D.S. & Durga























On a recent trip to NYC I stopped by the rad little boutique In God We Trust. They have their own small collection of women's and men's clothing, an awesome wall of $15 sunglasses ("holy shit, these sunglasses are only $15!), and those little heart necklaces that everyone loves with the cheeky phrases engraved on them. But the one thing I just had to come back for is this amazing D.S. & Durga perfume (or is it a cologne? wondering is part of the charm), Cowgirl Grass.

D.S. & Durga is run by a fetching husband and wife team from Brooklyn — he concocts the complex, nostalgic, Americana-inspired scents, and she designs the pretty, botanic-apothecary vibe packaging. Names like Siberian Snow, Boston Ivy & Mississippi Medicine are paired with equally evocative descriptions that spin vintage narratives and list the rarefied ingredients that make up each fragrance. And if they sound dreamy, sophisticated and esoteric it's because that's how they smell. Like something very old and very modern.

Some of the scents are powerful enough to be challenging to wear, although the super friendly girl working in the shop that day said she wears Burning Barbershop, their strongest scent, but that "because she's a lady" she sweetens it up. Charming, and so true because scents can totally shapeshift depending on the wearer. They also make some less intense scents, which are easy to find since there's a little continuum guide from light-bodied to full-bodied for each fragrance.

Not only do I love the smell of Cowgirl Grass in and of itself, but for me it has that extra special associative power of scents to so strongly remind you of a certain time and place, and it will always remind me of my first trip to NYC!