Review of Vanderbilt, by Gloria Vanderbilt; A Perfume for Women

When I first spotted the retro looking ugly bottle of Vanderbilt by Gloria Vanderbilt I immediately thought I would hate it. It looked like a cheap ugly bottle of perfume that one would find in a dollar store back in the 1990's.

As it turned out the bottle was from the 80's, therefore it had an excuse for it's hideous appearance.
For those wondering, Vanderbilt comes in a round pancake shaped bottle, with a swan design embossed into the glass. On the top you have a standard gold lid. The glass itself is transparent, and you are able to see the piss yellow colored perfume.

Revulsion was my initial reaction. In fact, the bottle was so repulsive that I nearly skipped out on trying the perfume all together.

I figured that since there are so few reviews available online that had covered Vanderbilt, that I'd give the perfume a test and weigh in with my opinion.

I sprayed a small bit of the perfume onto my wrist and I was not too shocked when the air filled with the very old fashioned stink that I expected it to have. Vanderbilt was very strong, but it quickly subsided into something softer and fruity. Just as I was about to accept the old perfume, it transformed back into an extremely potent overbearing scent. The scent was so toxic that I feared even a shower would not be able to rinse the stink away.

It's hard to describe it really, but if you have ever had an old rich lady walk by you in the streets, this is what you would get. It's powerful, lingering, and dusty.

The initial scent I got from it was alcohol, rose, and ancient vanilla sticks. The scents in the perfume combined give it an unusual and unique scent, but at the same time not one you would want to wear daily...if at all.
 
I was left on the fence during the duration of the day, in love with the scent one minute, and then hating it another minute later. It's so wishy washy and I could not decide whether or not I liked it or not.
It has an addicting quality to it, but at the same time has such a powerful punch to it, that you regret ever spraying it on in the first place.

It reminded me a lot of certain foods, where one has to have an acquired taste to it. Over time I imagine I could fall in love with Vanderbilt, but I do not like having to acquire a taste, especially when it comes to scent. I came to the conclusion that if I ended up loving it, others around me would probably hate it. After all it's like an acquired scent... one you would have to get used to.

Where To Buy:
 
Although I have never seen Vanderbilt being sold in store, I have come across the bottle online at many perfume retail sites. They have newer bottles of Vanderbilt, and in some cases you can find the original on auction sites. If you already know you like Vanderbilt, and are looking for it do a google search, and you shall find it.