Halston Classic Halston for women

I have a small vintage bottle and this brought back memories of the 70’s and 80’s. I was quite young and I remember some homes smelling like this. My bottle has turned a little but it still smells intense. Lots of earthiness, some moss, some mild spice. I didn’t notice the florals until the next day when it seemed to blossom into its younger self. 🌼

I watched the Netflix series on Roy Halston and found the scene with the perfumer a bit daft given that a quick look on this site clearly shows that this fragrance wasn't created by a woman! However, as the saying goes, never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Now that I've got that off my chest, I bought this because I was intrigued to learn more about Halston. I didn't know much about him as a designer and can see how this fragrance would have been quite something in its time. It's a classic chypre that I would put in the same category as Clinique's Aromatics Elixir and Gres Cabochard. It definitely has a vintage, mature smell to it that I can't get over so I don't wear it often. I like to take it out of its storage place and sniff it once in a while. Unlike the scene with Halston and the perfumer as shown in the Netflix series, there's no hint of Victor Hugo's jock strap in the notes... Thank goodness!
PS. If you haven't already, do watch the series.

Review is for vintage Halston in the bottle with the ivory top:

This smells how Halston's Manhattan apartment looks. Innovative, tidy, modernist, sharp. Brimming with sophisticated and fashionable yang essence. Very 70s, clean-cut glamour. Lots of glass, open space, and layers of rectangles. Like an exhibit, but made home-like with flowers, books, and art. From looking online at these pictures of his apartment, I can see that his aesthetic transferred into Halston perfume. It bears the stamp of his style and artistry.

Halston perfume has the olfactory texture of supple black-green leather. For a vintage bottle, the one I have has held up remarkably well (just a bumpy ride for the first five minutes where the top notes have gone off). Like other reviewers have mentioned, I smell leather in this too, so you're not alone in perceiving that. I wondered if I was the only one, and I was surprised when I didn't see it in the listed notes.

On my skin, this wears primarily as a mossy leather scent dusted with 70s bath powder. I even get a little bit of ash tray. But it's the ash tray of Halston holding his cigarette with total panache, in his signature look with the sunglasses and black turtleneck, and he's sitting in his living room accompanied by Liza Minelli in a sequined jumpsuit. There is more glass visible on the bottom of the ash tray than cigarette butt.

The Sweet Smell of Success Episode 3 of Halston the Netflix series (starring Ewan McGregor) got me interested in this fragrance; especially the scene in which along with Elsa Perreti, Halston uses his memories to create the very unisex-seeming fragrance. This is a review for the EA Fragrances version that sells at most CVS, Walgreens, Wal-Marts and other drugstores that sell perfume. I never smelled the original because 1975 was before my time. This instantly reminded me of Ivoire de Balmain which I'd experienced recently. This also gave me Charlie by Revlon vibes. It's one of those herbal-based, clean, simple floral chypre and musks that were popular in the 1970s. It opens with unlisted aldehydes. Very soft. Then the citrus top note of bergamot orange and only the slightest traces of peach and melon. To me these fruit accords are not strong at all and only serve to give the opening a bright and zesty fresh beginning. Then the real heart of the scent comes through - the florals. I am smelling spiced up carnations, marigold and ylang-ylang. There is also quite a lot of iris (orris root). The mix of flowers end up turning powdery but they can also be described as soapy. There are of course green notes all around them - a tame patchouli, vetiver, and oak moss. To me the moss and other green notes are not heavy. The green notes in Ivoire de Balmain are heavier. The woodsy notes in this scent are much more pronounced. I am definitely smelling strong cedar wood and sandalwood. Also quite a punch of amber and incense. The incense in the dry down is warm and dark. But most of all it dries down to a wood scent. This perfume is not glamorous, elegant or formal. It is not a date night perfume or even somethning to wear to a nightclub. It is a day time spring and summer scent for running errands and smelling nice and clean throughout your day. It is very casual and no nonsense. It does not even seem to have any type of association with Halston and the world of 70s high fashion. This smells at least in today's context like a soapy floral to smell good after your shower and you are not making any statement. I regard this as being unisex because of the heavy wood and the incense. There is a touch of feminine sweetness due to the florals but there are times when this wants to go into a 'wood and musk' direction that is definitely more masculine. It is an interesting, well-balanced and well-made fragrance. I like to wear it casually in the day time for work and for running errands when I want a vintage touch on me. The images it evokes to me are California homes in Carmel with lots of wood, a cabin-house by a cliff; open windows letting in fresh air and sunshine. It is both fresh and warm. It has a rural kind of feel, it just smells like a country house with wood and outside of it meadows fields and grass with wildflowers. It appears to have been inspired by Halston's Iowa childhood home. Absolutely lovely perfume.

Bernard Chant is a favorite perfumer of mine, and I came a bit late to his creation here, having been a long time fan of Aromatics Elixir and all of his works for Estée Lauder and Aramis. The classic, original Halston, with its bottle designed by jeweler and close friend of Halston, Elsa Peretti, we see Chant taking some cues from Mitsouko, Chanel No. 19 and Dior Diorella, adding galbanum, peach lactones and a melon accord to his template floral, mossy chypre template.

The result is a dazzler of soapy, earthy proportions on a foundation of oakmoss and vetiver. The real showstopper is just before we reach this coda: a gregarious, bright, somewhat sour tagetes marigold that keeps all of its floral brethren in check and escorts them all into the inky and beautifully coarse dry down. To think that one would walk into a discotheque and smell this in the ether. It's tasty, lustrous, and has just the right tempo for me. 

The EDT and cologne only differ in that the cologne is more sheer and diffusive. Both are spectacular.

Another unplaceable evocative scent memory from my '70s childhood! I don't think I got this back then, before I got wise and recognized the crisp allure of a chypre! Leather isn't a note, but I could swear I smell it. I would never expect this to smell so good from the notes listed, but now that I'm learning to love the works of the great Bernard Chant, I am finally game to wear Halston; between Halston and Aromatics Elixir, also a Chant creation, I'd probably give AE the edge, but that doesn't make Halston any less of a fabulous scent, not to mention an incredible bargain. I really love the drydown, which brings to mind Ciara.

Fresh chypre fragrance that could never be copied, with minty and woody notes that soften after a few hours and remain sweet smelling for days-especially on clothes.
One would not be able to relate to it unless actually having wore it back then or grew up smelling it on others.
Extremely nostalgic and very American scent reminiscent of a happier era which no longer exists...

I like this scent but can only do very small dose of it as it is slap you upside the head STRONG!!

Halson is disco in a bottle! The first time I bought a bottle and smelled it, I got extremely nostalgic & emotional, anyone who grew up in the 80s & 90s will understand! It just evokes a different more carefree time. To me it reminds me of the smell of a shopping mall in the late 80s/early 90s, the combination of the smells of movie popcorn, strong perfume, & cigarette smoke hanging in the air. Man this was nostalgic! It’s definitely a party smell, and I’ve gotten tons of compliments wearing it out on the town! It’s definitely Studio 54 vibes, great for anyone fun and outgoing!

Some how I missed this classic from the 80's. I guess I was too busy raising babies. Recently saw the Netflix special and became intrigued. Just made a blind buy. I'll know if this lives up to its reputation or not. I HAD to try it! Wish me luck!

I tested recently and I just can say FEMME by ROCHAS C O L O G N E

Soapy, earthy chypre. Makes me think of disco music and a friend I had in college in the late 80's who still wore this. Not masculine, not girlie, not sweet. Seriously womanly.

My bottle says "cologne." However, this is strong and lasts overnight. Like disco itself, the bottle is ugly yet preciously entwined with childhood memories. I remember ladies looking beautiful in polyester double knit and smelling like Dial deodorant and moss and bitter flowers, like Halston.

The past still exists, we just moved away from it.

Halston classic.
One of the top fragrances of all time.
A floral, musky chypre.

I grew up around this scent and although it could be had for $10 at the Drug Emporium, the women who wore it smelled like they could’ve waltzed right off the set of Dallas. It was an enveloping, musky chypre, redolent with balsamic resins. The women who wore this were unfuckwithable.

I have bought and used vintage bottles over the years. Recently, I picked up a contemporary bottle of the EDT to meet a free shipping minimum. When I got the box the first thing I did was tear into the Halston packaging to anoint myself, and this hell juice smelled just like someone ashed out a Marlboro Red on slightly mildewed oakmoss.

I have never scrubbed so hard, so fast. My heart goes out to anyone who loved Halston in the 70s and 80s. The reformulation fell hard and landed badly.

I read this fragance can be unisex, and also it is very similar to Armani for her 82... is true?

