Creed Vetiver (1948)

[The Knize]

I am being lazy by not searching out all of the prrevious posts that mention this scent, but forgive me, I may need to make a quick decision on whether and how much to buy of this juice. Note this is the so-called 1948 version, not the "Original Vetiver" and yes Creed ought to be horse whipped for whatever its naming srategy is!

Anway, what do folks think of this one? I thought it was wildly popular and then I picked up some negative comments to the effect that while it is much better than the "Original Vetiver" there is not much vetiver to it at all, if any, and it seems pretty hum drum. Others seem to think it is the perfect boardroom or day to day business wear scent. What do folks think? Is it the type of thing I should get a good-sized decant of because I will wear it often, if I like it, or is more a particular kind of situation scent so a smaller decant just to have the experience of it should be sufficient? Whatever anyone cares to say.

I have other vetivers, including the stunningly potent and funky MPG Route du Vetiver, in a vintage format as I recall so all the stronger as I understand it, so I am not really lookinig for advice as to what vetivers to buy instead of the Creed Vet '48. But comparisons to other vets are, of course, highly useful!

Many thanks!

 

[Kouros]

Better than the 2004 Creed Original Vetiver version IMHO. Very dry and mineralic as it is made from the roots of the vetiver plant, whereas OV is made from the sweeter smelling leaves. JFK used this one and I can see why. Makes me instantly want to put on a navy or seersucker suit. Pure class all the way.

 

[StylinLA]

Agree with Kouros. I like this juice. It's very grown up and businessy.
To each his own, but I find this one needs a bit of sartorial support.
I don't know if JFK wore it, but I can certainly imagine he would have.
It makes me feel a bit like "the man in the gray flannel suit" from the late 50s or early 60s.

It's not a sensual dating kind of scent. Women who like men who "smell like men" would like this though.
(And I don't mean that as any sort of knock on other more modern style scents like Original Vetiver).

Very classy scent indeed. Somewhat similar to Guerlain Vetiver- ginger note instead of Guerlain's tobacco note. I'm not a vetiver expert, so I'd find it hard to say whether it's got "no vetiver." It's loaded with the Creed ambergris kind of vibe. While I like it a lot, there are other scents that I wear much more often.

cs: I think you have several frags. I wouldn't see you wearing this a lot. If you like older Creeds, you'll likely like it, but it's a pretty "serious" scent. I'd advise to start with smaller decant and see where it goes from there.

 

[Featherweight]

I always thought Original Vetiver was a sexy vetiver. But I have yet to try the '48 vetiver, so cannot compare the two.

All in all I'm not overly impressed with Creed's strength or longevity - the Original Vetiver is one of the Millisime Creeds, supposedly stronger than regular Creeds, but I find it fairly weak.



.....

 

[MoJoe]

Don't ask me to explain it. I can't find the words to go all J. Peterman on you with a desctiption. I will say that I bought a decent sized sample from Perfumed Court and simply loved it. One of the best I tried (as in best overall not just best Vetiver) and I sampled a lot of the favorites on this fourm. If you're already down this path and can make a buy I'd say by all means go for it.

 

[The Knize]

Better than the 2004 Creed Original Vetiver version IMHO. Very dry and mineralic as it is made from the roots of the vetiver plant, whereas OV is made from the sweeter smelling leaves. JFK used this one and I can see why. Makes me instantly want to put on a navy or seersucker suit. Pure class all the way.

Agree with Kouros. I like this juice. It's very grown up and businessy.
To each his own, but I find this one needs a bit of sartorial support.
I don't know if JFK wore it, but I can certainly imagine he would have.
It makes me feel a bit like "the man in the gray flannel suit" from the late 50s or early 60s.

* * *
Very classy scent indeed. Somewhat similar to Guerlain Vetiver- ginger note instead of Guerlain's tobacco note. I'm not a vetiver expert, so I'd find it hard to say whether it's got "no vetiver." It's loaded with the Creed ambergris kind of vibe. While I like it a lot, there are other scents that I wear much more often.

I think you have several frags. I wouldn't see you wearing this a lot. If you like older Creeds, you'll likely like it, but it's a pretty "serious" scent. I'd advise to start with smaller decant and see where it goes from there.

I do have "several" frags as styliinLA says. (Which is about like saying Imelda Marcus had several pairs of shoes or that Scot Weiland has had a few substance abuse issues!) But you, sylinLA and Kouros are playing my song with references to late 50s early 60s clothes and vibe, and formality and class! I like myself a "grown up and businessy" scent, I truly do, and overall I think it is a hard item to find! Also, the "It's loaded with the Creed ambergris kind of vibe." I like some funk to me scents. And while I have probably dissed Creed scents about as much as the next guy on this fourm, I think there is something to be said for this particular Creed house accord. There is something very classy and high end about it!

