Sous Le Vent (1933)
by Guerlain

Sous le Vent means 'under the wind', and indeed, if you get a sniff of this you'll think you've just caught whiff of someone's wind. I had to scrub this one off, actually. It opened interestingly enough, although a little dated, but did not develop well on me.
Too bad, as the concept and story behind it are quite interesting.

It’s Derby for girls! Well, maybe not exactly, but the opening sure is a dead ringer for Derby in its smoky, bittersweet, green leather chypre structure. Sous le Vent’s top notes include a magnificent sweet bergamot that’s lacking in Derby, and there is a more obvious floral component, but the two still present themselves as siblings. I’m left wondering whether Jean-Paul Guerlain consulted grandpa’s formula when he made Derby, or whether the resemblance is purely incidental.

Unexpectedly, the bergamot note expands rather than fades with age, contributing a bright accent to what otherwise might be a rather somber accord. Next to appear is a whopping note of civet, which serves at once to infuse the composition with a lascivious animal warmth and to associate Sous le Vent unmistakably with the tradition of Guerlain’s vintage perfumes, particularly Jicky, Shalimar, and Mitsouko. The current Sous le Vent was composed in 2005, and whether it follows the original formula or not, it certainly smells like something out of 1933.

The intensely animalic chypre accord persists for hours, growing ever more sweet, spicy, and balsamic, until the civet dissipates to reveal warm amber and oakmoss base notes. This drydown goes on forever on my skin, though sillage and projection are only moderate. I’d consider Sous le Vent equally appropriate for a man or a woman, assuming you’re comfortable with its raunchy animalic aspect. I think it’s a great scent, and regret that it’s so hard to come by.

I'm just a beginner and my nose isn't very articulate as yet but I absolutely adore this perfume. It's the vintage perfume I have. It's rationed for special occasions.

to me Sous le Vent is all about colours : the head is fresh-green with a hint of spices then it evolves toward something i would call yellow-green (a luminous feeling, like the first rays of sun on your face at spring with a gentle wind); the middle notes are back to fresh-green and soapy-green and the drydown is spicy-green (with a note that reminds me cinnamon?)
very subtle and refined, very unisex

Well, odysseusm has hit this one on the head! In addition to his accurate description, I have to comment upon the "lightness" of Sous le Vent. For all the grand herbs, florals, and woods - this one will never weigh you down!

Am in [B]Sous Le Vent[/B], and I love, love, love it. A gorgeous citrus-green, at first very much in the manner of a funky O de Lancome, with oodles of grass, moss and verdure -- all the things I love to roll in! I tend to struggle with older Guerlains, but this is an utterly effortless wear. I'd even go so far as to say that it appears to lack the requisite [I]guerlinade[/I] -- there's not a trace of vanilla, as far as I can establish, and I thank heaven for this small mercy. My only grumble -- and, sadly, it's a serious one -- is that longevity is short, which I find unusual for a Guerlain. It disappeared on me in an hour or so.