Vert d'Encens Tom Ford 2016

Yes, I can understand the voices that say they can't relate to Tom Ford's style, that they feel overwhelmed and crushed by the opulence. I feel the same way with one or two scents, like Tobacco Vanille and Tuscan Leather. This eccentricity that some attribute to him (the fragrances) is something you have to like. I call it density with a tendency towards brilliant over-the-topness, which I can't always handle. This changes for me several times a year; when I feel "saturated," I urgently need something "slimmer"… something completely different.
Last year, I made the mistake of buying the fragrance and then wearing it at 30 degrees; few Tom Ford scents from the Private Blend series wear well in that heat-shortly put, it overwhelms you! Two weeks ago, when it was below 20 degrees, I tested it again (along with the entire Vert series), and the impression was completely different!
Vert d'Encens is a beautiful green fragrance with silver, mild incense streaks. A highly concentrated and slightly styled "Vert," which is hard to categorize, more like a cuvée of grass, thuja, pine needles, wet forest with moss, chippings, damp wood, damp leaves, earthy… the sum of it is a pleasant scent that makes you instinctively want to close your eyes and take a deep breath. A deep, inner calm and bliss fills you, like during a walk in the woods. Speaking of a walk in the woods, a fragrance that authentically smells like a forest with all its facets will probably never exist. Like with coffee scents, the fragrance is made up of hundreds of aromas that cannot be synthetically simulated or assembled. That's why forest and coffee scents often lack the three-dimensionality, the depth, the facets.
Still, I love the Tom Ford forest because it creates tension through contrasts. He counterbalances the green thicket with a well-measured sweetness. This allows the nose to switch from bitter-green to mild-sweet; when he leaves out the heliotrope (which I suspect is the sweetness), you can see the result in his Italian Cypress fragrance and decide what suits you better. For me, it's clearly Vert d'Encens, as the sweetness and incense lift it out of its monotony.
Green, woody, earthy, smoky… many can do that, and it can get a bit boring over time, as there is often no development, but here there is a tension arc that makes it wearable every day, without needing to be a hunter, forest dweller, nature boy, or Catweazle-something that not many can achieve. Many, like Paul Schütze (Behind the Rain), can do it much more authentically, but are often serious and somewhat monotonous; the Vert fragrances, mainly Vert d'Encens and Vert des Bois, are more wearable and have a higher feel-good factor.
Over time, the plant sap mixes with the green-ethereal oils, the incense, and the sweetness, forming a wonderfully homogeneous and extremely pleasant layer on the skin that is very well received by most. The longevity is great; 8 hours go by effortlessly, and the sillage is strong but still office-appropriate! For me, it's ideal in spring, autumn, and winter. It fits wonderfully for the office or private occasions, jeans or suit. For me, however, it's a "mature" fragrance for those over 30.