Smells of summer

This summer has undoubtedly been a season of olfactory obsessions for Serviette. From the abstract to the literal, here are just a few of the smells that have kept us inspired amid the New York City heat.

At Serviette, few things command our attention like fruit in its prime—especially when it goes directly from farm to table (or farm to mouth, if you will). As we become increasingly disconnected from the natural world, it is a luxury to stand in an orchard, taking in the dry heat and the smells of the grasses and trees with berry-stained fingers and a pleasantly full stomach. The messier the fruit, the greater the payoff.

Water lapping against an aged dock: There is something deeply transportive about the sounds and smells that accompany sitting on a weathered dock in the late summer heat, which calls to mind the 2013 Naomi Watts-Robin Wright son-swapping heatseeker, Adore. Aquatic notes are practically a prerequisite for summer. However, in this perfumer’s opinion, better experienced live rather than bottled. These can only be made better when punctuated by the faint smell of worn, sun-baked and waterlogged wood and the surrounding greenery, a truly cinematic experience.

Speaking of cinema, the late, great David Lynch often attributed the scent of old Hollywood to night blooming jasmine. So much so, in fact, that his headstone at Hollywood Forever simply reads “Night Blooming Jasmine.” Reminiscent of a bygone era where Hollywood stars and starlets were closer to mythological figures than contemporary celebrities, night blooming jasmine, to Lynch at least, signified a homecoming, as once he smelled it, he knew he was back in Los Angeles.

Named for its nocturnal qualities, night blooming jasmine emits a powerful, sultry aroma that is often described as fruity or even candy-like. Imbued with its Lynchian significance, it should come as no surprise that this highly distinctive scent has captured our imagination as of late.

To non-city dwellers, it may sound strange to attribute industrial notes—think gasoline, tar, etc.—to distinctive scents of July days. However, it wouldn’t be a New York City summer without the occasional whiff of hot asphalt, freshly scorched or jackhammered into breathable dust particles, or engine exhaust swirling around ice cream trucks and roasted nut carts.

Serviette’s own Byronic Hero is a perfect embodiment of the magic that can occur when nature and industry collide. Dark, jammy rose petals swirl beneath gritty plumes of diesel exhaust—picture a velvet red bouquet getting run over by a cube van. We thank New York for inspiring us to play with convention, allowing us to discover new and surprising note combinations that still feel true to us.

Thanks for reading. What has captured your olfactory imagination this summer?