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Anne-Marie
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Hi all, I hope the New Year is treating you well so far.
Vanderbilt is not a fragrance that gets much attention from the perfume crowd, and I have ignored it myself for years because:
a) I was suspicious of a perfume costing $10;
b) I assumed it is a hot swill of all those loud 80s and 90s perfumes like Red Door, Giorgio Beverly Hills, Oscar de la Renta and Amarige;
c) I don’t know anything about Gloria Vanderbilt except what I read yesterday on Wikipedia
d) I don’t like the muddy lilac of the box;
e) I don’t wear floaty dresses and I’m indifferent to white swans.
But – you should try everything once, eh?
Vanderbilt by Gloria Vanderbilt 1982
Vanderbilt by Sophia Grojsman
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Aldehydes, pineapple, orange blossom, lavender, green notes, bergamot
Heart: Carnation, tuberose, orris root, jasmine, ylang ylang, rose
Base: Sandalwood, cinnamon, opoponax, musk, civet, vanilla, vetiver
And here’s what I think. Yes, Vanderbilt smells like a perfume of its time. I won’t say it’s dated, perhaps ‘remote’. The opening bergamot and green notes I enjoy but a slightly harsh tuberose does indeed bring to mind all those fog horn white florals I spent years avoiding. (I’ve come around to Amarige.)
That calms. Actually, after a strong opening, I find that Vanderbilt settles to the skin and after about 20 minutes is much softer and quieter than I had expected. For the rest of its (relatively short, 4-5 hours) time on my skin it forms a pleasant veil of scent with a sweet, praline or cake-like note. It’s borderline gourmand on me, although I have low tolerance to gourmands so I may be hyper-alert to that facet. It’s pleasant, but perhaps suited to cooler weather than we have in my part of the world at present. I can imagine it wafting up beautifully from the depths of a winter jacket.
If you wore Vanderbilt back in the day, do comment. Was it bigger then? Carnation more prominent? I don’t get any at all. Pineapple? There’s a juicy note in there but I don’t identify it as pineapple specifically. Civet? Nope, left the building. In fact, after the opening few minutes I can’t really pick out any notes. It’s a sweetish and slightly spicy (cinnamon?), harmonious whole. Quite feminine, and recognisable as Sophia Grojsman’s work.
In my collection, Cacharel LouLou is about the closest I have to Vanderbilt, except that LouLou has decidedly more character. I’ll put Vanderbilt away until the autumn, when I’ll see how it performs as a casual set-and-forget fragrance.
Further reading: FragranceBouquet
My Beauty Spot currently has AUD$10/100ml
Not wanting to quibble, but white swans are usually quite muddy and grubby aren’t they? With black swans you’d hardly notice, and they are more interesting. I’d probably prefer a black swan of a fragrance. You?
All the best until next time folks!
Anne-Marie
Australian Perfume Junkies 
