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master13 – :
I was fortunate enough to smell the original formula of SLV, and I’ve been told it was the favoured fragrance of the wonderful Jospehine Baker. It’s strange pleasure to be transported to the world of a 1930s Parisian belle who lusts after travel to tropical shores, but what a pleasure indeed!
dima12081974 – :
The reviews of Sous le Vent written by Le_Coeur_Gothique (a short story — poetic and inspiring) and lovingthealien (telling it like it is — practical and descriptive) leave few things for anyone to say in addition about this fragrance. Thank you.
I couldn’t agree more with both of you. Sous le Vent is just so gosh darn glorious! It is a beautiful green aromatic floral that is most likely the finest of its kind. It is haunting, and while it opens sweet and fresh, there is depth to it that lingers the entire life of the fragrance on one’s skin.
The sparkling Bergamot greets you on first sniff. Then the Tarragon, Lavender and other herbal treats arrive. Astounding gorgeous Carnation, Iris and Jasmine play their floral symphony. Some discrete wood notes nicely come up at the end.
Sous le Vent is somewhat nostalgic, but not a bit old-fashioned. I guess the best descriptor would be classic and timeless, but also remarkable.
And of course, heart-achingly Beautiful. Thank you so much, dear Guerlain expert, Dominique, for introducing me to this heavenly fragrance!
It is a Wonder of perfumery.
fhn543elipseskism – :
Fresh and sharp, intriguing and uncompromising. Nevertheless, rather pale compared to the original edt which I wore a lot in the sixties and seventies. That one was dryer, mossier, with a sort of licorice noete. In the new version the taragon note is more prominent and there is a hint of verveine. It’s a pity that it is discontinued though.
cqp320speagoessenda – :
This one is hard to describe. It smells old fashioned, but bright and sparkly at the same time. Definitely a chypre, with a healthy does of bergamot. I covet a bottle of this!
zlidny – :
Have you ever thought of selling all your perfume collection just to buy one extremely rare bottle of a perfume that shook your world? And how about if you’re a man and the perfume in question is supposedly a feminine one? It’s one of these abhorrent yet alluring thoughts, on which one might spend a whole life pondering over it, without being able to make a final decision. The proverbial “What if?”.
Sous le Vent is the melancholic smile of someone who gazes at the horizon while being in some far-flung exotic place on this earth and knows there’s a war going on back home. But while his thoughts are back there, his eyes are here. Beholding all the eye-hurting beauty which lies before them and floods every single grain of his soul’s sands. The war is there, beauty and life is here… And he slowly turns his back to the horizon, and chooses life.
If there was some way to know how a painting would smell like, then I imagine this would be the scent wafting from Paul Gaugin’s “Manao tupapau”. Surrounded by an otherwoldly aura, created by a seemingly contradictive atmosphere of both innocence and debauchery. Like bright colours which can be a sign of life and a warning of danger at the same time. Like a joyous yet austere beauty, whose austerity comes from the very same quality of being beautiful, and thus unapproachable to many. I can picture Josephine Baker coming out of a giant bottle, and then dancing frenzily around it, before the eyes of the mesmerised audience, as though it was some kind of a totem. Primitive, yes, but also one of extremely skilled craftmanship. You can hold beauty in your hands, but can you hold its essence? You can put your arms around a beautiful woman, but can you put them around her soul? No matter how close you may be, Sous le Vent will always be elusive. Like the never-ending quest for happiness. Like the fleeting and short-lived fulfilment that beauty pursuers may feel every once in a while. Just like the wind, Sous le Vent may be at your side, but it shall never be yours…
I’m fully aware that my words may sound abstruse, but it’s not reason that is speaking here, and the exact depiction of abstract sentiments through words is a privilege held by poets. And I’m not a poet… But Jacques Guerlain surely was. One of the greatest poets of his generation I’d daresay, even though he did not write a single word. For me, and based on my sentimental receptors rather than my olfactory ones and the iota of their analytic abilities, this is Guerlain’s eternal masterpiece. One of just a handful of scents which drown me under a tidal wave of images and dampen my eyes, every single time I feel them. Not Shalimar, not Mitsouko, not L’Heure Bleue, not Apres l’Ondee, not Jicky. No. This…
Vandersex33 – :
I’m finding a lot of similarities to Hermes Eau d’Hermes, vintage copper topped bottle. It’s not the same precisely, but the character is to my nose. That’s good because it means I don’t need to buy it!
