Tom Ford Grey Vetiver is passionate, refined

Last fall, when menswear designer Tom Ford turned out his third fragrance for men, it was worth the wait.

The former designer for Gucci and Yves St. Laurent introduced his first scents - the seductive Black Orchid for women and the mysterious, debonair Tom Ford for Men - in 2006. He followed in 2008 with the floral, hauntingly elegant White Patchouli for women and the amped-up Tom Ford for Men Extreme. He also cam up with a  collection of Private Blend scents for his business partner, Estee Lauder.

The first two men’s colognes were pretty good. But Grey Vetiver, launched in 2009, became his most ambitious men’s effort to date. The eau de parfum is a departure from the predictable yet not altogether unfamiliar, combining exotic woods, spices and herbs with hints of grapefruit and orange flower on a base of oakmoss and fresh vetiver. It’s passionate and provocative, charismatic and refined - sort of an olfactory version of Mikhail Baryshnikov or Laurence Fishburne or Enrique Iglesias.

If you’re a man of discriminating taste and understated elegance, this one’s for you. You can get it at higher-end retailers or at a discount at Fragrancenet.com.