07/31/2024

JBirb
14 Reviews

JBirb
1
Enveloped in green silk
Van Cleef is one of my favourites of this era, and I was pleased to hear that Van Cleef & Arpels are producing it once again, if only as a Paris exclusive. My review is for Van Cleef in the gem-stone-shaped bottle (the move away from which is no great aesthetic loss in my view).
Van Cleef is an interplay between very lifelike green and aromatic notes and a much more abstractly treated blend of others that provide a softening effect. The galbanum and marigold are the stars of the show here. They are both represented very concretely: the galbanum with its vivid greenness and vegetal inflection of raw peas; the marigold in all its funky herbal bitterness. One would think Van Cleef a harsh or at least challenging perfume with these two being the by far most dominant notes, but actually its overall effect is luxurious and alluring, albeit decidedly vintage. Below the marigold and galbanum floats an accord somewhere between creamy and powdery, softly sweet, very plush and pleasing, like pliant silk under an overlay of green tulle. I can see vanilla, heliotrope, and tonka being responsible for this effect from the notes list, but none of them stand out in particular. I do detect a soft woodiness from time to time, less raw and sawdusty than cedar usually smells. I do not smell any of the white florals, except in an ephemeral innocent-soapy character that rounds the perfume out further. The aromatic top notes, especially the marigold, are still present in the late dry down, ensuring Van Cleef retains that balance between sharp and creamy throughout its wear time.
Van Cleef is an interplay between very lifelike green and aromatic notes and a much more abstractly treated blend of others that provide a softening effect. The galbanum and marigold are the stars of the show here. They are both represented very concretely: the galbanum with its vivid greenness and vegetal inflection of raw peas; the marigold in all its funky herbal bitterness. One would think Van Cleef a harsh or at least challenging perfume with these two being the by far most dominant notes, but actually its overall effect is luxurious and alluring, albeit decidedly vintage. Below the marigold and galbanum floats an accord somewhere between creamy and powdery, softly sweet, very plush and pleasing, like pliant silk under an overlay of green tulle. I can see vanilla, heliotrope, and tonka being responsible for this effect from the notes list, but none of them stand out in particular. I do detect a soft woodiness from time to time, less raw and sawdusty than cedar usually smells. I do not smell any of the white florals, except in an ephemeral innocent-soapy character that rounds the perfume out further. The aromatic top notes, especially the marigold, are still present in the late dry down, ensuring Van Cleef retains that balance between sharp and creamy throughout its wear time.