Bernard Chant created the scents of my childhood, Halston classic, Lauren and Aramis (original) . There is something so beautiful, warm and sophisticated about these beautiful chypre fragrances. This is probably the only Master Perfumer that i've had the pressure of smelling or wearing everything he's created. Halston will bring you right into Studio 64, late nights out in autumn in the 70's. Spicy, oakmoss, warm and sexy....Vintage royalty.

On the dry down this reminds me alot of bandit. I like this better though.

Very related to Gres Cabochard. Strong semi sweet very muscy animalic flowers classic chypre. Good miraculously survived dinosaur of an old perfumery school.

8/10

Okay, here’s the deal - watched the Halston miniseries on Netflix, which features his fragrance prominently, and wondering what the early 70s smelled like, I brought this scent. This fragrance has none of the opulence I expected - it’s not a patch on other 70s/80s-era scents such as YSL Opium or Oscar by DeLa Renta - instead it’s very citrus-y and leans heavily towards masculine colognes of the 1960s & 70s like Brut and Old Spice. Do I like it? I’m not sure. Maybe as a day fragrance (it’s a clean scent) but for a night out, definitely not. If you’re uncertain but still want a whiff of what Studio 54 probably smelled like, then buy Opium instead.

UPDATE: I’ve been wearing this fragrance now for a couple of weeks or so and my opinion has changed; it’s still not a patch on Opium, but the scent balances out better when worn for awhile - the base notes come through better - so clearly the head notes (which is where I get the Brut-esque comparison) is what I don’t like; they fade through and this very musky-leathery base smell lingers, which I like very much.

I came by Halston in a very unique and oblique way. It was the Christmas season in the early 90's and I was still in my teens. My father took us to the mall to get some holiday shopping done. Already a perfume enthusiast at that age, I stopped at a kiosk selling designer dupes and started sniffing away. God bless my dad...he never knows what to get a girl for a gift. :) He asked me which ones I liked best. Discerning where this was going, I picked out a couple and expected one to end up under the tree in a few days. Sure enough, on Christmas morn, I spotted the wrapped perfume-sized box and with anticipation of being transported into floral rapture, I eagerly open the package and found....Halston?!? Obviously, this was an epic misunderstanding! Adolescent Agnes would never choose to smell like industrial fumes, which was my unfortunate first impression. Still, I thanked my father and kept my mouth shut about this cosmic blunder.

A Christmas miracle happened that year. I kept sniffing that bottle of Dupe d'Halston. Again and again, like an addict returning to huff a bottle of glue. Then I summoned the courage to spray some on my wrists and...well... I couldn't get enough of it in the weeks and months following. While all the other girls were wearing aquatics, I was wearing an ersatz disco era chypre. This was during a time when the 70's aesthetic was held in high disdain by my age group. I guess I always was a bit of a misfit. :)

That bottle is long gone, but now I've got the real stuff, a vintage splash from the 70's or 80's. Adult Agnes continues to wear Halston occasionally during the year, but it's become my default Holiday perfume. When I smell Halston, I don't smell cocaine and discotheques; I smell Christmas. Thanks Daddy!

BTW, that dupe was a very worthy facsimile of the original.

If you're reading this hoping to gain some insight on whether Halston is for you, be aware that it has a HUGE capacity to grow on you, even if you're a chypre virgin as I was. I can't speak for the stuff on sale today, never smelt it; but the vintage offerings and that one bottle of Halston Faux Eau is and was mysterious and earthy. This would be very glamorous on a daring young woman who wants to stand apart from the gourmand gang. There's also that cozy and comfortable aspect to it that makes it so easy to wear at Christmas time.

Is there anything I don't like about Halston? Yes, the bottle! It's disco-ugly and vaguely obscene and I don't like it hanging out on the shelf with all my other lovelies. There, I said it.

Happy sniffing, Folks!

This was another "blind sample." I knew nothing about it before experiencing it... I just sprayed and allowed the magic to unfold. And wow, was I ever rewarded!

Holy 1970s!! I was greeted by a warm embrace of bergamot, followed by carnation, patchouli, and oakmoss. (I didn't get the mint, but perhaps I wasn't paying attention, and I'll have to sample it again. I certainly don't mind doing so!) It made me think of a discotheque, or a party that was ready to rage all night long. At this point, I looked it up, and... sure enough... that's the era and the vibe it seems to belong to. So, kudos to the nose -- if this was what was described to that person, and they were told to invent a perfume evoking that specific sensation... well, mission accomplished! I'm not old enough to have lived through those events, but I can get a sense of them -- vicariously -- through this perfume. (Oddly enough, though, it doesn't feel "dated" to me, if that makes any sense. While I'm aware that it's a product of its time, I still feel quite comfortable wearing it today.)

I do smell some similarities between this and another well-known (but more widely available?) perfume of that decade... here and there, Halston reminds me of Charlie (minus Charlie's aldehydes, and plus a few other elements). Overall, though, Halston is smoother and more polished. It's a beautiful chypre, indeed!

Thus far, I could picture myself wearing this primarily in cooler weather and in the evening.

I acquired a sample of this by accident, I wanted to try the silver Halston perfume from 2009 and got Halston Classic instead. It's not something I would have chosen on my own. The scent itself is described in detail by reviewers who have more of a connection to it, so I only want to add a short impression of it and share a few other thoughts instead of a detailed note breakdown.

Halston is a full-blown green chypre with heaps of oakmoss that feels surprisingly soapy and also dusty to me, it's very long-lasting and I can't say that I like it. If I I had to chose something, the mint top note would be my favorite part. The florals feel more like tender buds than full blooms and I don't get any fruit or amber notes. All in all I find it relatively cold.

This is really best for seasoned vintage chypre lovers. Despite its affordability it's the opposite of a safe blind buy. As one of the few dry, unsweetened, mossy 70s scents left nowadays, it's worth a try just for the experience, but I think it won't be easy to love for most of us and that's okay.

When I, a person born in the late 80s, look at the glamorous disco outfits of the 70s and Halston's fashion, a scent like this would not come to my mind. The discrepancy is very interesting to me, I would have imagined something warmer and more inviting, less androgynous and fresh for these looks. In the 2020s this would not work as a sexy nighttime scent, but I could see it paired with a natural, sleek daytime look that is earthy, but not boho. Maybe in autumn or early spring. That's the vibe it's giving me without the context and history around it.

I love this perfume from my first sniff. A girl in my junior high drama class wore it to school one day and I just fell in love with this scent. Got a bottle for Xmas 1982 and Halston has been my signature scent since. Have tried others but always come back to Halston.....couldn't imagine my life without it!! A vintage woody chypre... almost cedar-y to me- warm and juicy. I've had so many bottles over the years I feel that I must sweat Halston. My signature scent forever!

Vintage parfum and fortunately the top notes on mine are quite intact. Green and minty with a touch of melon and citrus to begin with, eventually becoming a marigold, carnation, amber, oakmoss and patchouli bomb. It was the signature fragrance of one of my best friends and I remember it being divine on her. Nowadays I'd be hestitant to wear it out of the house until it dries down a bit as the sillage is nuclear, but perhaps a small amount on an autumn night would do. The only thing that keeps it from being a love for me is the intensely animalic late stage (the top and middle are delicious). A bold chypre that's classy, yet earthy and sultry at the same time and perfectly synonymous with the designer's fashions.

I do like, almost love. I just don't know where you could wear it without the consent of Human Resources or the Church Committee. At home, in the evening, a snowy cozy night. One spray will do it, so the 100 ml bottle is a lifetime supply even if you live past 100. It's loud, it's old fashioned. It's woody and masculine. I am not sure which version I have. At one point I had the body cream which was a little easier to wear. Not for the office where you have meetings in close quarters. Better than most of the scents it is compared to. For the price, it is a must try.

Classic! Always in my collection, along with Halston Amber, which is even better in my opinion.

I own the original Armani vintage perfume 80's and now have Halston (maybe a newer reformulated) Eau de Cologne.
I did a sniff test hahaha a spray on each wrist.
On my skin they both smell very similar except Armani Femme is slightly sweeter less unisex. Very little difference .. only Halston is more woodsy.

Starts off like Diorella with juicy fruits citrus and herbs then later develops a foresty, pine and moss vibe. Later on it gets soapy and powdery with sandalwood/cedar and ambery incense. I sense a fair amount of musk as well as possibly leather. I don't sense many florals beyond carnations, marigolds and maybe jasmine/rose. This is primarily a woodsy scent.

What can be said about this that hasn’t already been said? It’s a classic. A tad abrasive and undeniably vintage - I get the green, a refreshing burst of mint, the musk. My mom wore this quite often when I was a kid, and it remains one of my favorites to this day. Although the newer bottles don’t smell exactly as I remember, it’s still something I love to wear myself when the mood hits and a nice pretty modern fruity floral just won’t do.

