Vert des Bois
Tom Ford (2016)

This is the 3rd of the Tom Ford quartet of greens that I have tried and, so far, I think it is the most interesting. Vert d'Encens, my favorite of the three, is much less interesting and thought-provoking but it is evocative and compelling. Vert des Bois lacks that evocation, unfortunately, but what it does is very appreciated. Essentially, VdB takes patchouli - an accord to which I am always leery and wary of - in a different, non-mainstream direction. Patchouli is very overused in modern perfumery, mostly because it sticks and lasts long, and it is cheap - and too often it smells cheap too, which also too often translates into it being harsh and annoying. The patchouli in VdB is none of those things. Here it is bright, sparkly, dry, and radiant, hoisted to that podium it rarely gets to sit on by the clever additions of poplar, olive, jasmine, and most notably clean and bright anise. Patchouli's often wet, funky, dirty, camphoraceous, and sweet aspects - like fermenting topsoil - have been given a big dose of sunlight, and allowed to dry out and lighten in color. It's still aromatic and pungent, but those lesser aspects are forced to dial down their volumes and let the softer and more interesting aspects have their share of the stage.

I'm raising my wrists to my nose over and over for another whiff, and it wasn't until I stopped to ask myself why did I realize that my reaction after taking another whiff wasn't a smile, a swoon, or hair-raising evocation, it was "hmm, this is interesting." Vert des Bois gets ample points for that, but just like putting together an interesting and challenging puzzle, once the puzzle is put together you shove it back in the box and likely never return to it. Maybe that's just me and my challenged relationship with patchouli. I wouldn't have any problem understanding someone else's affection for this fragrance, I just don't have it.

This is old money. This is a scent for a powerful man. Smelling this is the first time in years that I was transported to a place, I closed my eyes and I was walking through Balmoral Castle, and the scent of pure clean wealth enveloped me.

If you're ever smelled somebodies fragrance and thought "you smell rich", this is the fragrance that rich person would smell on another and think "you smell rich".

My lone Tom Ford release in the "scent arsenal" as it were, Vert des Bois attracted me immediately due to a poplar buds note in its pyramid. I immediately detected the distinct poplar buds absolute scent profile within seconds from the opening, as it is one of my favorite perfumery materials, and it is seldom used to the degree that Olivier Gillotin employs it in this composition.

Poplar buds absolute, extracted from the buds of the Populus nigra, commonly known as the Black Poplar. The material itself has fruity, flowery osmanthus overtones and liqueur-like davana notes and prune and fig undertones. There is also something very pollen-like, resinous, and almost vanillic. It reminds me somewhat of the smell of tree catkins. Here, it harmonizes with the oleaginous, buttery, waxy olive and mastic resin (another favorite material of mine) with its bitter-green herbaceous, olibanum-fuzz texture.

A woody, wildflower vibe is in its heart, reminding me of the seasonal transitions, mock orange blossoms, dangly, cryptic tree inflorescences, anisic hawthorn, and bumblebees burrowing into their forest floor hives. A leathery, supple dry down almost reminds me of original Jil Sander Man or Halston Z-14 with a more damp, vegetal leafiness in place of castoreum.

In summary, Vert des Bois was such a pleasant surprise and struck me as such an innovative composition that its the only Private Blend release I felt compelled to go full bottle⁠—make of that what you will.

The lovely opening that is dominated by the smell of forests, poplar, herbs, brown olives, as well as touches of fir, a general with a coniferous atmosphere prevailing. There is a touch of nonspecific boozy note that I detect, but the specific characteristics of ouzo mention in the scent pyramid are not really evident on me. Transient fruity hints - fresh plums and whiffs of blackberry, arise also, but they don't last more than moments.

In the drydown a very restrained hint of raisins appear - a bit of mastic maybe? This is softened by a jasmine, which has green as well as vanilla touches, and hence becomes quite sweet over time; I even get the occasional whiff of muguet, and, briefly and a bit stronger, of some nougat here.

Towards the base the vanilla is joined by a - equally sweet and a bit deeper - tonka note; after a few more hours a soft and smooth patchouli is evident in the background.

I get moderate sillage, excellent projection, and nine hours of longevity on my skin.

The lovely green and autumnal forest scent has more nuances than its name indicates; there are also gourmand and floral characteristics that develop after the first phases. It is more variegated but also more synthetic and less intense in the forest notes than Bois Marocain of the same house, and Vert des Bois is miles behind the benchmarks of dunhill blend 30 or even Bogner's Deep Forest as a green forest fragrance. Overall 3.5

Fresh clean green cologne-like. Fairly linear. Very nice indeed. I was going to buy a bottle until I took my jacket off and up wafted Roja Dove Parfum Danger Homme. The 500 euro version. Totally outclassed the VdB and to seal its fate it's not particularly long lasting either.
Shame. Close one. Very nice.

Smells like an old man's stale cologne - a musty patchouli and not much else. Didn't get any anise or plum or jasmine i.e. the notes that promised this would be interesting. A bit of a disappointment.