When Jean-Paul Guerlain launched Vétiver, originally called Vétiver Pour Homme, in 1959, it was so successful with men, and women, that he was asked to create a vetiver fragrance for women. The challenge was not to compromise vetiver’s nature or hide it behind ‘girlie’ floral notes, but to create a vetiver fragrance that is elegant and chic. It was in 2004, after a trip to Shanghai, where, it seems, he found the inspiration he needed to create Vétiver pour Elle.
I don’t know what happened to him in Shanghai, but I know what happens to me when I wear Vétiver pour Elle – I tend to gush.
It opens fresh, green and from bergamot, with orange blossom adding a slightly sweet, floral note. This pairing gives Vétiver pour Elle a lovely, light elegance that perfectly counters summer heat. I smell a quiet note of vetiver here too that lasts throughout the development of the fragrance. As it blooms, a garland of lush, feminine, florals –I smell honeysuckle, jasmine, lily of the valley and neroli - surround the vetiver while nutmeg and pink pepper add a touch of gentle summer warmth to the heart. Then, Vétiver pour Elle goes through a soapy, clean phase that could be off-putting if it weren’t tempered by the vetiver. At the base, vetiver becomes more pronounced - its woody facet highlighted by cedarwood, its grassy aspect hinted at and sweetened by Tonka bean – while musk keeps Vétiver pour Elle smooth as suede.
The drydown is a confident, elegant floral and vetiver combination that, despite its name could be worn by men or women anytime of the year. But when it comes to taking the bite out of summer heat, there really is no other choice.
Notes: orange blossom, bergamot, lily of the valley, honeysuckle, jasmine, nutmeg, pink pepper, neroli, vetiver, Tonka bean, cedarwood, white musk.
Type: EdT
Parfumeur: Jean-Paul Guerlain
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