сега – :
Wonderful! Not only one of the best Guerlains I have tried, but one of my best fragrances overall.
To me this fragrance is timeless and genderless and sensual. It does not feel powdery nor with ‘old style’ elements that would nail it as a 1930s fragrance. Also, it has neither a feminine nor masculine feel to it. But, the mastery blend (including civet?) makes it a sensual scent for me – unlike some modern ‘fresh’ fragrances. It blends well with the skin chemistry to create a ‘second skin’. It works excellent in the hot climate here and is long lasting on me. Spray rather generously, and it will last.
4576452 – :
This was my grandmother’s signature, she started wearing it in the late 1930s. She had a large perfume collection, including a few different guerlains, some lanvin, dior, jean patou, chanel, vigny, van cleef & arpels,etc…. but Sous le Vent was her favorite scent. I finally got a sample of it recently. It has a fresh and bright verbena & lavender opening. During the middle, I get sage & iris. and the drydown is a little oakmossy, and lightly woody. doesnt last long, and does becomes a skin scent after awhile but I find it beautiful and much different than your typical heavy/powdery guerlain perfumes. I would consider it to be a green chypre. would love a full bottle of the vintage someday ( if I hit the lottery, that is)
PISSdec – :
Sous Le Vent is a relic and a masterpiece. I have been debating whether or not I should purchase a bottle of the limited edition rerelease before it was discontinued. There were two things that I complained about – the price, which is extremely high, and the fact that it only comes in a splash bottle. After learning it’s been discontinued, I really had no choice – I needed to get this, my favorite aromatic chypre of all time.
Once the elegant ground glass stopper is removed from the almost arcane laboratory bottle, you are truly taken back in time. The fizzy aromatic opening is sublime! A strong citrus opening is laced with aromatic accents of lavender, sage, tarragon, and verbena in a distinctly French foody manner. It is really quite reminiscent of Paco Rabanne! Quickly, however, the opening subsides to a positively breathtaking jasmine, ylang ylang, and iris over a sweet and spicy moss base. The florals last for quite some time as the familiar chypre base unfurls slowly and stealthily. There are a lot of very high quality naturals used here. Guerlain has always assured me that the really expensive stuff is saved for the extraits and limited editions and the heart of this beautiful fragrance proves that. The drydown is the best part. Oakmoss (the real stuff!), civet, musk, and some other nice things blend to create the best modern version of a vintage chypre base I’ve ever smelled. This smells remarkably similar to the positively wonderful 1920s bottle of Crepe de Chine I opened. I suspect this contains essences likely not used in perfume anymore.
The whole presentation is soapy, clean, and masculine with a devastatingly beautiful and tender heart. I love the true chypres – Mitsouko, Z14, Pour Monsieur, and Coty’s offering are some of the best fragrances ever. This one, however, trumps them all for me. It’s sunnier than Mitsouko, clearer than Z14, dirtier than Pour Monsieur, more modern than chypre, and far more luxurious than the lot of them.
If you are curious, do yourself a favor and at least get a sample – this isn’t going to be available for much longer.
gorniak – :
WOW and WHOA! at the same time.
A really bad ass chypre. IMO even more bad ass than Mitosuko (different). Dark gold juice just the way I like my chypres.
The problem is it is a weakling ! Comes only in a splash bottle which is horrible for traveling and keeping the bottle air tight. I’ve been the bee’s bottle route before and I was extremely unhappy with how the procedure works. I will never own a splash bottle again.
NOT TO MENTION before I got to enjoy the scent it basically vanished on me. 30 minutes later I can smell a trace of it as I bury my nose into my wrist but why should I if I pay $325 ?
Like most Guerlains these days…the scent is beautiful but sillage and longevity are REALLY LAME.
Man I wish they did this right. I would own it. Just beautiful for those few seconds.
stepanohanyan2008 – :
I was not really aware of this beauty until I got a decant of it from a friend! This is masterpiece material in my book! I want a full bottle ……..Maybe one day!! Adore this. Makes me feel very very confident! <3
alliance1987 – :
It’s a rather masculine chypre with powdery/soapy undertones. It reminds me of Chanel Pour Monsieur edt and somewhat of Dioressence. I wish it had more body and was an edp instead of an edt.
