me. I was, and still am, concerned about them everyday. Maybe this is why I chose to translate into scent a precious memory of my home country.
The Doi Suthep temple at night (Barbara Weibel/holeinthedonutcom)©; lanterns floating in the sky (via Pinterest); full moon above Chiangmai (Senthilkumar Kandhakrishnan/Sen Photos)©
Tell me more about that memory you wanted to capture in Moonlight In Chiangmai.
Pissara Umavijani: Chiangmai is a city in northern Thailand, situated between mountains, tropical forests, lakes and a river. In the outskirts of the city, there is the famous gilded temple of Doi Suthep, with its many shrines and royal umbrellas. Chiangmai is known for its nocturnal markets and the end-of-the-year festival, during which hundreds of paper lanterns are released in the sky. The city and its surrounding landscape are breathtaking at night, particularly when there is a full moon. My specific inspiration behind the perfume was that dreamy sensation I had when I saw Chiangmai from the top of the nearby mountain, under a misty veil through which the city lights shone, with the enchanting light of the moon above. The Doi Suthep temple was glistening in all its glory, its gold exterior being reflected on the moon. That “golden moon” became my main idea. Scent-wise, I remember the fresh, cold mountain air blending with the smokiness coming from the city chimneys, but mainly with the magnificent scent of the tropical forest’s wet woods.
These woods are wonderfully represented in your fragrance by your own teak wood accord…
Pissara Umavijani: I’m happy you think so! It is a rather complex accord, comprising no less than 22 ingredients, including tonka bean, cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli, sandalwood, pinewood, even bergamot. The greatest challenge was to convey that moist feeling of the Thai rainforest, while keeping the sum of all these different woody notes as light as driftwood.
Parfums Dusita Moonlight In Chiangmai travel spray, Pissara’s illustration & her Thai teak wood accord (photo: Despina Veneti)©
Was your approach purposely minimalistic or did your relatively restrained formula happen to be the ideal one for this fragrance?
Pissara Umavijani: I don’t think I was conscious of the minimalism while working on the perfume, but I do see it now that you mention it. The more I evolve as a perfumer, the more I try to avoid using in my compositions elements that are not truly essential. The most important thing for me is the harmony between the raw materials, no matter how many these are. For Moonlight In Chiangmai, I had a rather abstract idea – the golden moon – connected to a specific place and experience. I think this clarity of intention kept me focused, and maybe that’s why the minimalism emerged as a natural approach for the fragrant story I wanted to narrate.
Finally, tell me why you chose that particular poem by your father to accompany Moonlight In Chiangmai.
Pissara Umavijani: My father was always driven by a great need for understanding fellow humans. This poem essentially says that no matter how different we all are, we share a broader common destiny. Such was the feeling I had while watching the city of Chiangmai from the mountain top: all those little dots down there were humans co-existing under the same moonlit sky. I think that in the difficult times we’ve been living lately, this can be a comforting thought: we might not be able to see each other in person right now, but we’re all still under the same sky…
Notes: Yuzu (Japan), White Grapefruit (Argentina); Nutmeg (Malaysia), Jasmine (India); Myrrh (Somalia), Benzoin (Siam), Thai Teak Wood Accord.
Editor’s note: Parfums Dusita Moonlight In Chiangmai can be ordered at the brand’s online shop starting today, October 15, 2020, a date that marks the 79th birth anniversary of Pissara’s late, beloved father Montri Umavijani. The fragrance (EdP) will be available in three sizes: 50ml, 100ml and in travel format (3×7.5ml).
Disclaimer: Many thanks to Pissara Umavijani for my travel spray and illustration of Parfums Dusita Moonlight In Chiangmai. The opinions are my own.
– Despina Veneti, Senior Editor
Parfums Dusita Moonlight In Chiangmai 50ml presentation, 3×7.5 travel set & founder/perfumer Pissara Umavijani (courtesy of Parfums Dusita)©
Thanks to the generosity of Pissara Umavijani and Parfums Dusita we have a draw for TWO PRIZES, a 50ml bottle (value: 170€) and a travel set of 3×7.5ml (value: 85€) of Parfums Dusita Moonlight In Chiangmai, for TWO registered readers WORLDWIDE (to be shipped in the beginning of November, and each will be randomly chosen). You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what you enjoyed most about Despina’s review, what you learned from her interview with Pissara, if you have a favorite Parfums Dusita fragrance, and where you live. Draw closes 10/19/2020
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