MoJoe and Featherweight, your comments are helpful, too. I do not think I have ever read a comment that said the commenter liked Original Vetiver better than this one. I have read many that say this one is really good and the OV, not so good, in the writers view, and a few that find this one overrated usually for lack of sufficient vetiver. (I am frankly not the world's biggest vetiver fan. It does seem relatively easy for me to pick out of a scent. I do not dislike it. It is just that I do not think it is so much naturally the center of a scent as, say, a good sandlewood, or lavender and oakmoss are.)

sylinLA, I was hoping you would log in on this one, because I had a sense that this is a scent that you really liked. Can you articulate more why you would think I would not wear it that often, and why even though you like it a lot there are other scents you wear more often?

I do wear a suit and tie to work most days, by the way, in case that influences your thinking. And I am only going to wear any scent only so often! (Except lately I seem to have an addiction to MPG Santal Noble!) I think of the scents I "like" a lot but do not wear very often as being out of the ordinary some how. I admire 88, for instance, but it really takes a particular mood for me to want to wear it. Actually, the MPG Route du Vetiver is a scent that I adore in theory, but rarely wear. It is vetiver to a fault! Lolita Lempicka is probably another one I really like, and there is something I really like about the anise and vanilla combination, but most of the time it just feels to me as if licorce is too unusual a scent. I guess I like a scent has something of a presence, perhaps even a subliminal one, but does not cause anyone to think, "wonder what scent he is wearing?"

So is it the formality of the Creed Vetiver or its spareness or its unusual scent or what the might prevent me (or you all) from wearing it all that often?

Thanks for the comments! Very, very helpful!

 

[StylinLA]

So is it the formality of the Creed Vetiver or its spareness or its unusual scent or what the might prevent me (or you all) from wearing it all that often?

Thanks for the comments! Very, very helpful!

Probably a combination of the spareness and formality, yes. Not a "warm" kind of scent, but not as austere and aloof as say Windsor or Blenheim Bouquet. Not a "mean" scent at all.

It's actually just guessing on my part. It may be a fast favorite of yours. I'm still kind of getting to know Santal Noble, and I'd say that's a kind of similar "personality" frag. i.e. They don't smell anything alike, but they have a similar vibe; formality. But I think SN is probably "warmer" overall.

I don't wear it a lot myself because I've boxed myself in with scents. I have the option of dressing up or down at work and I have an abundance of "dressy" scents- a weakness of mine. Haven't worn it much of late since there are so many others ahead of it in my current preferences. Dumb hobby. I have way too many scents I really love to wear them. While I mostly like vetiver scents, there many other scent families I prefer. Wearing all leather based this week.

I'll break it out next week.

 

[Austin]

I do wear a suit and tie to work most days, by the way, in case that influences your thinking. And I am only going to wear any scent only so often! (Except lately I seem to have an addiction to MPG Santal Noble!) I think of the scents I "like" a lot but do not wear very often as being out of the ordinary some how. I admire 88, for instance, but it really takes a particular mood for me to want to wear it. Actually, the MPG Route du Vetiver is a scent that I adore in theory, but rarely wear. It is vetiver to a fault! Lolita Lempicka is probably another one I really like, and there is something I really like about the anise and vanilla combination, but most of the time it just feels to me as if licorce is too unusual a scent. I guess I like a scent has something of a presence, perhaps even a subliminal one, but does not cause anyone to think, "wonder what scent he is wearing?"

So is it the formality of the Creed Vetiver or its spareness or its unusual scent or what the might prevent me (or you all) from wearing it all that often?

Thanks for the comments! Very, very helpful!

That's odd. MPG Santal Noble is one of my favorite scents. I also have Lolita Lempika and enjoy it but rarely wear it.

 

[szili07]

Hello again! There are several things that you can do with a vetiver and I've experienced some truly outstanding results. Creed's Vetiver which is part of their EDT collection is one of the best ones out there. Here they used cedarwood and ginger which just gives a remarkable smooth edge to the fragrance and that is why in my opinion has the thumbs up compared to other ones. If you like the rawness and earthiness of vetiver then Frederic Malle's Vetiver Extraordinare or Lalique's Encre Noir are better then Creed and out of the more recent ones the well refined Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver is very nice too. Guerlain's vetiver is not the good old vetiver anymore and Annick Goutal's Vetiver is just does not last. There is however a hidden gem which has not been mentioned here which is LT Piver's Vetiver, check it out if you find it!

 

[Cuttingboard]

My wife prefers the Original Vetiver to the 1948, maybe because its a little sweeter than the 1948. I like the 1948 in the cooler months and the OV in warmer months.

 

[rickboone1]

StylinLA's description has me curious. I'll have to try some of this. Is it hard to find?

 

[vertigo12314]

Anway, what do folks think of this one? I thought it was wildly popular and then I picked up some negative comments to the effect that while it is much better than the "Original Vetiver" there is not much vetiver to it at all, if any, and it seems pretty hum drum. Others seem to think it is the perfect boardroom or day to day business wear scent. What do folks think? Is it the type of thing I should get a good-sized decant of because I will wear it often, if I like it, or is more a particular kind of situation scent so a smaller decant just to have the experience of it should be sufficient? Whatever anyone cares to say.

