Our take
What does Bel Ami Vétiver smell like?
In 2013 Jean-Claude Ellena revisited a house classic: Bel Ami, the leather Jean-Louis Sieuzac composed in 1986. Hermès sums up the brief plainly. Ellena kept the structure and brought in one new material, vetiver. The opening smells of bitter orange and cardamom. It feels brighter than the original and almost sunny. Then the vetiver arrives, smooth as silk with slightly scorched edges. There is nothing earthy or rooty about it. Instead it reads as clean and dry. Leather and labdanum sit underneath to remind you where this came from. The Grain de Musc blog put it well in 2014, calling the base less burnt and less bitter than Bel Ami's. Next to the 1986 original, this version has lost some animal roughness. In return it gained a very Ellena clarity, which suits anyone put off by 1980s leathers.
When to wear it
Made for the office in a suit, in autumn or spring. Two sprays on the shirt work well, as the leather shows better on fabric.
It belongs to the Woody, Leather family. Bel Ami Vétiver is one of 47 creations by Hermès in our encyclopedia.
