Vetiver is in my veins. I use so many vetiver fragrances I’m sure detectable quantities of Chrysopogon zizanioides oil appear in my blood panels. Vetiver has such a hold on me, I believe it must have been one of the first fragrances I smelled as a baby. When I sniff vetiver, I feel warm, happy, calm, and contemplative. Tom Ford associates vetiver, as he does many of his favorite things, with money and power: “It is solid, like the man who wears a custom-made suit or invests in hand-crafted shoes.”1 That statement robs vetiver of all romance, and as I often feel while reading the worldly wit and wisdom of Tom Ford, I want to renounce my possessions, move to a mountaintop, set up house in a cave and own only a robe and a begging bowl. With Tom Ford, “money talks”…and talks, and talks some more.
(O.K. I admit while searching theTom Ford website for images to use in this review, I saw several coats from the fall/winter men’s collection that ignited the most unenlightened thing possible -- Desire; perhaps I’m not quite ready for the hermitage.)
At any rate, Tom Ford’s coffers are continually growing; according to Women's Wear Daily, in its first week on shelves Grey Vetiver “overshot its sales projections by 25 percent….”2 (Perhaps vetiver is about to make a big comeback in men’s mainstream perfumes?) Grey Vetiver was concocted by Firmenich and, apart from vetiver, contains notes of grapefruit, orange flower, sage, nutmeg, orris, pimiento, amber woods and oak moss.
Grey Vetiver is a subtle fragrance; it begins with warm citrus and moves quickly to a pleasant “smoky” phase. The rich smokiness is followed by a gleam of “sweat” (perhaps the grapefruit making its debut). The heart of Grey Vetiver is vetiver with a touch of toasted tonka and nutmeg. As the scent dries down, I smell pepper and warm woods (cypress-cedar?) In the extreme dry down, the sweaty note reappears, mingling nicely with the notes (now fading) that came before.
Grey Vetiver is a high-quality, pleasing take on vetiver (with an adult/somewhat “corporate” feel); if you love and own many vetiver fragrances, I doubt you’ll need to add this one to your collection — there’s nothing new or unusual in this vetiver presentation. However, for those men who have shied away from vetiver or never tried a vetiver-rich perfume, Grey Vetiver would be a great place to start your “vetiver education.”
A 50 ml bottle of Tom Ford Grey Vetiver Eau de Parfum is $85.
Note: all coat images via tomford.
Ed. note: the original image at the top left of this article, of a naked man wearing sunglasses, has been removed at the request of Tom Ford Beauty, and we should point out that the image was not part of the advertising for Tom Ford Grey Vetiver. I think it's an ad for Tom Ford sunglasses. Anyway, it's gone. In its place, we have Henry Ossawa Tanner - study young man by freeparking at flickr; some rights reserved, and Kevin has kindly added sunglasses to preserve the spirit of the thing. If you want to see the ad for Tom Ford Grey Vetiver, it's here. If you want to see the image we removed, it's currently one of the images that opens the Tom Ford website, although of course I don't know how long it will remain there.
1. Women's Wear Daily, 9/4/2009.
2. Ibid.
Hah… This sounds pretty good, although I often have a similar reaction to Tom Ford in general! And that nude-guy-in-aviators ad reminds me a bit of the infamous Yves Saint Laurent image.
Jessica; yes, it does!
My dept store buddies sent me a sample of this. I got it in the mail just yesterday. I really liked it and thought it was well done. I didn’t care for Tom Ford’s other men’s offerings. I do agree with you, if you have other good Vetiver in your collection, this one is not needed. Although It was really good, I think I’ll stick with my FM vetiver extraordinaire.
C: the FM is a fav or mine too….
I also am stocked up in the vetiver department. But I so wanted to try this! I was sent home with a consolation prize bag of samples last week, after finding out that the Coromandel that I needed (desperately, since I’m in charge of the split) was sold out. I was so excited to see the little carded sample of Grey Vetiver, got to the car, dug through the bag, and… no sample. Just card. I was half-tempted to go back in, but I would have felt like a dork. But now that I was deprived once, I feel like I NEED a sample of it.
Miss K: if your vetiver cupboard is full, you can wait.
Hey Kevin — thanks for the review. I was tempted to buy a decant unsniffed earlier this week but restrained my craving and desire like a good Buddhist. HA.
I still want to sniff Grey Vetiver, but I feel like I’m well covered in the Vetiver department with Sycomore, Terre d’Hermes, Encre Noir… I think a vetiver will have to be very different or special somehow to make me want to aquire another bottle. Have a great weekend.