Oh, I loved this so much way back in those 80s days! I have a major weakness for Chypres. As I recall, my stepmother gave me a partial bottle because she didn't much care for it, and then I bought a bottle, or possibly got one as a Christmas gift.

Why did I stop wearing it? I'm not sure. I guess I just went on to something else.

I remember it as being pretty strong. If you have a vintage bottle of this, I recommend spraying it carefully.

Also, I wouldn't recommend this as a blind buy or as a gift, unless you know the recipient likes it.

Halston Classic, these are some thoughts for the cologne, early formula, pre bar code. (Don´t worry, it is still fairly easy to pick up older versions of Halston, if you want too.)

What a glorious perfume! Of course, from Bernard Chant. Did he ever make a bad fragrance? I don´t think so.

Opens up in a very familiar way, there are at least ten other floral chypres with the same profile from this time period. As i wrote somewhere else: pick one or pick them all. Halston, and some of the others, are ALL fantastic. So i pick this one, and the other ten as well! Why not?

In short: Fruity opening, melon i would say. Then....a sea of florals. Dry down: Oakmoss and amber.

LOVE. Great chypre.

I am comparing Halston with three other that i just reached out for from the collection. Now, after one hour, i can say they are similar:

Armani femme, the original from 82.
Missoni (Missoni), from 1981.
Valentina Di Guido Crepax Roveri & Aura, from 1989.

If you love floral/ambery chypres, do yourself a favour....get all of them.

The New stuff doesn’t have the wonderful kick like the Classic Vintage. The New stuff is way watered down now. 😕 This is one of the most GORGEOUS SCENTS I’ve ever used and smelled. Smoky Sultry Woody Musk. Only Earthy Women can pull this scent off. Just DIVINE!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Chypres make me so happy. They evoke the passage of time and places favored by Viking gods. Elemental, complex, leathery, ancient, caves and rocks and moss and canyons, earth, trees, sunlight, ice, rain, decaying and blooming vegetation. Things that existed independently of humans and always will. Halston is a beautiful chypre. It has such a lovely bitter edge in the opening before it warms up. The transitions and drydown are gorgeous. It is lost on cooler pulse points - wrists and inside my elbows - so I spray on the torso, nape, small of the back, and over the heart. It lasts 10-12 hours before it changes to a skin scent that I can still smell the next morning on myself, my pillow, and sheets. It is not the original I wore and I’m sad that it is no longer made, but this version is stunning and quite perfect on its own. I will always have it.

Those who says this has a poor silage or poor performance- they’d be most likely to judge to new formula - the old vintage made in USA is a gorgeous monster liqueur of the 80s and you’ll probably have lots of compliments - even more if you smoke cigarettes as this was created when back in the 80s when smoking in most shops and indoor spaces was allowed. It is LOUD and Animalic - it is absolutely gorgeous

Love the Vintage Halston cologne! I have a horde of it. It's certainly one of my all time favorite fragrances. This fragrance always makes me think of seashells and the beach for some reason. I don't know why because it's not coconut or coppertone. Maybe it's just the crisp woods..... The vintage cologne lasts until you wash it off. The new reformulated version is really nice but it's not nearly as deep and rich as the old stuff. It is still rather long lasting in its current form. Halston is unique in that it's cool and warm fragrance at the same time. I smell greens, light peach and lots of rose, carnation and marigolds. The dry down is mossy, ambery woods. It's very unique. This is easy to wear and very versatile. It also obviously inspired other fragrances such as Niki de Saint Phalle, Armani Femme 1982, Gucci No. 3 etc and another Bernard Chant creation released a few years later.. Lauren by Ralph Lauren.

I couldn't really smell this the first couple times I wore it. I had been wearing Mitsouko a lot, I wonder if that made me anosmic to it. Today I doused myself in Halston. On my commute, I suddenly smelled something leathery. I said aloud "There you are, Bernard!" This reminds me much of Cabochard, but less leathery, adding subtle melon and dewy flowers. Upgraded to a love!

P.S. Is anyone else unhappy about Bernard Chant getting written out of the mini-series about the perfume HE created?? Or am I just biased because B.C. is my favorite?

Edit: This is really good, even in the modern formulation! Makes me wonder how incredible the vintages must smell.

@statesman - Yes! Gold Dial Original! Weird but wonderful.

Halston has nothing to do with Ciara. Ciara is powedery sweet warm cozy scent.While Halston is dry bitter wet scent. Two different scents. Halston is autumn scent. Is the scent of wet leaves after the rain in autumn rainy day..

Halston reminds me of a woman I worked with in the 80's at a restaurant. She over sprayed and the fragrance bomb surrounding her was intimidating. She wore very short hair that never moved because of so much hair gel, which wasn't really unusual for that time period but she took it to a whole 'nother level. Think female Max Headroom or Max Headroom dressing up as a woman. She was tall, slender, dressed perfectly and her makeup was as heavy as her Halston cloud. She wore cold diamond earrings and a large diamond engagement ring. I don't remember ever smelling this on anyone else so my recollections of this perfume are highly dependent on how she wore it and how it smelled on her. I can't imagine what fragrance she gravitated to later after that decade ended. For some reason I can't remember her name but I remember her talking about her fiance named Kyle. Kyle did this, Kyle did that, Kyle gave her the diamond she wanted, Kyle took her to the trendy expensive restaurant, etc. It may sound from my description that I didn't like her but that was not the case, I was fascinated by her because she was approximately my age but from another planet as far as personality in comparison to myself or any other girl I knew at the time.

Even though Halston is very woody, it is not warm cuddly, by-the-fireplace woods at all, at least not in my memory. It makes me think of being lost in the woods and being terrified or a forest fire. I don't think this smells like Ciara or Opium or Tabu or Shalimar or Coco at all. The personality is different. It's much colder and less inviting. It not a messy composition, it's cold woods in a dream where the wolf is chasing you and you're lost. That world doesn't change, it's always dusk, late autumn, hasn't snowed yet, burning wood and warmth of any kind is far away, rotting leaves, moss on oaks but not damp. Dry. The leather note is strong but it's like people curing leather in the windy dry pine forest with the dry wind blowing and the chemicals they use to treat the leather. I can almost taste the leather, it's so strong.

Is really similar to ARMANI for woman 1981???????

okay, this smells A LOT like Ciara by Revlon, which came out two years prior. both represent the epitome of ‘70s fragrance and they share a lot of notes. i actually like Ciara better, i have a full vintage splash bottle of the 100 strength that my mom got for like $5. Halston ends up being a better deal for the volume, but it really smells like it would be the eau de toilette version of Ciara’s extrait. Ciara is a little sweeter, much stronger, and deeper. Halston has a slightly bitter green note that i’m not crazy about. it also smells a lot like Dali Parfum de Toilette by Salvador Dali, but without the odd bit of bad breath odor (i think that’s the benzoin). all three of the aforementioned scents are sort of…lozengey, like fruity medicinal hard candy. you can feel them on your palette, all their fruit and leather and incensey glory. my order of preference is Ciara, then Halston, then Dali.

all that being said, i LOVE the design of this bottle and the history of the fragrance, and i’m glad to have it in my collection. i will be wearing it, but not necessarily regularly, and it’ll probably be sitting on my dresser for at least another decade!

Smells vintage in the coolest way possible. I feel like a badass female hitting the town in the 70’s when I wear this. Perfect hipster scent.

Loooove it, I first get the jazmine, then the green notes, a bit of mint, lovely chypre. It does have a vintage vibe but compatible to nowdays standards. The dry down reminds me of Silences.

Excited anticipation when I ordered this (blind) based on the classic 1970s notes - but sadly it is pretty unremarkable for a scent of this vintage. I returned it.

I wore this perfume all the time in high school. It's been a long time, but I still remember how much I enjoyed smelling this perfume.

I bought a large bottle of the current formulation of Halston Classic after falling in love with the Netflix miniseries. I certainly wasn't alone, as it took three attempts to successfully procure a bottle online. One out of the five "Halston" episodes is dedicated to the story of the creation of this fragrance, a rare treat for perfume enthusiasts. Elsa Peretti's iconic teardrop-like bottle design features; from the flea-market necklace that provided the initial inspiration, to the prototype design, to the difficulty in convincing the corporate overlords to agree to it. While this gave an interesting insight into the design process, the real beauty of the episode was the focus on the creation of the juice itself. Creative licence is taken here, but Halston's scenes with Vera Farmiga's perfumer from IFF reflect the power of scent, the personal memories it evokes, and the craftsmanship that goes into perfume creation. Halston's three scents of choice are Lady of the Night orchids (a scented breed), cigarettes (sweet as well as smoky) and, infamously, his lover's unwashed jockstrap, gamely smelled by Farmiga.

