Tom Ford Grey Vetiver

09/07/09 09:08:52

By: Mark Behnke

If you go up to the top of this page and click on the tab “Perfumes” and on that page scroll down to the category “Woods and Mosses” and find the picture of roots that designate the note “vetiver” you will be rewarded with hundreds of hits. Vetiver is one of the most ubiquitous notes in all of perfumery. According to the Wikipedia entry for Vetiver it is used in 90% of all western perfumes. The reason for that percentage is vetiver’s excellent properties at laying down a consistency, particularly in the basenotes.

In other words, vetiver is the drummer in the rock band that is any perfume. It lays down a persistent back beat and can be mentioned for adding something extra to a scent but all eyes are usually on the lead singer or lead note.

Who, coincidentally, usually has their name on the front of the CD cover or the bottle. What to do with the poor supporting player who yearns to make it to the front of the stage?

Much like Phil Collins was able to get out from behind the drum set for Genesis and have his own solo career; in the middle of the 20th century Vetiver took its turn at the front of the bottle.

Creed introduced its Vetiver in 1948 and it would be followed about ten years later by two of the best examples of vetiver scents, Givenchy Vetyver and Guerlain Vetiver. Both are still available and provide for an excellent introduction to vetiver.

As we’ve moved into the 21st century there have been two vetiver scents that have really become standouts; Dominique Ropion’s creation for Editions de Parfum Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire and Nathalie Lorson’s Lalique Encre Noire. Vetiver Extraordinaire is said to have the greatest amount of vetiver oil in any scent and while that might be true it is the choice to pair it with a smoky accord that makes Vetiver Extraordinaire beautifully unique. Encre Noire stays true to its noire character and stays very dark and sensual throughout its development.

Therefore the question any perfumisto has to ask is if there are four great options out there, “Do I need another Vetiver?”

Tom Ford has very steadily been putting together a line of scents that have married quality and creativity. This should come as no surprise from the man who introduced oud to the western world in Yves St. Laurent’s M7. Tom Ford created his own fragrance brand in 2006 and under that brand has created six scents plus the 16-scent Private Blend collection. It is the Private Blend collection which has made the most impact as Mr. Ford’s compositions for that line have a more niche feel to them. The six non-Private Blend scents have shown the same attention to detail with Black Orchid being one of my personal favorites.

Grey Vetiver was released in September of 2009 and according to the press materials Tom Ford chose to make a vetiver-centric scent because “It’s one of my favorite fragrance notes because it is timeless, grounded, and has an enormous amount of character. Almost everyone recognizes vetiver and has an association with the aroma; it is the fragrance equivalent of the classic blue blazer, the beautiful watch, or the cap-toed shoe.”

While I mostly agree with that assessment I think Grey Vetiver has a feel to it which updates the classic vetiver and takes that classic blue blazer and adds a shawl collar to it; making it look like the classic but feel modern at the same time.

Right from the top this becomes apparent as a mix of bright citrus comes out along with vetiver.

This would make for a very light beginning but Mr. Ford’s choice to add a good amount of sage adds a level of dryness to the beginning which is very appealing to me.

The heart of this is a combination of orris and vetiver, in an intricate interplay, which adds warmth to Grey Vetiver and adds contrast to the cool beginning. The choice of orris here is particularly notable as it imparts richness to the heart of this that is unusual in vetiver scents. Usually most vetiver scents veer towards the woods at this point but here the intensity of the iris root marries beautifully with the green character of the vetiver and makes for an engaging experience.

The base brings out a mix of oakmoss, amber and vetiver. This is where Grey Vetiver feels the most familiar as this combination has been used many times in many places. Even so, it fits here as an excellent finish to the development of Grey Vetiver and feels appropriate. In some ways it allows one to feel as if they’ve returned from a particularly interesting night out and are now back in familiar surroundings. Grey Vetiver has a great deal of longevity on me and projects appropriately. This is going to be a great choice as an all-weather scent as I believe it will do as well in the heat of summer as, the chill of winter.

Grey Vetiver feels, almost, like it belongs as part of the Private Blend collection. The choice of ingredients, like orris, and the interesting complexity of the development are all hallmarks of that line. But Grey Vetiver also feels more mainstream than the Private Blends as I think this is a much more approachable scent than even the aforementioned Vetiver Extraordinaire or Encre Noire.

I expect this to be a big seller throughout the fall and into the holiday season as I think this is going to be on a lot of men’s holiday lists. So I return to the question I asked previously, “Do I need another Vetiver?” When the juice in the bottle is as unique as Grey Vetiver, the answer is an unequivocal, Yes!

images: treesftf

Author: Mark Behnke (Somervill Metro Man)
Fragrantica Writer