(One wonders why they don’t use the “common American” spelling of “Gray”. Ford is Texan, no? “Grey” must seem more posh. I trust Pyramus will be along to clarify.
)
Joe IMO You have some awesome Vetivers Syc, EN and probably don’t NEED this one.
Joe: before I forget, I smelled the new He Wood fragrance in Canada last weekend and wanted to tell you NOT to buy the original till you smell the new one! I hope to review it soon.
Thanks, Kevin. Oh dear… I almost bought 30ml HeWood last weekend. Is the new one “Rocky Mountain Wood” (sounds like a porn title)? That good, eh? Hmmm…
Joe: I liked it better, more wood, less violet leaf…a nice musk in the base. It was all over the place in Vancouver (along with Narciso Rodrigues for Men)…don’t know if anyone is carrying it in the US yet…
I’ll be on the lookout, but I may still get 30ml of the orig soon — I actually love violet leaf and I found it available for only $22 + s/h. Who knows how long before Rocky Mountain makes it to my nose, anyway.
I soooo would love to like vetiver….
I’ve tried Annick Goutal Vetiver, Vetiver by Guerlain, and when Encre Noire came out I tried to fall in love with it. I really did…
But there’s just something about vetiver that I can’t stand.
I guess I will not be rushing for this one
Besides… the centerfold picture from Playnerds used for the ad is making me laugh–not in a good way.
Platinum: if you don’t like vetiver you can surely skip this one.
Playnerds! So EXACTLY what I was thinking.
Platinum, vetiver was one of those notes it took me a while to come around to. A long while, relatively speaking. But I was able to sample a few vetivers thanks to a fellow perfume person, and there was something about being able to sniff the various treatments all at one sitting that helped me get it. I only enjoy it in a couple of scents, but I do appreciate it now.
Our relationship is sort of a “detente with benefits.”
OK, that first photo is really (to use an 80’s euphemism) GAG material. Really bad. Stopped me in my tracks so much that I didn’t even read your review, Kevin, cause I can’t stomach seeing that picture on the screen. Sorry! But I’m not a big vetiver fan anyway, so no love lost. I do have Ford’s Black Orchid Voile de Fleur which I happen to love, though. So, I’ll just ignore that TF is naked boy-toy obsessed. But hey, I admit I really did like that stylized photo of a naked TF that Robin posted here some months ago (can’t find it now). Oh well. To each his/her own!
Karin: the photos amuse me…and I went the “middle path”…one of the series was surely off limits for this blog! HA!
Something about him is just… creepy. If K’s review hadn’t put me off trying this anyway*, the ad would surely have frightened me off.
*Disclaimer: that’s not to say I’d pass up a sniff if I happened to walk by a bottle. I just won’t be seeking it out.
I agree, he looks inordinately angry and I can’t imagine why….so yeah, it’s kinda creepy ….I’d sniff the fragrance though. I’m only just touching on vetivers and at least a few make the CEO sneeze–not the reaction I’m usually hoping for.
Daisy…best to skip away if sneezes come with vetivers.
on the other hand the CEO likes M7 just fine, no sneezes –darn good thing since I love M7 (thank you Kevin) and wear it frequently…and I am willing to share with Mr. CEO now that I have a back up bottle.
Boojum: shocked you all are so frightened by images! HA!
I wonder who TF is trying to appeal to. And there seems to be this trend (or maybe I’ve just never noticed) the models look not just ‘blank’ but actually really pissed off.
Of course I zipped to the TF site so see the ‘unacceptable for NST’ picture….oh, you know I did….and as the pictures go by I start to get this “what did I do?” kind of feeling….this guy glaring thru ugly glasses at me like I’ve really messed up. Made me really uncomfortable. Clearly I’m not the target audience!
Frightened, nah… I liked the M7 ad… this one was just such a freaky combo of 70’s geekiness and smoldering looks that it’s actually creepy.
I really don’t know about this model though….
Parfumesse…apparently these images were made for men…seems the women are not amused!
HA, that was my thought exactly…that I must, somehow, be missing something.
Meh. Not made for me either. Oh well. I think I’d enjoy a picture of Ford himself more, frankly.
Joe: ALL personal taste: i’ve always had a soft spot for the skinny/big nose combo.
it’s that ‘nerdy” style that I am not so sure about,I’d much prefer to see Tom Ford in that position.
