Vicuña Wool

Vicuña Wool is pretty but not unique. I think it’s way over priced for something that smells just like a Banana Republic fragrance.

Before I tried Vicuña Wool, I wasn't sure if I'd like it, because vetiver is not my favorite note. Not that I hate vetiver, but it tends to dominate the compositions that feature it, and my skin often seems to amplify a vetiver note. Also, sometimes I have disliked perfumes with elemi. Vicuña Wool is gorgeous, though. The power of suggestion is strong here, and it definitely has a scratchy, wooly, olfactory texture, just like cuddling with a wool blanket, which for me is a good thing, as I love the feel of wool. It could easily be considered masculine―even gentlemanly―by modern Standards. But to me, this is a highly crafted earthy-leather chypre in the same vein as Aromatics Elixir or Cabochard (modern versions), and therefore perfectly unisex. I'm a 37 year old female and I don't feel like I'm wearing "men's cologne" when I've worn it. Other women may not feel as comfortable wearing it as I do, though, as tastes differ. It's got that vintage-y, bitter, herb-y bite that I'm growing to love, and the notes are very expertly blended. Vetiver is the top-voted note, and even though it is the most prominent note to my nose as well, it doesn't dominate. I probably wouldn't buy a full bottle, but I have several samples of it and I'll enjoy working my way through all of them.

I smelled this for the first time at the Perfumarie store in NYC. Among the dozens of indie, niche scents in their unique collection this one just damn near knocked me over at first sniff. It is so elegant and gentlemanly. It starts with this burst of citrus and pepper. Citrus > pepper. Then you quickly get the high quality vetiver, woods, patchouli. I left the shop with this on my wrist and got lunch. After lunch I went back and bought a decant from them, 15mL. After tapping this decant, I took the plunge and ordered a 100mL from the store for $280. A hefty price but well worth it to me. Perfumarie is one of the only places carrying this, luckily fantastic customer service. No regrets with this one for me.