The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Oh, My Stars! arrived in 2015 as part of House of Matriarch's Peace-Love-Perfume Disco Edition, a project from Carlos Powell asking perfumers to compose around the PLP logo. Christi Meshell answered with a fragrance inspired by the Stars on 45 Medley. The concept prompted Meshell to explore disco through scent, and what emerged has been called "disco in liquid form" and "unapologetically vintage." Each Disco Edition piece was designed to stand alone or layer with its siblings, offering collectors a wearable set meant to be worn individually or combined for new effects. The result is a composition that announces its retro roots from the first spray, leaning into the powder, warmth, and brightness that defined an era of excess and glamour.
Oh, My Stars! opens with powdery iris and davana delivering a bright, immediate hook, a luminous introduction that catches attention without shouting. Cannabis and shiso arrive as the shift in tempo, introducing a cool herbal dimension that catches the wearer off guard. The heart drops in oud and patchouli, dense and grounding, while rose and jasmine persist above the resin like a familiar melody that refuses to be silenced by the heavier chords. Tobacco and labdanum in the base provide the fade-out, warm and resinous, a close that holds its shape long after the initial brightness has passed.
The evolution
The opening belongs to iris, powdered and almost cosmetic, the kind of cool purple-tinged impression that reads as vintage before any other note registers. Mimosa lifts it with a golden effervescence, shiso cools it, and cannabis slips in low, not skunky but green, a vegetal hum behind the powder. As the composition unfolds, the heart takes over. Amber wraps around oud and patchouli in a way that feels denser than the opening suggested, the floral brightness traded for something warmer and more resinous. Rose and jasmine persist as ghost traces, offering sweetness rather than full bloom, a memory of florals rather than their presence. In the later stages, tobacco and labdanum settle into the dominant register, smoky and slightly sweet, with sandalwood and ambrette underneath providing a skin-like warmth that feels intimate and lived-in.
Cultural impact
The Disco Edition positioned House of Matriarch within a specific moment of independent perfumery, where shared prompts inspired multiple creations under a single thematic banner. Oh, My Stars! sits at the intersection of vintage glamour and contemporary niche, a piece that channels the visual language of disco without resorting to literal recreation. The fragrance's balance of powdery florals, herbal coolness, and resinous base reflects the era it draws from while remaining distinctly modern in its construction.
