VENT VERT by Pierre Balmain (1947)

The vintage perfume (launched 1947):
The intriguing opening is green indeed, with a slightly damp undertone, like meadows in the morning mist, wallowing in the fragrance of wet gardenias. There is also a nice galbanum twist present at this stage.

Then, after the first hour, it suddenly collapses on my skin, causing considerable disappointment; but fear not: after a while it re-emerges, now dominated by floral notes, mainly lily-of-the-valley, rose, freesias and a lovely ylang-ylang.

The base deepens and darkens it a bit, with a gorgeous soft oakmoss mixing beautifully with Amber and a nice styrax note. Here in the base a honeyed, nigh-indolic waxiness is an overarching theme, which at the ends sees hints of a dark musk added without any civety sharpness in evidence.

The sillage is moderate, the projection good and the longevity is truly outstanding at eleven hours.

The vintage Eau de Toilette is a touch greener overall, and the base is a touch lighter and brighter; it lasts nine hours on me.

Both are marvelous: beautifully blended, composed of ingredients of the highest quality, very well structured and great scents indeed.   4/5