The scent itself, or at least the modern incarnation does not really smell like any of these, however, it can be argued that there is a smoky-musky-leather notes in the base are perhaps indicative of cigarettes and a used jockstrap.

The opening is surprisingly cool. I associate chypres with warmth and richness, but Halston is notably a cool chypre. It is green and fresh, briefly minty, and watery in the vein of cucumber. The green notes smell natural, moist and leafy, reminiscent of springtime growth. There is a hint of fruity freshness, but it is not at all sweet. It is very bright and very soapy, refreshing yet not entirely clean.

Woody floral notes emerge as it dries down, and the base develops, giving it warmth and earthiness akin to a traditional chypre. It is smoky and mossy, but it somehow remains lighter and clearer than other midcentury chypres, which are often dense and dark. Clean, non-indolic jasmine and powdery rose dominate the floral notes, as well as a brief sour note (marigolds?) that thankfully doesn't last. The oakmoss doesn't smell too synthetic, as it is nicely balanced by the patchouli and vetiver as well as the woody notes. Some spiciness creeps in, adding a welcome warmth and some depth, and it becomes quite balsamic in its middle stage. It remains pleasantly soapy. It fades to a woody, earthy amber skin scent with some sweet musk also evident here.

Sillage is moderate-to-strong and longevity is pretty decent, lasting for over six hours on skin. A vintage-style chypre with a difference, this inexpensive reformulation is surprisingly decent. Best worn as an autumn/winter day scent, and as is the case with many chypres from decades past, it is unisex by today's standards. I would love to compare this to the original version that contains real oakmoss. Green, earthy, smoky-yet-soapy goodness. 4.5/5.

After watching the Netflix show Halston, I decided to pick up a vintage decant of this perfume. I found an original from the 70s on ebay. This fragrance is interesting. You get heavy, ambery notes of patchouli and grassy, sunny marigolds, with just the faintest blink-and-you'll-miss it whiff of mint. There's a fishy, old sweat smell that presents itself as a middle note but doesn't last long. Jasmine, musk, and wood resolve the fragrance and make an timeless, classy fragrance you could wear with a low-cut dress and a dangling pendant, sitting seductively in a dimly, warmly lit corner of an old hotel bar. I can't get the melon or the peach, but I do get a bit of the carnation, which like the marigold is unexpected in a fancy perfume but pleasantly so. This smells like women who worked the department store perfume counters of my childhood, but how they must have been in their youth, a bit more green and wild and ready to party.

This was my BFF's signature scent in high school, and I recently bought her a brand new vintage splash. We opened it together, and she was in heaven. The top note of mint is very distinct, and cooling. Also, as typical, it's the first note to disappear with age. I recently bought myself another vintage version and fell in love with it. The mint wasn't as present in the opening, but I catch whiffs of it on the drydown. The woody basenotes are perfect! Not one wood stands out, yet it's a creamy combination of all. Thankfully the oakmoss isn't overwhelming as it can be typically in vintage fragrances (where true oakmoss is present). If you're looking for this classic beauty, note that the box will only say Halston and not much else. Also, the vintage splash, while inconvenient, is the one you want. It's probably a decent blind buy, but I'd start with a mini. Lastly, you can't beat Elsa Peretti's designs for the legendary Halston designs, both for the artistic bottles (look for the glass stopper one) and beyond. Edit: This fragrance upon drydown is perfect for layering with a light white floral for a perfect blend of floral and wood.

A small update to my previous thoughts on Halston. Finally copped a vintage cologne sample. And I'm sorry, but the Elizabeth Arden (EA) Fragrances version truly pales in comparison to the original.

Where at first EA opened with a pleasantly fresh, soapy, cucumber-like note and broke down quickly into woods upon woods - I described it as a candle that emulated a walk through a haunted forest. It doesn't conform to the skin. Smoky, odd, inky, and probably works for someone.

Now for vintage: oh, how the synthetic patch and oakmoss reek when compared the OG. Instead of an inky dead forest, the forest comes alive with actual lush moss and a wild mix of heady flowers hidden in the undergrowth. It's as if you can see sunrise shining through the branches to warm the forest floor. I don't get much fruitiness. Dries down to earthy, sweet, almost soil-like powder - perhaps some from the orris root note - and spicy sandalwood. No cucumbers to be found.

And this will sound unusual to many: the cucumber note has now been replaced by, what smells to me, like perilla. I often associate perilla leaves with Korean cuisine, and the first time I tried a perilla dish, I was awestruck by its savory, herbaceous scent. It is unlike your typical Western herb, and not even close to Thai basil, which is as exotic as we get at the grocery store. It is in the mint family, however. It could also be the greens combining with the undertone of incense.

Anyway, I am glad to have had the olfactory pleasure of finally meeting the true Halston woman. Still unisex to me, regardless, especially for those who appreciate more floral doses in their woods. As a young'un I still scratch my head wondering how this forest queen was associated with the glamour and sweat of discothéques. Halston smells like an island unto herself, where the music doesn't stop I suppose. Doesn't particularly scream seduction to me, but it does scream sensual, bulldozer confidence. Just like I imagined. I guess I just had to be there.

This stinks. I love woody fragrances but I get an overwhelming amount of mint and greens. I have to scrub it off now.

I can't think of a fragrance exactly like this one. I smell mint, green and a lot of smoke. I like it.

As any warm-blooded creature, who was remotely aware of Halston would, I eagerly anticipated the release of a new bio-doc, mini-series sharing the infamous name. A certain melancholy followed as I watched the story of Roy Frowick, who manifested into greatness, a design house ultimately neglected into ruin through complacency, addiction, and greed. And, like many of you, I was naturally captivated by the section nodding to perfume production and distribution. I had always heard that Mr. Chant had headed the Original's formulation, but the movie suggests that a woman was integral in pulling threads of conception, and working hand in hand with Halston himself. This may be, as Max Factor had many unnamed key players working diligently to deliver Halston precision. The female lead could easily be an amalgamation of that team, as is the introduction of a jock strap, orchids and cigarettes. While provocatively alluring in concept, never actually became notes found in any of his visions. The blessing of this series seems intuitive. For one, I would have missed smelling a fantastic 70's chypre, built on grand American ingenuity. But more than that, I would have missed the opportunity to consider greatness. He was noted as saying that its initial formulation took considerable effort, because everything presented to him was just "too hot!". This makes sense of adding melon, mint, green leaves, and a heft of aldehydes. Soapy notes are also held within the opening, but turn into a powdery velvet on the skin, as a fibrous scratchiness is soothed into a smooth cotton thread. Patchouli, vetiver and incense seamlessly intertwine to form an earthy bottom chord. Peppery marigold and carnation balance the powdery notes of orris root, rose and musk. Cedar and sandalwood enhance the vertebrate nature of this perfume's character, while fresh fruit exemplify the cohesive skin, blushed with amber and rose. The more I wear this, the more I love it, despite a leering synthetic initial blast. For the price, patience pays. And to Halston, although your ending was a humbling matter, I will always envision your work as true strokes of breathless genius! Rest easy knowing that somethings of beauty are eternal.

A woman who lived on the same floor as me in my freshman dorm wore this as her signature fragrance and it smelled amazing on her. Minty, woody and sexy. On me, it just smelled woody. After watching Halston on Netflix, I purchased a bottle of Halston spray to revisit my past. It still smells woody on me and I still like it. I don't care what you say, it is a complex and delicious fragrance that is still relevant almost 50 years after its inception.

I sang my praises for current Halston cologne awhile back, then I bought a "vintage" bottle with Halston written in white on the bottle-- and that one just doesn't last (a bad reform from the past) plus it smells a bit different from the current.

I loved the Netflix series, and was determined to find original Halston. And I did. Reasonably priced 4oz of vintage cologne splash. (I am only going for bottles that say HALSTON FRAGRANCES Inc with a NY address.)

It does smell like the current available, but it's smoother/deeper and smells much less chemical/synthetic (cheap)- which makes sense. The notes don't smell stronger or anything, but you can def tell one is synthetic and one is made from a time when quality and natural ingredients mattered. Plus back in the day, people shelled out big bucks for designer perfume, and now Halston is a $10 staple at TJ Maxx. So I GET IT. Make it cheap and sell it cheap.

I'm giddy with this big vintage original bottle. I can't wait to wear proper when I get home. The current bottle available isn't BAD tho in comparison.

All the legit vintage ones I was watching on ebay have been sold-- so everyone is watching Netflix and looking to revisit the classic. It IS DATED tho. No denying that. But nothing timeless is ever "trendy". So there.

I mostly get slight mint/melon, lots of GREEN, huge marigold, carnation, moss, woods, earth, a bit leather and some sweat from the dance floor of Studio 54. The vintage version has better development/stages too. Not as linear.

