Scentzilla!

Lanvin introduced Vetyver in 1964, at a time when many other perfume houses at the time were also introducing vetiver fragrances.

With the original Vetyver, Lanvin spiked the grassy green fragrance with a tenacious lemon note, but differentiated theirs with a suprising and woody nutmeg undertone. To my modern sensibility, Vetyver seems as if it were inspired by lemon verbena, because the lemon aroma is so unextracably twisted into the grasses. It is a scent filled with the cheery possibilites of summer, with the spiciness adding a layer of dressy sophistication.

From the grass-stained knees of playing on suburban lawns, to wearing the “Sunday best” during an afternoon stroll in the park, Vetyver would fit anyone’s idea of the perfect sunshine day.

In 2003, Lanvin definitively abandoned this bright but spicy version with the introduction of a “more modern” version. Via Lanvin’s official site, perfumer Francois Robert is credited with the work on the new Vetyver. (Lanvin’s site is shockingly… helpful, especially the perfume history timeline. Informative even, compared to some corporate sites.) To a certain extent, it is less “modern” and more “trendy,” sporting an aquaceous character, albeit with softly sweet florals in the heart. Only a fleeting glimpse of the spiciness that made the original so intriguing occurs. However, the base in Vetyver ‘03 reveals an nice, noticable musky cedar flourish in the dry down that the vintage lacks.

I rather do like this newer version, too. It’s the scent of heading into the garden on a blue morning, still wet from a night rain, and plucking up ripe cucumbers from the damp plants and spongey earth. Like most vetiver scents, I find it cooling and relaxing. I’m willing to bet it can be picked up for a virtual song at the discount online sites or eBay, too.

The two Vetyvers are utterly dissimilar, but both are easy and enjoyable to wear. Either one should make refreshing summer perfumes for members of either gender, just ignore that both are pegged as “masculine” scents. The funny thing with the new Vetyver is that if someone simply waved a scent strip of it under my nose without telling me what it was, and demanded I label it, I would totally guess that it must be “feminine.” There’s a softness and complexity to it that one doesn’t always encounter with men’s perfumes.

It seems a pity Lanvin didn’t choose to continue with the vintage Vetyver, and then offer their “more modern” Vetyver as a seperate fragrance. *Sigh*

And apropos of NOTHING, I present to you… the Top 11 Ways To Avoid Hamster Attacks.

Top two images from metmuseum.org, and are both details from paintings by Childe Hassam (one of my personal favorite artists, actually.) The one at left top is from his Central Park, 1892, and the second on the right is from his In the Park, 1889. Third image of my dog exploring the dense garden forest, and emerging from the hanging rainforst vines of tomato plants. Well, when you’re only “half a dog tall” (Dav Pilkey), it at least SEEMS like a forest.