Thanks for another excellent, spot-on review. I tried this last weekend and was pleasantly surprised every time I caught a whiff of the smelling card – through my pants pocket, no less. I agree that it doesn’t break new ground, nor is it quite the experience that Sycomore is, but it’ll do — especially as my collection is skimpy on the vetiver.
Lil…it would fit nicely into a small vetiver cologne rotation…glad you like it.
The model is a spanish guy called Jon Kortajarena, one of the new top models. I think he also appears in Tom Ford’s movie, just a cameo.
Alem…he’s TF’s model of the moment.
I’ll give this a whiff at some point although I am still working through quite a few vetiver samples.
For me, it is reminiscent of my Mom, who still likes it. But she wore Keihl’s Vetiver for a long time and I associate the scent with her. The truest “Mom” vetiver so far is the Vetiver Pour Elle by Guerlain – need to test it again.
I love everyone’s reaction to the model – for me, he is fine except for those stupid 70’s swinger glasses!
too scrawny! a stiff breeze would knock him over! and the glasses are pretty bad.
Daisy: so you go for brawn over scrawn…
Every time.
I don’t mind scrawny except they make me feel huge. lol
I do think it’s the glasses, primarily. I must not mind scrawn… my husband (sigh) weighs less than I do, despite the 4″ height difference. And he’s not the lightest guy I’ve dated, either.
Tama: agree on the Vetiver Pour Elle…it turns soapy on me and is very ladylike. (Another admission: love the swinger glasses too!)
I didn’t get any soap from the VpE – I think I need to bite the bullet and order a sample from TPC. I just had it dabbed on my by the SA. It’s a couple hundred bucks so need to be sure.
I think my SotD needs to be Vetiver Extraordinaire.
Hi Tama: I definitely recommend testing VpE against Sycomore, wrist to wrist. I loved VpE’s opening and heart, but Sycomore beat it in the drydown.
I have a sample of Sycomore so will do. I think of VpE as a bit less citrus and more flower.
Those glasses are going to come back, you know, just like every other style, good, bad, or ugly. At least the aviator style eyeglasses offered a much greater field of vision than the current blade styles (important to those of us who really need corrective lenses.)
Those glasses are going to come back, you know, just like every other style, good, bad, or ugly. At least the aviator style eyeglasses offered a much greater field of vision than the current blade styles (important to those of us who really need corrective lenses.)
Okay, I’ve tried TWICE
. . . to reply to Tama’s comment on the model’s eyeglasses, and NONE of my comments is ending up where it’s supposed to!
It’s where it’s supposed to be – there is just a lot of conversation in between!
Unless you REALLY, REALLY need glasses. When your lenses are as thick as mine they have to be small or they’re heavy even in high-index polycarbonate.
I can remember having distance vision for the first time in my life when I got glasses at four.
Interesting.. Nothing like a guy showing his backside and wearing only sunglasses. lmao Tom Ford is just outrageous, I don’t think there is a boundary he won’t cross for an ad.
perfumesecrets: a naked guy in sunglasses…I don’t see it as outrageous…nothing you can’t see at nude beaches!
Eee-ew, yet another arse I did NOT need to see!
I like vetiver. I don’t really wear citrus scents/colognes so vetiver seems to work as an alternative on days when I want a neutral, unisex scent instead of the usual florals. I found myself reaching for my vial of Vetiver Tonka more than other other fragrance this summer.
Thanks for the review. I really cannot take that grapefruit sweatiness so at least I know to avoid this one.
Why oh why do men think anyone is attracted to the 70s porn star look? The styling of this ad — OK, the sunglasses — reminds me vaguely of American Apparel’s Dov Charney, aka Captain Skeevy.
lilydale: aye! This is squeaky clean compared to those oily American Apparel ads. HA! I see them and almost SMELL the people in them!
Yikes, I hope AA never comes out with fragrance! And that’s too funny that the Tom Ford people asked you to take down Naked Aviators Dude…
Grey Vetiver is the nicest cologne yet by Tom Ford that i have smelled, and ive sampled at least half of the Private Blend line.
BTW – those coats are all hideous, and that guy is wearing a toupee.
Rictor: can’t agree on the supremacy of Grey Vetiver; compared to the private blends it’s ordinary…but I like things that aren’t mainstream for the most part, coats included.
I like those coats!
I want the one on the right!
WHO CAN CONCENTRATE ON COATS THRU THAT GLARE!?
it’s so distracting.
LOL! I actually quite like the coats myself…and the glare, well… it’s completely ineffective when paired with the dork glasses. In fact, glare + dork glasses = a very constipated look, if you ask me. Particularly the blue coat shot.