Gdamn- I'm huffing this tissue like a fiend. It smells so GOOD AND SO REAL!

And fun trivia-- In the show Sons of Anarchy- you can see a bottle of Halston on Tara's dresser. :)

When I was in college circa 1983 a friend had a bottle of Halston Pure Perfume. Her father had given it to her sister as a college graduation present. Her sister joined the Peace Core and gave the bottle to her sister, my friend. I remember my friend telling me the bottle cost $100 or $125?

Back in the day Halston was a wonderful green perfume alive and sophisticated. I see it described as woody but I remember it as being a green floral. It always felt too grown up for me and by the time I aged into it, it's time had passed.

I'm scared to smell today's version.

Watching Netflix's Halston brought back the memories.

Watching Halston and wishing I still owned a bottle. Me, my mom, and sister all wore Halston perfume way back when. Time to buy a bottle and hope it's as good as I remember.

To Charlize2014: Yes! I am here because of the Halston Netflix series. Actually I'm a fairly longtime lurker here, but I do remember wearing Halston original, back in the 1980s. I was just a clubbing teenager, but my perception of it at the time was "scratchy in a pleasant way." I've come to recognize this perception as related to the Chypre type of fragrance. I feel like I've been on a quest for my "holy grail" type of this scent for awhile. Everything now seems too sweet.

I'm absolutely fascinated by the episode where he is crafting the fragrance, and the emotional effect it has on him. Even as an accomplished artist in his own sphere, the contemplation of fragrance as an art form seems to leave him completely unhinged. I'm also an artist, although nowhere near the level of Halston! I'm a graphic designer with a toe dipped into writing, but I've never, ever in my wildest dreams imagined the lure of the muse of fragrance. Smell is truly amazing and a sense long neglected by the legion of sensation seekers. I'm as thrilled to discover a new medium, as it appears Halston was as well.

Today I am wearing L'eau Rose, by Balenciaga and it's giving me a similar vibe as what I remember Halston giving me. Ironically, Balenciaga seems to have been one of his early rivals in the fashion world. That's one of those creative muse moments that those of us who pay attention to them treasure.

I may try to pick up a new bottle of Halston to see if it lives up to my scratchy-but -pleasant memories. As I understand it, it may have been reformulated (possible kiss of death) due to restrictions on the use of Oakmoss?

Not a review just curiosity,
Anyone here just because we are curious after watching Halston on Netflix, how his perfume would smell like ? I never tried..., in the movie he is asked to answer questions about his childhood and the perfume will be related to it :) so interesting

I smelled this years ago but honestly can't remember it other than thinking it wasn't me because I was more into Opium and heavy orientals at the time. This review is based on the current version.

Oh, that bottle. Was there anything more phallic? Nowadays there is an intimidating Stonehenge of dildo-shaped perfume bottles ringing the market, but at the time Peretti's sculptural hommage looked undeniably... circumcised, but delicate.

I was wondering how melon and mint and green and fruit in a disco-era perfume would work. It works. It's weirdly fresh, not heady. It opens like a late afternoon summer garden, peppery but pleasant. The mint gives it a discernible freshness but it's not overwhelming; the mint accents the green. I don't really get much melon but more of a hint of something sweet and juicy, but just a hint.

The notes don't really go in order for me. After the opening, on paper, I get a warm and creamy rush of amber and floral, almost like caramel or chocolate, but on my skin it turns mostly marigold. Marigold is one of those jolie laide flowers. It's not a conventionally beautiful floral like rose or jasmine -- though there are faint nuances of rose and jasmine in here, too -- but something of a rugged working flower that smells tart and herbal. I have nostalgia attached to marigold because my parent's gardens were full of them: they always used to plant them to repel mosquitoes. Anyway, the marigold is made prettier with rose, jasmine, and ylang ylang though you can't pick any individual flower out, but the more aromatic aspects of marigold are highlighted with cedar and vetiver. It's really a natural-seeming marigold. Halston loved to augment the natural, like with his waterproof ultrasuede, and this is no exception.

This is a chypre so the fresh floral marigold has a grudging oakmoss bite. THAT, blended with a decadent amber, is when the 1970s feminism and disco come out to play. It's almost like some fresh-faced midwest ingenue wandered into Studio 54 and decided to make it her scene. It's the scent of peak summer just before autumn rot.

There's a scene in the first episode of the Halston biopic on Netflix where Halston confronts Joel Schumacher doing speed in a bathroom. Joel asks, pleadingly: "I don't belong here, do I?" Halston responds, "We're like little ships lost at sea. We've all been through a lot. Left our families, been rejected one way or another. Bunch of queers and freaks and girls who haven't grown up yet. Oh, I think you belong here." That sums up the Halston Classic perfume for me: it soothes those who feel out of place with an innocent, fresh opening, an earthy floral core, and a piquant but warm and creamy drydown. And you may get any of those aspects in any order.

ETA: In the Netflix biopic, Halston, the process that Halston and Adèle, the nose from IFF, go through is illuminating. It starts at Episode 3 at around 18:00. Adele asks him to recall feelings and memories from his past. She has him smell oud, which he deems as "cow manure" (he's from Indiana) and he irritably gives up on the process. She then asks him, for next meeting, to come up with three words from his past.

In their next meeting, we start with his second word: grass, which he describes as spring grass, peeking up through the mud after first thaw, and daffodils, which makes him think of innocence and comfort. He wants to add a soapy shaving cream to the leather Adèle gives him, saying it evokes closeness and acceptance. He breaks down as he recalls memories of his father shaving and then beating him.

She asks him to bring three scents to their next meeting.

In-between is the meeting with Max Factor marketing executives and it is hilarious. He really had to fight for that perfume bottle.

Back to Adèle and the three scents. He brings her a Lady of the Night orchid, which smells like freesia or Lily of the Valley, some pipe tobacco, processed with sugar, which smells like bread baking, and his lover, Victor's jockstrap. She gamely puts it on her face, inhaling it and concentrating HARD. She's awesome.

CUT TO: the commercial for Halston Perfume: "Sensuous. Extravagant. Captivating" In the bottle he wanted all along. It's a huge success.

Ohhh, Halston. For a while, I could wear it and really enjoy it. Minty Bergamot mixed with hints of Rose, deepened with Oakmoss - I really enjoyed it. I'm in my twenties, so I haven't smelled many fragrances like it. As I've acquired more fragrances, Halston has not been worn as much. Now when I first spray it, I smell very syrupy fruit with Mint and Oakmoss - It's odd. But once it dries down, it reminds me of body wash. Despite the sickly opening, it's a very good fragrance - a challenging one I guess you could say.....and that makes it all the more intriguing.


Update: I’ve worn this two times in the past week, and I really love the dry down. It still comes across soapy, but now I can really detect the Oakmoss and Patchouli. I guess my nose has changed for this fragrance lol.

Love this scent. My grandmother wore this every day and it never smelled old lady-ish. She always smelled young and would get compliments on this perfume. I remember always sneaking into her room and spraying it on a little. I always remembered this bottle and now that she’s not here anymore I tracked it down and bought some to remember her. She would wear this and Z-14 by Halston.

Because of the nostalgia, I love it. And I love spraying it on at night to remember her and feel like I’m in her house again or she’s with me again. Scent is amazing for memories like that. But nostalgia aside, I am a man, and find this scent perfectly unisex. I get compliments when I wear it out, so if you are a man thinking of trying this one out, don’t hesitate. For the price point you can’t go wrong, so I don’t feel bad spraying a lot on my bed or curtains as an air freshener or as a memory stimulant.

Strongly recommended from both my grandmother and me. :)

This review is for the parfum formulation in the tiny clear glass bottle with the little glass dabber. This stuff is potent! I think this is what they embalm wealthy old women with! And I love it! It is most definitely a chypre, especially heavy on the oakmoss. This smells similar to Estée Lauder Knowing, but much smoother and easier to swallow. Guard your groin cuz Halston kicks you in the balls! But it hurts so good. Definitely a vintage type scent so avoid it if you aren’t fond of those. Halston is warm and herbal, but very sexy. This is worth having, in my opinion.

I had this perfume as my "signature scent" back in the 1980s. I loved it so much, its warm and fresh and perfect. I always layed down a base of kitchen vanilla flavoring first, then sprayed Halston on top. It was so easy to wear and made my own natural scent muskier and sexier. Maybe surprising or not, I discovered my sister loved it as much as I did, and so that's when I realized how scent is strongly driven by our body chemistry. I will always think back of Halston being my favorite scent. I wonder how a modern bottle would compare.

Sophisticated and gorgeous disco daze floral chypre trailing ylang-ylang, peach juice and soapy orris in it's strobe-lit wake.
Opens with a delicious minty bergamot in a rush of sappy green, a gorgeous floral heart and warm sandalwood/incense drydown. Love it.
Fun bottle is Le Freak, C'est Chic!