малоежик – :
Oh my…Sous Le Vent immediately jumped at the top of my favorite deliveries from Guerlain together with Jicky, Mitsouko, Derby, Vol De Nuit, Vetiver Pour Elle and Mouchoir De Monsieur. A terrific dry chypre that is pure perfection. Mossy, woody, animalic, green and, most of all, not as sweet as many Guerlains. If you like classic chypres and old-fashion staples such as Mitsouko and Futur you can’t miss Sous Le Vent.
Mandatory.
Rating: 9.5/10
Dima100kg – :
Guerlain SOUS LE VENT unfolds in two very distinct stages on my skin. The opening is a bright and cheery floral green with a perfect balance of lavender, tarragon and probably other green elements (such as basil). Gorgeous, but incredibly fleeting, I’m afraid.
The drydown of this perfume is standard old-school chypre fare. If there’s no oakmoss in this reformulation, I cannot imagine what accounts for the textbook dark and dirty, somewhat musty quality which dominates everything else, wiping out the optimistic opening to produce a brooding, introspective chypre. The overall effect is more that of a dried floral chypre—though the lavender is no longer detectable to my nose in the drydown—than a fruity one.
Although I generally love complex and layered chypres, this one seems pretty one-dimensional and does not stand out from the crowd. The opening of SOUS LE VENT is clearly unisex, but the much lengthier drydown of this perfume smells like a fairly typical “old lady” chypre—not an insult, by any means, in my lexicon, just a description…
sadoma – :
Well my husband loves it so much he got me a second bottle! Everyone perceives things differently 🙂
Deroxivtff – :
I am on the fence for this one. however, my husband says he is repulsed by it and is forcing me to go wash it off. Gotta say that is one heck of a reaction!
hinya – :
I was fortunate to get a decant of this long lost classic from 1932. Thanks Natalie! Its is actually the current reconstructed version from 2006. Every thing I have ever read about it is oakmoss from start to finish. This version has none. Its just the skeleton floral structure. Its nice and a little like Mitsouko. I can imagine its original formula with all of its sass.
Imagine a fragmented pot shard discovered in an archelogical dig. One can imagine how wonderful the original must have been-Josephine Baker and all!
rvn241elipseskism – :
This is the one after which I lust. It is not inexpensive,as noted above, but nor should it be. It is rare, and only those who understand it, who feel it, who are transtported by it to that place where the streets are dim, paved with brick/cobblestones, a slight mist is present; not so much in black and white, but more in shades of grey and violet blue…I must have it, before it disappears again…if it’s not too late…
romf2000 – :
Sous le Vent was first issued in 1934! Does anyone know whether this is the original formula, or a cheat wearing the same name?
vita2289 – :
I’ve been on this perfumista journey for about a year and sampled hundreds of fragrances, but it wasn’t until today that I was stunned truly stunned by the beauty of a fragrance. Sous le Vent was love at first sniff for me, and I’d add that my dh was sitting at the table when I dabbed some and quickly looked up and said, ‘what is that? It is gorgeous!’
I truly don’t understand the negative comments, do a google search for some really good reviews that appreciate this fragrance for the masterpiece that it is.
The sillage is perfect and many hours after application it gets even more beautiful. You can only find it at Saks, BG or a Gerlain boutique and it isn’t inexpensive, but by the end of a day of sniffing this rare gem, my DH said buy a big bottle of that one! So I did 😉
baryshev – :
An old style chypre that didn’t work on me, either. It goes on as a layered, complex perfume with hints of history and drama, then dries down with a greasy citronella feeling that is just not good. On the right person, this could be a knock-out. I’m not that person.
verminya – :
Sous le Vent, what a wonderful name for a fragrance! It’s 40s. Windy evening street somewhere in Paris. Handsome Mr. Mitsouko is walking playful lady Jicky home. At the doorstep he gives her a kiss and leaves. Just at the corner he finds a telephone booth and calls mysterious and sexy Ms. L’Heure bleue giving her an appointment, what a naughty man! They meet in a nice restaurant with candles and white table clothes, Mr. Mitsouko drinks a bit too much of expensive brandy and excuses himself to the gents room leaving lady L’Heure bleue alone at the table. Mr. Mitsouko enters a gents room…and here the story finishes. What a disappointment!
Sous le Vent has a very promising top and middle notes – you can smell the airy animalistic sharpness of Jicky and the dry and dusty Mitsouko notes. After some time mysterious powdery flowers appear, just like the ones in L’Heure bleue. This is the best “part” of the fragrance, and then the dry down, which smells like pee or public toilet on my skin!..:( What a disappointment!…