They should call it "Creed feuille de Ginger" or something. The vetiver was more like someone cleaned out an atomizer that used to have vetiver and then put a ginger/wood frag inside so a slight hint of vetiver is detected when spraying. Buy it if you LOVE ginger, and NO NOT THIS GINGER:

 

[Aaron01]

To me it smelled similar to Speick AS, I will likely be retrying it in the future though.

PS. Thanks for Ginger pic

 

[StylinLA]

StylinLA's description has me curious. I'll have to try some of this. Is it hard to find?

Probably a tad tricky. I see it listed as "temporarily out of stock" on the Creed Boutique. But it is supposedly being phased out, so one wonders if "temporarily" is spin.

My guess would be a fair number of bottles still exist at some of the retail stores that sell Creed. But the clock would seem to be ticking on this one.

I'm on the fence about going to my Niemans to grab a bottle before they're out (if they still have any). They still had some a couple of months ago.

The thing that's working FOR you is that it is I'm sure a very slow seller. I sure wish it was easy for you to sample, because it's not a "vetiver" in the same sense that most of us have experienced vetiver- namely through scents like Guerlain Vetiver. Vertigo is dead on- you better love ginger. Like a lot of the older Creeds, it has a lot of semi-sweetish ambergris vibe too.

Haven't worn mine in awhile. May have to dust it off Monday.

 

[Aaron01]

My guess would be a fair number of bottles still exist at some of the retail stores that sell Creed. But the clock would seem to be ticking on this one.

The place where I tried it had an extended Creed lineup, with things like Acier Aluminium, that you don't usually find at NM or the like...

 

[tehtimmeh]

I can't really add much to the above comments, but since I have a bottle of this, I guess I will chime in.

I recently read where someone said that wearing Vetiver '48 makes you feel like Don Draper (Mad Men). I can certainly see this. It just has an old school classy business smell to it. It has an old fashioned, mature vibe to it for sure, but in a refined way.

I love vetiver scents, but I haven't tried a lot of them that are out there yet (soon...). I stand behind other comments that you really don't get much vetiver in this bottle, especially if you consider Guerlain's the benchmark. The other ingredients (ginger, etc.) seem to prevail and mask it.

Glad I have it and I would buy it again.

My recommendation: Pass on this one. If you end up loving it, you will soon be grabbing your ankles to pay for it because there's not much left of it out there! My local Neiman's had one or two bottles left about 2 months ago and I think it's all gone now.

 

[kg0mz]

Route du Vetiver it isn't. But, it is very nice, and somewhat unique, with the ginger, cedarwood, and vetiver with ambergris. I wear it more than other vetivers, because it is safe for office use. I think it is more vetivery than Guerlain, but they are similar, that is, clean vs dirty vetiver. I like Guerlain, but not as the vetiver standard. For me, that would be RdV.

Creed Vetiver is currently discounted 57% on Amazon. Eventually, it will be harder to find, I suppose. I recommend it.

 

[StylinLA]

A side note for anyone who takes enough interest in this thread to seek a bottle or sample of this (many of you already know this).

Creed makes two vetiver scents:

Vetiver
Original Vetiver

Logic, and the English language, will dictate to many us wet shavers that "original" vetiver is the older one we're discussing. It is not. Original Vetiver is a modern take in a vivid jade green bottle.

The 1948 version being discussed is just called Vetiver and is in the usual Creed bottle. I point this out because if you start surfing the web for it, both versions will show up a lot.

Original Vetiver is a fine scent in its own right, but that's a different discussion. Few similarities between the two. "Original" is a whole different take on vetiver and I guess that's why they called it "original."

 

[tehtimmeh]

A side note for anyone who takes enough interest in this thread to seek a bottle or sample of this (many of you already know this).

Creed makes two vetiver scents:

Vetiver
Original Vetiver

Logic, and the English language, will dictate to many us wet shavers that "original" vetiver is the older one we're discussing. It is not. Original Vetiver is a modern take in a vivid jade green bottle.

The 1948 version being discussed is just called Vetiver and is in the usual Creed bottle. I point this out because if you start surfing the web for it, both versions will show up a lot.

Original Vetiver is a fine scent in its own right, but that's a different discussion. Few similarities between the two. "Original" is a whole different take on vetiver and I guess that's why they called it "original."

Good point for those that might not know the difference. For what it is worth, I have heard a few Creed SA's refer to the 1948 version as "Classic Vetiver" to differentiate it from the newer Original Vetiver.

 

[DavyRay]

Good point for those that might not know the difference. For what it is worth, I have heard a few Creed SA's refer to the 1948 version as "Classic Vetiver" to differentiate it from the newer Original Vetiver.

Well, that certainly alleviates the confusion. It's sort of like Classic Coke versus New Coke. Glad they cleared that up for us. Sales Associates have such a tough job.