Distillation:
disco daze perfume
gold lame, smoke and glamour
in true chypre style

Halston is an alarmingly interesting scent. It's a fresh chypre with mint and marigold, both notes not used as often in fragrances but it's those two that stand out the most. Roy Halston was gay and his perfume creation resembled both his feminine and male side, therefore it makes sense why this fragrance leans towards the unisex category.
It's bold and powerful, yet green and fruity with a sweet trail left on the skin that lasts for days. Simply one of a kind. It can get addictive. It suits adventurous women with a simple code of fashion.

There is a big difference between the original Halston from the '70s/'80s/'90s....and the reformulated version. I received a decant from a new bottle of Halston back in 2011 and it bore only a slight resemblance to the original, and I'd harbor a guess that that's still the case. The reformulated version lacked the distinctive pizzazz that made original Halston a standout fragrance. The reformulated version smelled de-fanged and mild, with only a shadow of Halston recognizable. I actually sent it back to the person who gifted me the decant, telling her, "Thanks but it'll be wasted on me, I'll never use this. I'm sticking to vintage on this one."

I encourage others to do the same. Seek out a vintage bottle with juice that hasn't darkened ridiculously. Like the massacre of Rochas Femme and many other fragrances that were once strikingly beautiful, the reformulated Halston of modern times simply is not actual Halston.
(But if you like the modern stuff, more power to you! It just doesn't resemble the original very much.)

I don't really think that halston smells good...but i really think that it smells interesting! It's alluring , it's addictive... there is something rotten in it... probably the melon ... it's not an easy one....If you like no19 ,grey flannel ,elixir aromatics or even Eden you probably will like this one too... same green, difficult to like, interesting category .

Definitely an oldie but also a goodie. If you are fortunate even to receive a decent bottle today, trust me, you will love it. It's still alluring, smooth and relevant. I used to wear this in the 80's! EEKS! It was a bit more deep and rich back then, but the bottle I received earlier this year has faired well. It's just a weaker juice but still fabulous!!

Have fun ladies...it's still a masterpiece. :)

I bought the 2019 manufacture date. Just to note what others have that said it smelled like it was rancid, I had the same experience, at first. After clearing out what was in the spray tube (maybe it had been sitting for too long), it is as glorious as I remember it from the 70s. Silage was never large with this fragrance, but close to the skin. One of the first, yummy chypres I have experienced. I'm glad I gave this classic a second chance. Had no idea at one time it was the 2nd most popular fragrance sold in America, after Chanel No. 5. I always thought the bottle is unique, and again, didn't know it was designed for Halston by Elsa Peretti. For the price in today's market, it is a great value. For those who didn't get a chance to go to a 70s disco, this really is the epitome fragrance. I think just about everyone in my circle who went to clubs to dance disco wore it then, men and women. Probably one reason why I moved on to Chanel No. 19. I wanted to be different.

A wonderful, complex scent-and this is AFTER IFRA-related reformulations! Oh, how I wish I had a time machine to smell the original version of this, Opium, and Poison 😭

Things started out a bit on the hectic side when I first sprayed it on. The peach and melon fought with the green notes and bergamot right afterwards, making it hard to pick them out individually. I put that down to my bottle being a store tester. The mint started coming through after about 20 minutes after I put it on, and stuck around for about three hours. Then the middle notes slowly eased in, starting with the marigolds and orris root. Later still- about seven hours after spraying it on- the base notes eased in. I especially love how the incense note eases in similar to the one in Poison. After nine hours it becomes a delightful skin scent; the balance between the powdery and herbal/aromatic notes and the musk is sensational. I especially liked how it lasted a literal workday; I wish that more newer scents had this longevity.

Have been meaning to try this one for ages. Got a small sample bottle for cheap. So far it hasn't irritated my eyes or sinuses. It's a fairly intimate scent, nice and subtle, not overpowering. I wasn't all that impressed at first but it's starting to grow on me. The mint opening dissipates fairly quickly on me, and in the middle it's warm, very incense-y, with a bit of spice. It lasts all day, diminishing slowly. I can see why people like to wear it to bed. Doesn't feel like something people would wear to nightclubs, though I suppose it could be seen as sexy and the intimacy of the projection is preferable, IMO, to the more loud and brash perfumes I associate with clubbing.

Halston classic was one of my mom's fragrances that she rarely wore since it is strong and masculine for her tastes. I smelled it again last year and l like it. It is very masculine compared to the present sweet, aquatic colognes for men. Loving classic chypres like Aramis and Aramis Devin l purchased a tester bottle. Beautiful strong masculine fragrance. Unique for me to wear as a man.

Halston is a fragrance that I wore in my early 20's. Thought I'd try it again. Nope. What was a high end fragrance when I used it before smells like a copy cat knock off fragrance at Walmart. Stinks. Why?? This is the second perfume that I have tried to return to with no success. Maybe you can't return to fragrances of your youth. :>(
UPDATE 5-20-2022:
I tried this perfume again. It's like the first time I applied it. Yuck! I don't find to be kin to the first version of Halston. The years of reformulations has ruined the original perfume. So, into it's box the perfume went. And it's exiled to the back of my vanity cabinet. I might try to find a vintage bottle from the time the perfume was the original scent.

My mother wore this all through the 80s and 90s. It smells like a complicated woman who is warm and not to be fucked with. A woman too big for the suburbs.

The vintages are leaps and bounds better than the contemporary Halston, likely because what is a chypre without oakmoss? It wasn’t totally removed but IFRA regulations caged a tiger. You need to smell an original formulation to understand the glory of Halston’s craft. Something powerful enough to intrigue Women whose senses were dulled by chainsmoking and septum destroying amounts of coke, and lovely enough to be memorable through a haze of parties and office doldrums and more parties and more office doldrums.

She's a brash one, in such a familiar way.

*Actually, despite the association with the disco scene, this fragrance is quite rock to me as well. Like a group of jean jacket girls heading to some random diner at midnight after seeing their favorite arena band. Eyeliner smeared, hair tangled with leftover hairspray, and their dates taking a smoke break while waiting for the food.

EA formulation, no signature. It is an earthy, dark green, very heavy hitter with what feels to me, a cucumber-like note at the top. The first spray went from skin astringent, to soap, then to Pond's cucumber cold cream. Briefly sweet and a bit lotion-like, with no mint. At the same time, the moss and patchouli really want to fight their way to the top. It was a fascinating turn.

Oddly, I think that seems to be the majority of it. It does not stay soft, and nothing particularly fruity to round it out. There doesn't seem to be a lot of complexity beyond (what I believe is) the remanufactured moss and a blanket description of "earth." Perhaps I may compare it to a wax candle that advertises itself as "like walking through a misty forest on Halloween night." If you enjoy this strictly forest vibe - go for it.

Only at the end do I get some powder, marigold and a tiny bit of a note I've previously smelled in Ciara - perhaps the incense. I can say this is wearing far better than Ciara did on me. A simultaneously clean and dirty green done right, and can be pretty obnoxious, if you're into that. Spray very carefully. ;) I personally am missing something more sweetly indolic, as it doesn't come through on me. And of course, our poor oakmoss.

I love that any gender can wear this. However, the mystery behind the original Halston will now be on my mind. For such a strong fragrance, this version gives off a sort of linear coldness at the same time. I'm always fantasizing that the original had something more confident, opulent, and inviting. I'd love to get my hands on a Halston Fragrances vintage. But for now, this will be one unique addition to my shelf.

1970's sex in a steam room. I love marigold, a seldom used fragrance note nowadays. Sadly, Halston now annoys me after too long on my skin, possibly the reformulated oakmoss is not done well and sits heavy. The hot, sweaty aspect of this perfume I used to love now starts to smother. I still do buy the Holiday box of perfume and lotion for $15 at CVS and just sniff the bottle but I can't put it on my skin.

Fruity sweet, sexy and smoky. I was able to pick out the melon and it is very aromatic overall. It is heavy on the incense, but in a way that I enjoy. I love Clinique AE, and it makes sense to me that it was created by the same nose. With this perfume I feel that I am powerful and daring. It is so fun! I think in a parallel universe I was in Studio 54 too lol. I can't wait to wear this on a night out in the winter, as this scent will keep me warm. It is a very cozy and delicious scent. Unfortunately, the lasting power on this one is not good on me, but it is so inexpensive that it does not matter to me. This is a love for me!!