**snicker** he does look uncomfortable there….
But all these pissed looking models: how is that supposed to make us WANT the product?? Is this the same mentality that has SAs in high end stores acting snooty to make the ‘lower classes’ want to buy? I guess if a person was suffering from feelings of inferiority maybe that would be an influence, but seriously—wouldn’t you tell the snooty SA types where to stick their attitude and walk out? After a nice round of “enlightenment” for the manager? grrr I hate anyone trying to manipulate me!
Yay! He’s gone! Much prefer the (still somewhat disturbing) drawing.
VickyJane: HA! glad to hear it….
p.s. the sunglasses – very funny – nice touch!
For heaven’s sakes…boy butt disappeared after I clicked on full story to read comments…funny thing, I had seen it/him earlier today but didn’t notice until just this visit that he was nekked…
Okay, glutes sell sunglasses, not perfume. Well, at least not THIS TF perfume…methinks I have seen skin in other TF perfume ads, no?
ScentScelf: you certainly have…but TF is selling Grey Vetiver himself this time…fully clothed, suited up.
HA! so they didn’t like all our griping, eh?
I thought his fanny was fine….but the new picture? Now there’s some fine lookin’ sunglasses!
Kevin, another fine review!
D: thank you, my deare!
Ha! Just got done reading all the complaints about the former photo, so I have to comment and say I LIKED HIM. Quite a bit actually. I thought it was a pretty clear tribute to the YSL ad (though I like YSL much better, really no comparison) and I also thought yes, he was clearly not meant for my gender, but I don’t mind at all…
And the sunglasses on the new picture are hilarious, K., thanks!
Sweetlife: HA…thanks!
Vetiver lovers , Tommi Sooni Tarantella is a lovely complex scent that stars vetiver , it peeks in and out very tantalizing-ly .
I don’t get along with vetiver at all , but in this it is fascinating .
I’ve tried a few vetiver scents but I can’t seem to bring myself to like them. I even got to thinking that maybe I’d like a vetiver more if it played more of a background role but every scent I’ve tried that lists vetiver as a note smells like, well, vetiver and not much else.
Even old Serge, I thought SURELY he’ll mix it up a bit, throw a curve ball and pair it with some unlikely thing that will somehow work for me and nope, after 20 minutes of oriental-vetiverness that I was really in to ended up being straight vetiver on me.
So I’m not sure I should give this TF version a go but know I will anyway.
Oh BTW – great review as always Kevin!
RossM: thanks…I can tell you WON’T be riding the vetiver train (if indeed it’s coming ….)
Wasn’t there a naked model here yesterday? Where did he go? HA!
got a little chilly and went to get dressed….
C: he’s gone back to the sunglasses counter….
his people put him back in his cage…
so…. according to you. Grey Vetiver or Vetiver Tonka?
prism: I’m not the one to ask…I’ve never been tempted to buy any of the Hermessences! Vetiver Tonka is certainly interesting, more interesting than Grey Vetiver, but I can’t wear it…I could easily and happily wear Grey Vetiver.
finally Grey Vetiver landed in Europe
turns out, i’m more of a Vetiver Tonka person. VT is sweeter, warmer, really like a wool or cashmere scarf/pullover, with GV being rather cold…
Hey Kevin,
I smelled this at the Nordstrom in South Coast Plaza a few weeks back along with the new musks in the collection. Did you find the GV similar to Guerlain’s Vetiver Pour Elle?
Thanks,
Dawn
Dawnkana: no, those don’t smell alike to me. How were the new musks? Any favorite?
Hi K….
I loved the White Suede for myself. Urban Musk had a fecal topnote on my skin, but on the male salesrep for the TF line, it was absolutely divine on him!
The Pure Musk has a very Chanel No. 5 vibe in the opening and the drydown was just your normal clean musk kind of scent. Not bad but nothing out of the ordinary.
The Jasmine Musk was a bit cloying for me. If you like Champaca in this line, then you will most likey like the Jasmine and Musk. I personally get a bad headache from Champaca, and the Jasmine Musk was close to giving me that same reaction.
That’s all I got for ya.
And thanks for your reply in regards to the Grey Vetiver. My nose was fatigued after the musk sampling and I swore the GV reminded me Vetiver Pour Elle at that point.
I’m going the TF PC Musk debut / event next Thursday at the South Coast Nordstrom and I already have a bottle of the White Suede on hold for me to purchase that evening.
~D
p.s. I’ll be able to get samples that evening. If you want some, just contact me at dawnkana@yahoo.com. Just put TOM FORD MUSK in the subject line so I don’t overlook you.
