‘Gloria, you’re always on the run now...’ Vanderbilt, issued briefly after Oscar, takes some cues from it, as well as L’Heure Bleue. But there are differences. Oscar, created by one of the masterminds behind Opium, is creamy, floral, languid...but it covers its floralcy in a myriad of spices and resins, as if Opium had taken a day at the spa before a long haul flight to JFK. L’Heure Bleue...well it’s a classic for a reason, and a wonderful window to early century Guerlain. Vanderbilt takes the classic touch of the latter, but 80fies it. All through a vapor wave filter, complete with pastel shades, pink carpeted bathrooms and palm trees. Kinda like a Miami Vice intro. Vanderbilt tries to eschew being too classical, showing no restraint in the use of tuberose, and a rather big dollop of vanilla. There’s a brief glimpse of a spicier direction, but the carnation can’t seem to tame the White Queen. On my skin, Vanderbilt is a wonderful floral, more tuberose than anything else, with a restrained sweetness from the vanilla, and the glorious powdery qualities of LHB. It’s the naïve side of it, pretty, innocent and sweet just like the movies that are showing in the nearby theater; Sixteen Candles, St. Elmo’s fire or Just One Of The Guys. Gloria Vanderbilt created a beautiful debut fragrance, mixing the floral with the powdery in a classical manner, added vanilla for a modern (and for then, quite sweet) touch, and light animalic musks to envelop the wearer in a fantasy, just like the first ads with the swan and the couple; romantic, womanly, without hitting major league like the big guns everyone wanted to grow into; Opium, Poison, Giorgio, Coco... On me, vintage early 90’s Vanderbilt has big sillage with very good longevity. In this age of extreme sweetness, Vanderbilt comes along as something clean and unisex with still a big fan base; it’s trail is easily noticeable from its wearers, younger, older, male or female and the current formula seems to have kept the original spirit. The only thing missing from today’s offering is the slightly dark and animalic base of the original, that keeps reminding me that this baby, no matter how innocent it might seem, comes from the mighty 80’s.