Vétiver (1957)
by Carven

Simple, discreet, timeless. Will surely evoke great memories of classy past-by ages. The perfect scent for a conservative, somewhat restrained gentleman.

My mother had one new bottle of this fragance some years with the box in her closet....Short story? I decided to use it.
This is not bad, but zero sillage and longevity. This 2 elements are very important for me.
Somthing good here? Yes, the scent isnt very bad, very natural and organic. But doesnt last!
I use this frag when I need something for few moments, for to go near home, alone sundays or something like that.
Very cheap....Maybe good relation price/ quality....(15 usd on Ebay, 100 ml, not big investment)

There are definitely better vetivers out there. This one is more grassy than soapy as other vetivers are but it does fade too quickly.

This is for the "new" Carven Vetiver, not the one that comes in that bottle at the top of this section. The "new" Carven (or is it really the "old" Carven come back to life?) is a very fine smokey vetiver that is graceful and fully of manly charm. I think it has some of the tobacco essences that one finds in the Guerlain, but a little less of it. The overall effect is green, rich, pungent, dry and very pleasing. It is not a vetiver full of wet earthy roots. These roots have been dried and cleaned up a little, but not too much. If this is a re-release of an older product, and not something new, then Carven has come to its senses with a very good product that deserves a try and a new audience of admirers. My only gripe with Carven is that it is too short lived. Many quality vetivers are tenacious, this one fades into the background in about 3 hours. I would have liked a bit more.

This review is on the 2006 reissue of ‘90s reissue of the original 1957 Vétiver Carven.

From Bottle of the 2006 Reissue:
Top: Bergamot, Lemon, Guatemala Lemongrass
Middle: Nutmeg, Lavender, Lily of the Valley
Base: Violet, Cedarwood, Vetiver, Styrax, Amber, Musk

I was both eager and a little anxious about owning the latest reissue of Vétiver Carven: Looking forward to it because I vaguely remember how excellent the 1957 Vetiver Carven was. Anxious because I had come to terms with the ‘90s reissue and it has long been a respected fragrance in my wardrobe, even though I continued to think the ‘90s reissue as too weak and short lived.

My reaction to the 2006 reissue of the ‘90s reissue is disappointment. The 2006 reissue is definitively stronger and longer lasting. I approve of the fact that it doesn’t go the Guerlain route with abundant citrus in the opening. But I’m very disappointed in the fact that the herbal / coniferous aromatics have been taken out of the heart of the ‘90s reissue and replaced with nutmeg and violet leaf. I know nutmeg and violet leaf are the “in” notes in mass marketland, but I’m tired of them and I see no reason why vetiver (the note) can’t stand on its own. Although I can’t make out the nutmeg in the sillage from my skin, it comes through clearly on paper—and I’m glad my skin destroys it; unfortunately my skin couldn’t conquer the violet. To my nose the violet adds a disagreeable bitterness to the accord. I can’t understand why a bitter green violet leaf would be included with vetiver, which is often accused of bitter greenness.

I blind-bought my bottle of the 2006 reissue online and, for the fun of it, I also included in the order for a bottle of Molinard Vétyver which was priced about $10. Blind-buying the Molinard Vétyver was a good move. I much prefer the Molinard to the Carven, and I doubt I will ever wear the 2006 Carven. I do wear and love the Molinard Vétyver and I still wear the weaker ‘90s reissue of Carven, but the 2006 reissue is on the back shelf in the closet.

I am impressed by the way that Monsieur Madgradrx, with precise poetic accuracy, has likened the smell of Carven Vetiver to "rainwater collecting on a plastic sheet or tarpaulin during a spring shower". (see his review below). Yet, acute as it is concerning the initial impression which Carven Vetiver conveys, this still does not quite capture the superb, balanced,slightly acrid yet enormously distinguished and mysterious aroma of this scent through its whole development, producing one of the finest gentleman's vetivers known to man (and one, so far as I can see, that the later Etro Vetiver rather slavishly imitates).
What is less well known is that Carven Vetiver was apparently created by the Duc des Esseintes (in one of his many experiments designed to demonstrate how art can improve on nature)in seeking to reproduce by artificial chemical means the exact smell of rainwater on a plastic sheet in a spring shower. I think we should judge his experiment a complete success.