Image of Ormonde Jayne Vetiveria by Karl.
In the quiet refinement of the Melia Milano Hotel Suites during Esxence, I experienced Ormonde Jayne Vetiveria—a composition that reframes the familiar narrative of vetiver through a lens of luminous clarity and natural complexity. This is the vetiver of Indonesia’s emerald interiors, not as a brooding base note, but as a living, breathing presence—one that moves effortlessly between air and earth.
Image of Linda Pilkington courtesy of the brand.
Part of the Four Corners of the Earth collection, Ormonde Jayne Vetiveria opens with a vivid expression of citrus that recalls the bright, expansive signatures of Montabaco Verano and Cuba. Yet, where those fragrances cast their light across Mediterranean terraces and sun-drenched boulevards, Ormonde Jayne Vetiveria directs its radiance inward—through the shaded understory of the rainforest, where shafts of light cut through dense foliage and the air vibrates with quiet life. The opening sequence is immediate and bracing: Sicilian lime provides a sharp, almost crystalline brightness, while Timur pepper and juniper berry introduce an aromatic tension, lifted further by the cooling sharpness of sage. This citrus presence is not fleeting; it persists and refracts through the entire composition, a thread of light winding through a landscape of shadowed greens.
Indonesian rainforest courtesy of Unsplash.
At the heart of Ormonde Jayne Vetiveria, snowbell and lavender soften the structure, offering an impression of diffused light rather than overt floralcy These notes seem less about scent and more about space—creating a moment of calm before the deeper facets of vetiver emerge. The vetiver here is drawn from Java, its character shaped by the heavy rains and fertile soils of the region. This is a softer, more contemplative expression of vetiver—absent the pronounced smoke or leather often found in other varieties. It rises slowly through the composition, bringing with it the scent of damp earth, moss-covered stone, and the faint mineral edge of rain-soaked rockrose.
The base introduces a measured warmth: tonka bean lends a subtle, creamy texture, while the vetiver remains ever-present, its green facets gently rounded but never obscured. The structure remains transparent even in its final stages, allowing each material space to resonate without collapse into density.
Courtesy of the brand
Ormonde Jayne Vetiveria draws the wearer into a landscape where the rainforest is not merely a backdrop but an active, breathing environment—where earth and air are held in delicate suspension, and the sensory experience moves between clarity and grounding. It is this interplay—between the immediacy of citrus and the quiet gravity of earth—that defines Ormonde Jayne Vetiveria. A journey not across grand vistas, but through the intimate spaces of nature, where the smallest details—the glint of dew on a leaf, the scent of moss after rain—become the most profound.
Notes: Timur Pepper, Sage, Juniper Berry, Lime, Snowbell, Lavender, Jasmine, Orange blossom, Vetiver, Moss, Rockrose, Tonka bean.
Disclosure: Bottle of Ormonde Jayne Vetiveria offered by the brand; opinions are my own.
Karl Topham, Senior Editor
Courtesy of the brand
Thanks to the generosity of Ormonde Jayne, we have a 88 ml bottle of Ormonde Jayne in the USA, EU, UK ONLY, You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying which note intrigues you most based on Karl’s review and where you live. Draw closes 5/24/2024.
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Please read: Michelyn’s Creative Directors interview with Linda Pilkington here.
Karl’s review of Ormonde Jayne Montabaco Verano here.
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