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Systemshaak
6
Irresistible for a Vetiver Fan
My selection process for purchasing a bottle of a fragrance takes a while. I usually order samples, then I'll give a decant a spin, and if I finish off that decant and want more, I'll go for the whole thing. Chanel makes this *very difficult to do* through its Rolex-like authorized seller enforcement; one cannot simply procure a Chanel decant. (Yes, there's one business out there. No, that's not an appropriate price for doing so.) Therefore, it's off to the store to try things out. It's on you to test something and walk away, give it time, let it dry out.
So here I was, off to the official Chanel store, thinking I'd be into Paris-Edimbourg or maybe Allure Homme Edition Blanche--the stuff that isn't on the usual shelves but doesn't cost an arm and a leg, right? Right? Of course not. I tried out so many different fragrances there, and my eyes couldn't help but light up and my nose couldn't help but keep that sample card close to it for an extended period of time when I said "Well, I guess I really should try Sycomore."
That wasn't all, though. I gave Sycomore a chance to throw itself off of me, walking out of the store and down the street, letting it dry down and develop as I talked this through. "We'll wait a few months on this. It's too expensive. I have Encre Noire and Encre Noire a l'Extreme, it'll be fine." Instead, Sycomore *got better.* Chanel-ade is often discussed but the benefits aren't always spelled out, so let me spell this one out: the old-school Chanel chemistry involved in even their most brash and out-there scents assists in smoothing out the drydown of the fragrance. As the smoky, nutty, impeccably-extracted vetiver starts drying off, it's enrobed in this luxurious Chanel velvet blanket that makes even the most daring note more accessible, more enjoyable.
Finally, I gave in. They got me. That price wasn't easy to swallow, but Chanel didn't have a competitor at this high a level. I enjoy the cypressy and somewhat harsh (if a bit fleeting) Encre Noire and the elemi-assisted a l'Extreme, but this was different; it was a celebration of a note I enjoyed so much but often came off as too harsh or got buried in a multi-note melange. The vetiver on display here has layers; sniff a little too much when it's first sprayed and it'll punch you in the nose with rooty, boozy, nutty fire, but the drydown is that immaculate velvet-vetiver that lasts for-freaking-ever. I was smelling my own wrist that whole darn day. I put carpal tunnel wrist braces on at night. I woke up, took those off, and *there Sycomore was,* just chilling out and smelling good on my wrist. Sorcery.
[Sidenote: if you're looking at the notes and thinking "I don't want a tobacco and violet scent," don't worry: this is all about vetiver. Those other notes just support it in small unspoken ways.]
If you're thinking about Sycomore but you haven't gone through a couple vetiver scents yet, get educated on it first. Get yourself an affordable bottle of Encre Noire at the very least, maybe some Guerlain Vetiver EdT or Fat Electrician. Then come back and try this out - how it's distinguishable from those is half the appeal. Vetiver isn't for everyone, but it's *expressed* so well in Sycomore. Like a complex overwhelmingly experimental band that's often "music for musicians," this vetiver scent is a deluxe treatment of vetiver for vetiver nerds.
Is it the most high-quality vetiver ever made? I have no idea, but I'd guess something like Vetiver Bourbon takes that cake; that isn't the point in Sycomore nearly as much as the executed sum of its parts. Is it worth the price? That's up to you. Is it unique enough to warrant such a thing? Yes. Unique and wonderful.
Vetiver
Cypress
Juniper
Sandalwood
Spices
Aldehydes
Pink pepper
Tobacco
Violet
Wusubi
CCatalina1
Kurai
Trahanas
Lillibet
Rhinos
Traian1999
MrLimuzin
meowchu
Sovito