Well, now—either picture isn’t a problem for me. Fragrance and skin are excellent bed-fellows. However, the clothing ads are indeed hilarious (“look–I’m a fancy-lad lumberjack!”).
Vetiver always brings to mind gorgeous, whispery tweeds to me. Soft, yet scratchy-dense in texture–all ochres, jeweled-greens and pine. Whenever I read “vetiver” in anything, it automatically feels warmer, reedier and velvetier in my atmosphere. I’d already dressed-up the model in an olfactive hallucination before even noticing his “lines” :).
That said, it’s messing with my inner imagery to see a vetiver -named scent presented in a silvery-metallics and white frosted glass flacon. The packaging combo makes me think of “Silver Mountain Water” or “Himalaya” by Creed.
NLG: AGREE…and the “tweed” connection works for me too.
Sample procured! Will report back tomorrow…
Well, the silvery glass all makes sense to me now after wearing this. I just thought of the scent as a typical man’s cologne with a shot if fairly clean vetiver thrown in. Kind of cold and lifeless compared to so many other vetivers. The ultra-super-far drydown is not bad, but I had to endure many hours of blah to get here.
I admit I wear TF glasses (for sight) and I love them sincerely though I have more very nice glasses.
On the other hand, just today I looked for the TF Black Orchid for Men ads and I was rather schocked by the pornographic style of them.
TF is that kind of gay who seems to not appreciate women or treat them like “raw flesh”. Maybe it is to appeal men ( these men I do not want on earth anymore please! ), maybe it is just shocking to be memorable – it is successful for me… however I will ignore TF and his products from now on.
(Well – never say never?! …if it happens that he brings out a make-up line I will be the first to see it
Accept of course for this pair of glasses I am wearing. Forgive me God, I was weak.
Kevin – I tried GV last week. I do like it but yes, it is not as exotic or dangerous as encre noire or VE. I do actually find a strong similarity to Kyoto though. Kyoto has the amber, cedar, teak, vetiver base, which smells very clean and green, and what i would call a softer, sweeter vetiver then say encre noire or even terre. Do you find the same similarities? Maybe GV is a little sharper and more “wet” but if i already own kyoto, which is to me, more exotic than GV, is it worth buying GV?
Also, what are your thoughts on Bond no. 9 riverside drive? There are very few evaluations of it on the internet – the majority seems to find it pleasant and well done but boring. What do you think?
jr: it’s been at least a year since I’ve smelled Kyoto…but if memory serves I much prefer it to Grey Vetiver. As for Riverside Drive; I like it (and doesn’t every perfume cabinet need a few boring scents?!); however, it’s overpriced for what it is.
kevin – thanks for th reply –
I sniffed GV again and found it too grapefruity in the top – like almost dirty sweaty. It then dries down to something a little more pleasnant – a wet, sweet vetiver – not sharp and nothing badass like encre noire or terre d’hermes – which i find people love on me – comparing it to kyoto, it’s far more boring. i like kyoto because when it’s really cold out, it smells like a wet forest fire – other wordly, but grey vetiver is absolutely nothing special for the cash. terre, encre noire, paul smith story, vetiver extraordinaire etc… are much better.
As for riverside, yeah i agree – its nice like cool water is nice – safe and boring, but its 135 for a half bottle. i have central park, and i find that to be much more modern, clean and fresh.
thanks!
jr
Tested this today – it’s simply wonderful. I’d pick this hands-down over the original Tom Ford for Men. It’s so elegant and sophisticated!
On my skin, it starts out sour/sweaty before transitioning to a smooth, warm sexy scent.
haven’t posted here in a while…but whatevsies. i happened to be in a sephora this evening and made sure to check this out as it’s new since i was last there.
the description is totally spot on in the review.
on me, its definitely a bit citrus…reminds me of “cologne”, as such. i don’t get the smokiness so much, but i may just have missed that stage…or it could be that i tend to miss smokiness unless it’s quite overt. it definitely grows into a particular sour/skin/sweat scent on me…but retains the fresher citrus in a really smooth and refined way. it’s like a dash of an earthy eau de cologne over an “essence of crotch sweat” accord…but in a good and sexy way. i’m completely drawn to it. it probably won’t make my shelf since i have the “cologne scent” category covered for now, but i definitely would not mind smelling it more often, and if i won the lottery i’d probably grab it.
Interesting review Kevin. Would be good to try this one.
I wonder if you have ever written a list of your top 10 Vetiver based perfumes. I love anything with it too.