Halston rejoined my collection during this corona-life & it DID NOT smell as I remembered. So, I said to myself, "I'm going to SLEEP in this to finish it up because I don't think it would be "well-received" by others." I proceeded to use Halston as my bedtime scent so as not to waste it, but then, I started to LOVE this chypre-heavy scent!! Oh. My. Goodness. Ok, "STOP sleeping in it!" LOL You ever NOT like a fragrance so much you actually START loving it?! Well, the chypre called to me & I responded. I'm so over designer fragrances & what appears to be everyone smelling the same. The youtubers are the biggest offenders of this by ALL "hawking" the SAME list. No fun in that! So, I, personally, am redefining this new(?) formula cult-classic as NICHE. I can do that, right? I mean, no one in my circle wears this. I have yet to smell Halston on anyone in passing, so...NICHE it is! I know what it reminds me of: my Hermes 24 Faubourg. Although there are no chypre notes listed for 24, it's opening is just as heady & intoxicating in the right {evening?} surroundings. At least, that's when I wear it. This amazing & rediscovered chypre floral gets put to good use in the evenings for my husband & me. I have been separated from my 24 Faubourg for 7 months now as I shipped my things overseas to live before this pandemic. We find this a suitable stand-in as we both enjoy the heavy combo of balsam/woods/chypre & finally an erotic floral. Of course, I can pick up a bottle of 24 in the airport!

Smells exactly the same way '70s design looks.

Smells like First by Van Cleef & Arpels mixed with expired surface spray cleaner.

Purchased Halston Classic online in the ridiculous hope it would smell the same as the divine fragrance I remember from the 1970’s

Well, no fool like an old fool, it is disgusting, don’t think it’s even useable as a bathroom air freshener.

What on earth has been done to it ?

I purchased Halston to satisfy one of those I-need-a-new-perfume-now urges as well as out of curiosity. It’s regarded as a drugstore favorite and I saw several references to it making regular appearances at Studio 54. So I was confused when I wore it and got more of a preppy, shower fresh vibe. Call me naïve, or at least give me a pass for being born after Studio 54 shut down, but in my mind folks at Studio 54 would be wearing fragrances along the lines of Opium, not clean-cut fragrances like Halston! I mentioned this to someone recently who said, “Halston was AT Studio 54. Of course people were wearing his perfume.” Well, that made more sense to me. 😉

I’m starting this wearing and review on an overcast, 60° F spring morning. For me, Halston is perfect for this kind of day. It really is shower fresh and sporty and fits with my T-shirt and shorts just fine. I’ve got a spray on each arm as well as on a notecard. I did my best to pick out individual notes before peeking at Fragrantica, and the couple I got were some nice dry mossiness and some sweetness I guessed as melon. I thought there might be some musk, albeit a very clean musk. It’s full bodied with a soap-like vibe.

I can see myself wearing this on a spring day or to cool down on a hot summer day. No night vibes here. It starts out cool and earthy like EL Aliage, making me think of a forest floor in the spring. Halston is a little soapier and a little sweeter, with a more mainstream feel, while Aliage takes the herbal path. This is where those paths diverge. As the day goes on, Halston turns to overripe melon on my skin. A little funky even. On the other hand, my notecard strip remains all chypre and it’s beautiful. If Halston wears like a chypre on you then you have a winner. The best notes degrade on me. Halston has mild sillage but more lasting power than a lot of modern department store perfumes.

The Halston bottle is remarkable. Just as this scent brings to mind phrases like classic and well groomed, the bottle makes me think of a luxury bath product. The bottle, filled with amber liquid, is tear shaped with a gently curved cream-colored neck and round cap. It makes me think of a drop of golden bath oil slipping from the spout of a porcelain decanter.

I’m a member of a fragrance group on FB, and a lady had a bottle of Halston, from the 80’s that she had to re-decant into another bottle because the origial bottle was leaking. She said the first person who wanted it, she’d send it, so l hopped onto the opportunity to experience this perfume.
I remember smelling the newer version in Sears, one day and l thought it smelled. Horrible! It smelled like hot sex and ass, not in a good way! But l wanted to try the vintage and I’m sooo glad l did! This is unlike anything I’ve smelled before; it’s so unique! Upon initial spray, l thought it was quite sharp, and that l smelled a lot like a mint julep lol. But when it dried down, it got sweeter, incense-y, herbal, melon and l couldn’t stop smelling my wrist! This one surprised me and I’m so happy l have this! I’m definitely going to get another vintage bottle because l enjoy unique perfumes, as l don’t like smelling like everyone else. I’m going to wear this one out, today so I’m hoping it goes well and l may get a compliment(s)😁.

What a delight to have this again in the original version! Halston Fragrances, Inc. Spray Cologne, made in N.Y. I've been sampling some very "niche" scents lately, and sadly, none that I've tried were anywhere near as good as this inexpensive gem from the 70's. The real Oakmoss, the tagets/marigold, incense, herbs, melon, florals... oh my!

It is warm here today, and my vintage Halson is working beautifully on my skin. It is refreshing and yet sultry (I don't know how, but there it is...)

Please do try to find a nice original or old version. It really is as good as we Vintagers say. ;)

I just purchased a bottle of the Cologne from walgreens. And I sprayed it on a wrist, and on my neck. Gave it time to dry down a few hours and it smelled like cleaning chemicals. I did not enjoy this and I was really looking forward to experiencing the elegance of what I guess it used to be. Very disappointed.

It is SO SAD what they have done to this masterpiece! It's like they poured half of it out & added a mix of water & men's cheap aftershave. STUNNING in it's day! Not anymore.

I know only the current formula in EDC concentration. And I love it - as I do all fragrances from genius Bernard Chant! I understand that what I smell is slightly or even totally different from the original formulas, but I definetely believe that this fragrant is a piece of art for it's own sake if not compared to anything, not even to it's origins. As many of Bernard Chant's fragrances, this is totally unisex in a veeeeery sexy manner. It has character, it is multi-faceted it has it's depth and warmth and fresh features as well. Marigold is a note with strong character, it's definetely not for everyone, it's not the usual pretty floral note but something earthy, if not dirty..... It's a smoky, sexy, in this current formulation rather powdery chypre. One can interpret this as a mess or as a magnificent complex scent according to tastes and skin chemistry.

Oh man that mint and melon combo are really coming through in the opening. They sparkle together on me for a good 20 minutes, then the melon pairs up with the carnation and peach to give their own unique contribution to such a beautiful punch in the nose. In a strange way, it smells like carnation is present from the initial spray lasting far into the wearing. I get the orris with the jasmine, ylang, and more of that carnation blending into something outrageously sexy on my skin. I do detect a slight hint of rose, but with my body's chemistry it seems almost like a very fresh, metallic rose. Definitely a sour tinge, reminiscent of that vegetal sharpness associated with roses that have not yet come to bloom but are on the verge. The resinous qualities of this perfumes base are out of this world! There's something really magical about the dry down. The patchouli is persistent and entirely pleasant with a warm and inviting dryness that is rounded out by the oakmoss and sandalwood. This is kind of throwing me for a loop in how it reminds me of: Le Parfum, by Sonia Rykiel. There is a distinct incense laden, woody, sweetness that seems to be present in both fragrances. I blindly bought this after hearing about it recently and Holy Moses, it's strikingly beautiful, and Oh My God, the price! I basically got this for a song. These are the types of gems that I want in my collection! Beautiful, balmy, bombs wrapping me in their captivating magic. My heart and soul crave this, while my senses love the journey their taken on.

Halston is elegance in a bottle, effortlessly chic and impossibly gorgeous. It’s the beautiful people that went to Studio54, not to show off like everyone does today, but to have fun, do drugs, dance till early morning and go home with a stranger or not.

What turns me on about Halston is how perfect the melon/mint freshness is achieved. It smells like fresh breath. Like a rush of air. Wearing it I’m transported to a mid 70’s apartment, complete with shag carpet, palm trees and mirrored walls. Oh, and track lighting.
Disco music is playing, people are gettin ready for a night out, the clothes are laid on the bed, and there’s a window open, letting in some cool breeze.
Cristal (both Chanel and champagne), Azzaro, Opium, Michelle, Fidji, Paco Rabanne pour Homme, Pierre Cardin...that’s the kind of fragrances you find on the vanity table. But it could very well be Jean Naté or Jovan musk. Beautiful people, beautiful fragrances, a party ahead and some fun. That’s what Halston feels to me.

Halston is mossy, woody, soapy. Soapy as in the smell of a fresh bar of soap. Fresh, like kissing someone that’s been chewing mint gum. Fresh like the new melon cocktail that’s all the rage and that you’re going to indulge yourself with.
On me, the flowers take a back, unidentifiable seat. It’s all about the herbal marigold, inky oakmoss and woody cedar and sandalwood. Sometimes I get incense and amber, bringing it closer to a dark corner where everyone fabulously reeks of Opium. The richer crowd. But most times it’s about the green tapestry. Every time though it’s all about class and elegance. The kind of expensive perfume you use on special occasions. Like making a line outside Studio54, hoping that tonight you’re the lucky one. The one that Steve (Rubell) will pick to come inside and dance the night away with Bianca Jagger, and Elizabeth Taylor, and Jerry Hall, and Andy Warhol.
But even if you don’t get chosen, the night is young and your friends will take you somewhere else. You’re in Manhattan, it’s the 70’s, you can do anything and go anywhere! Well, maybe not Studio54!

