Vanderbilt
Gloria Vanderbilt (1982)

Vanderbilt by Gloria Vanderbilt (1982) is a composition by Sophia Grojsman that debuts her famous "hug me" accord of soft, plush musks and white florals. Above all things, this accord as first found in Vanderbilt not only introduced the soft, creamy, and clean floral style that made Vanderbilt itself tremendously popular, but in exceedingly larger doses would come to define much of Grojsman's work herself, culminating in being 60% of the formula for the landmark Trésor by Lancôme (1990). For the nerds, this is almost equal amounts of Iso E Super, Hedione, Galaxolide, and Methyl Ionone Gamma, although Galaxolide is slated for severe restriction soon, so the "hug me" accord as a result may go the way of Mousse de Saxe. In any case, Gloria Vanderbilt herself was a wealthy heiress to the Vanderbilt fortune, artist, and mother of news anchor Anderson Cooper, which is basically all you really need to know in relation to this perfume.

Gloria used her fortune to create a sort of brand empire for a time, through a company called GV Ltd. and it is through this company that she signed a deal with Warner Cosmetics to create perfumes for her brand, starting with this one in 1982, and through until L'Oréal took over in 2002. Vanderbilt in its original formulation is a very rich aldehydic floral with a prominent sweet pineapple top, thick ylang-ylang buttered jasmine and carnation center, over a dense oriental base full of sandalwood, vanilla, opoponax, and civet. The "hug me" accord of synthetic musks and boosters is slight, but weaves between all the redolence to tweak the detectable levels of the jasmine, the ylang, tuberose, and vanila, downplaying the civet with its clean contrast. Oscar by Oscar de La Renta (1977) is a contemporary of this the way it was Grojsman's previous work in White Linen by Estée Lauder (1978); Vanderbilt by comparison is just a little more sheer, and modern in style.

White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor (1991) would be like a love letter to Vanderbilt, and considering Elizabeth traveled in the same celebrity socialite circles, it's unsurprising; and by the time White Diamonds came out this whole big sweet white floral style was fast becoming for mature career women, which Vanderbilt (the brand) realized and acted upon by continuing to push forward with new releases. The big thing is that in the 1980's, Vanderbilt (the scent) was very much for teen girls, as my older sister fell in love with this when she was in middle and high school, then kept wearing it throughout her adult life, telling me that her and just about three dozen other classmates all choked out the classrooms with wearing it simultaneously. Perhaps this teenage oversaturation is why Vanderbilt's debut fragrance ultimately became a cheap drugstore thrill despite the pedigree of the name, but it still smells fantastic regardless. Thumbs up

My first encounter with Vanderbilt immediately had me think "L'Heure Bleue!" but after a few minutes, it began to smooth over to a resinous carnation, growing more luminous with tuberose and a panoply of soapy flowers. While I will argue to exhaustion my belief that L'Heure Bleue is in fact unisex, Vanderbilt has a certain feminine character that is undeniable (I rarely attribute that to fragrance at all).

There is a sweet powderiness that somehow reminds me of Pixy Stix and flooded my brain with nostalgia of buying candy from the corner store. Eventually, a woody and vanillic musk feels as soft as an angora sweater. It smells quite comforting, like a hug from one's mother or aunt, like a bedtime story or lullaby. I clearly have a soft spot for these voluptuous, twilight amber scents.

This was my first real fragrance that I wore in high school. The current iteration is not the same fragrance as the one I wore in the late eighties. Very disappointed. It is probably the regulation of the civet note. Which means, GV is doing the best it can to make it as similar as possible.

I am editing to add that after letting this modern remake sit and bringing it back out in summer- it smells much better! It lasts and really does now work with my body’s chemistry. I recommend. There are just some notes that are gone and this perfume is still quite good in its current iteration. Requires a light hand when spraying (but it always did!). I wear this for nostalgic purposes.

I find it fascinating that the nose behind this perfume is the same who created Lancome Tresor and Paris by YSL.

8/4/23ETA: I ordered a brand new cello wrapped, unopened bottle that was over 20 years old, made in Belgium by Vanderbilt Place Vendome, Paris, France. It appears to be the same formulation and packaging as the one I wore in high school in 1984. It sparkles with the opening pineapple and is the same delightful fragrance I remember. Well worth seeking out an OG! I am so happy to smell the same fragrance I loved and that potential boyfriends loved. Great memories and a beautiful scent. Don’t dismiss it until you have tried the “made in Belgium with headquarters at Place Vendome Paris” OG!

I got this on a blind buy because I was looking for a fragrance that smelled like Nivea Cream (the white stuff in the blue tin), and this was recommended. And this is... not very like Nivea. Maybe a bit, but not really.

It is, however, a really nice fragrance. I'm really surprised that I never wore it back when it came out. I was very much into perfume back then, and this should have been on my radar, but for whatever reason, it never was.

This is nicely balanced, and not one of those big, in your face, flower bomb fragrances of the Eighties. Oh, it is spectacularly floral, but it's a bit more subtle, I find (though not very subtle, I mean, this is the Eighties we're talking about). It's a bit soft, a little bit sweet, especially in the opening. Thankfully, the carnation note is not prominent and this does not smell like a funeral. The base is a little darker, a little more earthy and a tiny bit spicy.

So, yeah, this was a really good blind buy for me, and it's great value for the money.

I think Aquila's review is spot-on, and it describes me perfectly. I haven't worn this perfume in a long time but it's my new best friend. If you're into seasonal color analysis, Carole Jackson put this on the Winter list. It's especially good if you're one of the bright, clear Winters with Spring influence. The pineapple and Bergamot add that touch of lightness. It also works well if you have Romantic or retro style as I do.

Found a bottle cheap, at the local flea market. Age, unknown... Light aldehydes. Sweet and green at the same time. Slightly bitter in the background. Orange blossom smells almost candied. This is a very "dated" fragrance, from the old days. I forgot I enjoyed it. I believe the pineapple is what is creating the sweet aspects.

It begins to have a slight powdery edge as the middle notes reveal. Iris hovers above the rest of the notes. The other flower notes come and go in subtle movements. Iris, is the star in the middle, and this definitely becomes even more powdery and dry as h*ll. I don't remember Vanderbilt being so pretty.

Vanilla and opoponax are the first base notes to appear. A lipstick accord begins to arise as musk rises up from beneath. Iris still lingers. It slowly begins to merge with the remaining base notes. The bottom end of this perfume is a light, creamy amber-ish scent. Not overly sweet - just enough. There is a bit of vetiver and animalic civet right on the skin hours later. Nice, for an oldie and a cheapie!