Battle of the Vetivers, Part 4 - Grey Vetiver by Tom Ford

[freakyzeaky]

In this fourth and final take/review on the Vetivers in my collection, I will be going over one of the most sophisticated, classy, and seductive vetiver fragrances, Grey Vetiver by Tom Ford.

NOTES

The notes are listed from top notes to base notes:

Vetiver,
Orange flower,
Grapefruit,
Aromatic sage,
Orris,
Nutmeg,
Pimento,
Amber woods,
Oakmoss

The notes are accurate to what you are going to get out of this frag, however, I feel the citrus notes are far more prominent (which I will be going over shortly).

INFORMATION/BACKGROUND

Grey Vetiver comes in two main bottle sizes, 50ml which runs $110USD and 100ml which runs $150USB on the Tom Ford website. The value of the 100ml is immediately noticed, but you can get this for much less on www.fragrancenet.com at around $90USD for the 100ml bottle.

The scent was launched in 2009 and the fragrance was created by perfumer Harry Fremont. This particular fragrance is a part of the Tom Ford designer line rather than the niche Private Blend line, which can be deduced from the price tag.

The version I will be reviewing is the Eau De Toilet. The bottle shown above is the Eau De Parfum. Both bottles look the same, except the EDP has more of a frosted glass bottle, while the EDT bottle is a transparent glass. As shown in the image, the bottle is a slim profile, ribbed with a silver Tom Ford label and a ribbed silver cap. The sprayer is decent, nothing to write home about, but it gets the job done.

SCENT/SITUATION

This fragrance is a citrus through and through. Sure, it is marketed as a vetiver, and the vetiver is most definitely present in the composition, the citrus takes center stage long into the dry down. Right from the beginning, you get a blast of what smells like lemons, even though orange flower and grapefruit are what is listed in the notes. The lemon scent is so powerful, it actually reminds me of Lemon Lysol. After a few minutes though, the lemon reigns in and becomes this zesty, refreshing, lively, merrymaker that is simply sparkling all over the skin. That is when the vetiver and orris come in like dance partners, with style and grace, finessing their way into the frame.

These notes are so well intertwined. The orris is actually the root of iris. Although it can be seen as somewhat metrosexual, I have grown to absolutely love the note of iris in my fragrances. Some claim it to smell "lipsticky", but that is because iris is typically used in many cosmetic products. To me, it comes off soft and sophisticated and smells like pure class, but other times it reminds me of the pages of an old book, musky and dry.

Here though, the orris is embraced by the vetiver, with the vetiver pushing and pulling like the male lead in this dance. It is what you expect from a vetiver note; earthy, mature, green, grassy, and slightly smokey. The vetiver here is an older easy-going classy gentleman leading around a younger infatuated feminine partner who is gushing all over him.

As this frag dries down to the base, I get whiffs of what can only be described as fruit loops. Sometimes a bit of grapefruit, sometimes a bit of orange, and the bright lemony accord dies down considerably. This sets the foundation for the spices. The sage is there and is absolutely wonderful. Sage is my favorite herb and it compliments the vetiver so well here. The nutmeg is warm and there is a slight sweetness of the amber wood note. The dance is still going on with the orris and vetiver, but at this point, is it more of a slow dance, with both partners looking to move to a more intimate setting...

Due to the bright citrus, this easily classifies as a Summer fragrance, but I feel it could certainly be used a year-round work or formal attire fragrance. Even though vetivers usually tend to run on the mature side (like Terre D'Hermes), this one is zesty enough to be pulled off by well put together men in their early 20s.

PERFORMANCE

It projects off the skin for a few hours and slowly dies down over the course of 8 hours. It projects very well and has good sillage. For the colder months, you may have to spray a bit extra to get a good performance out of this one, maybe 6 or so sprays rather than 3 or 4. Giving it a chance to dry down is key though, so if you do go with a high amount of sprays, give yourself a half hour or more for that lemon to calm down.

RESOURCES

https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Tom-Ford/Grey-Vetiver-Eau-de-Toilette-28459.html

http://www.basenotes.net/ID26131217.html

VIDEOS

Dracdoc Review

FragBoy Stewie Review

As you can see, Dracdoc doesn't seem to be a fan of vetiver. Vetiver is for sure more on the mature and serious side rather than playful. Even though this fragrance is bright and zesty, and many vetivers are balanced with fresh and clean citrus, it still has this dirty earthiness that some people cannot seem to wrap their nose around. As with most scents, I feel this one is only given justice when it has a chance to hang out on your skin. Many of the mixed or negative reviews this and other vetivers get are due to how they are tested on strips rather than worn and allowed to dry down.

THOUGHTS/REVIEW

I am not going to lie, at first, I was underwhelmed by this scent. It just came off way too lemony at first. Letting my skin take it in really opened my eyes to what this fragrance has to offer. It is a great work and classy occasion fragrance, and I prefer it over Vetiver by Guerlain for Summer days at the office, or a switch up on a warmer fall or winter day. This could easily be pulled off on a day date or a dressed-up date. I love the orris note, but I feel Valentino Uomo Intense uses the iris accord much more seductively for evening dates and Prada L'Homme is better suited for casual and colder weather office wear if iris is your thing. This fragrance doesn't come off as powdery as those two though and its light-hearted nature is perfect for hot summer days and upbeat personalities.

I'd give this a solid 8/10. I can see this being a go-to office scent year 'round, a classy date scent, and if you really dig this one, maybe as a signature scent if you are a mature and consistently well-dressed man. However, it isn't as versatile of a work scent as Vetiver for Guerlain, nor is it as artfully mysterious as Encre Noire or as bright green and bubbly as Creed's Original Vetiver. What it does have going for it is that is far more classy and refined -- sharp and crisp like a freshly pressed suit.

(NOTE: The EDP version is said to be much more mellow and rich; better suited for formal events, while the EDT version is much more lively and versatile. Take that how you want. I notice that EDPs and EDTs of most other fragrances tend to have a similar dichotomy; same note breakdown with certain notes being more prominent, usually the fixative base notes in the EDP.)

[Anonymous]

thank you for sharing