Halston has little to no similarities to other fragrances. It could be, maybe, Ivoire, if Ivoire wears Ultrasuede and smokes menthol cigarettes. Halston, just like the fashion of Roy and the magic of decadent New York nights, is unique. It took something familiar, modernized it, and made it new again, complete with a sculptural bottle that fits it to a T. It screams optimism, elegance, all while shining like a disco ball. It’s not just about the beautiful people that made it famous, it’s about the feeling of letting go, having the time of your life and mixing with the crowd. Famous or not.

Although it might appear as a nighttime scent, Halston, like most chypres, can be worn in any occasion. The vintage, mid 80’s bottle I own has intense sillage and longevity that lasts the night. I don’t know how the current formula fares but looking at what chypres have become, I have little faith. I think modern Halston wouldn’t be taken by the hand of Steve Rubell to go into Studio54.

Adding: the vintage extrait (now own a 70’s bottle) has the same formula, amped up in a luscious animalic green. That night out at Studio54; well, it just moved to a dark corner. 🔥🔥

Halston classic is very woody, green, spicy. It's masculine really. It's an exceptionally bold chypre. This is not for those that like soft and demure scents. This is a night at Studio 54. It's outrageous, decadent and sexy as all get out. Halston is one you should try before you buy. I blind bought it myself but I'm pretty open to different scents and I was not disappointed. It's definitely a one of a kind.

Smelled it so many times in my younger years! I even had some in the early 80's and didn't want it. I gave it away to a friend, I think. LOL! The laugh's on me!

During a recent sampling of my samples stash, I smelled Halston like it was a whole new fragrance. Too many notes here for me to really explain this rhapsody of scent. My how the passage of time resets your impressions of things.
What a gorgeous perfume! I love classic and vintage perfumes and Halston is definitely one to try if you tend to like chypre types.

I'm also on a mission to sniff out Halston Amber Woman which a friend told me about. I've been out of the buying loop for a spell but it's time to play catch up I guess!

Timeless dynamite!
Unique chypre with its own American signature scent. No other perfume was able to copy it.
The mint and marigold make it refreshing and perfect for summer nights. Marigold: the sunflower with the happy and confident vibes.
It is versatile - suits independent, strong, natural boho type women.

I'm thrilled that fragrance sites like this give reviews. It allows people to get a picture of what something smells like. Although everyone's perspective is different, someone can get an idea of what a fragrance is like. I will always give an unbiased opinion, no matter how I feel personally about a particular fragrance. I blindly bought Halston at a department store. After reading the scent description, I thought this would be something I would like. I know this has been around a while, but something is terribly wrong in the bottle. Maybe it was old, and "spoiled" ( yes, fragrances spoil) but there was a note in this fragrance that was just awful. To the point where it made me nauseous. It was a rancid, old musty burnt dirt smell. Like old motor oil that got too hot. Now, looking past that, I could tell the other notes were fine and something I would enjoy. But this burnt motor oil smell just turned it into an epic fail. I wanted to love this so bad. But it's definitely a no go for me. Maybe the bottle was old, I don't know. Very disappointed.

I wore this fragrance sometimes in the 70s. For a while I thought I'd leave it in the past, but no. I love that marigold note. It's so warm, bright, and cheery. I purchased a new bottle and I like now it more than ever! I think this is due in part to having grown to appreciate the base notes, crave them even. The amber, sandalwood, patchouli, cedar,incense... all of it is good. In fact, I like the amber and sandalwood so much, I bought Halston Woman Amber too.

There's so much loveliness in that funny lop sided bottle! I'm a little late to the Halston party, having received a mini of the vintage only days ago. Oh, I smelled the stuff on others before, but never knew the name.
H. is so warm and soft, it reminds me of a thick sweater on a miserable winter day. Good sillage and great longevity! But here's something strange: H. smells like an Oriental to me, but it's listed as a Chypre. The scent is similar to Clinique Aromatics, which I also love.
I've ordered another vintage bottle today. Hopefully it'll be as good as the one I already have.

Annxyz, I had the same experience yesterday. Today I checked the batch code and it was made 6 years ago. I am returning it and will now always check the batch code before purchasing. Hopefully the one you purchased was just expired and not indicative of this classic's current formulation.

This has been weakened of its soul in my opinion . I sampled it today . I bought a bottle, opened it and noticed that it smelled far weaker than the tester. I returned it quickly .

3This goes very nicely after showering and lotioning up with Bath and Body works Sensual Amber products. I thought I didn't like marigold note all that much, but Halston (and Van Cleef) have changed my mind about that. Halston is softer and more delicate than Van Cleef, which I wore just prior to Halston.

I got two bottles of Halston for an unbelievable $10 each two years ago and made sure to store them properly. Still smell great! It's perfect for this November 1 (still! wet and gloomy) weather that will just not go away in Toronto right now. Oh well, I have my lovely Halston at least.

Edit: my bottles do not have the written "Halston" on them that the illustration shows (?)

Hi RDfaerie, I think I may know the answer as to why you smell bitter chemicals in Halston Classic, when so many others like myself just adore this fragrance. It could be that Halston has an unpleasant personal association for you, but it might literally be the chemical makeup.

I'm about to go all Perfume Nerd on you, sorry.

I suspect that the culprit is Calendula Officinalis or English Marigold (also known as Pot Marigold). In Australia, English Marigolds are called Stinking Rogers. Nuff said. The scent is different to Tegetes, another plant which also goes by the common name of Marigold. That is sweeter and is also used in fragrances. Halston Classic for Women has English Marigold as a main fragrance note.

As an experiment after reading your review, I sprayed Halston on my skin. It was awful. I couldn't believe it, because this is in my fragrance top ten. I've never experienced this before and thought my bottle may have turned. I then tried two of my other marigold fragrances. Yep - Stinking Roger. That's when I wondered if it was the weather.

Today at my place the weather is humid and rainy, and the sharp bitter marigold note completely overwhelmed the other sweeter notes in Halston (and the other fragrances I own), and I had to scrub it off. Most of the time though this fragrance is very well balanced. So, before you toss your bottle away, please give it another try in different weather.

Maybe Halston will turn out to be your personal Kryptonite, but if it works for you in the right weather, you might just love it too.

So, in conclusion, I figure after my overspraying experiment today, that on a good day, Calendula gives a sweet fragrance an edge. On a bad day, Calendula reminds me of nursery rhyme my mother used to sing to me about a little girl who had a little curl. "When she was good, she was very very good, but when she was bad she was rotten". Not sure what my mother meant by that.

I got myself a brand new, unglamorous bottle of Halston recently. Not surprisingly, this reformulation does not smell sultry, or any way reminiscent of a 70s nightclub.
What this smells like is a vintage box of gift soap, those small fragrant bundles that came in cardboard, wrapped up in the most delicate tissue paper.
The scent is very clean and synthethic in my opinion, I could almost bet there are aldehydes in there (there are not according to the description). There is some marigold and jasmin, and I cannot really identify the oakmoss and vetiver that is supposed to be there.
To me, this scent smells like a soapy soak in a bathtub, sudsy! that's the best word I can convey for this scent.
Excellent non invasive smell, perfect to have at hand for a pick me up when you are feeling run down and not your best in the middle of the day...

Ooh! Received this in a Big Box of '70s today (Halston, Ciara, Tabu, three that my scent memory strongly associates with that decade), and although I'd worn it some years later, waaaaaay back in the days when I was a young pup working in an office in Manhattan, I'd totally forgotten about the warm, musky deliciousness of the drydown. Can't wait for cold weather (for oh-so-many fragrance reasons) so that I can layer it with Halston Amber. Yum.

I really enjoy chypre fragrances. Two of my favorites are Lancôme Magie Noire and Clinique Aromatics Elixir which are both 70's creations. Since Halston Classic was also a 70's creation, I knew it was a must have for me. It definitely has the same vibe as the other two and was a terrific blind buy. I love it! Crisp green leaves, resinous marigold, and bright carnation are layered over the deep and earthy oakmoss. The amber provides warmth and a touch of sweetness. I'll wear my trio of classic chypres a lot this fall. Can't wait!

GREAT drugstore fragrance! I don't know if you can still get it or even if they changed the original formula, but...I think of Gia Carangi because she wore this. So 70's, ahhh, the nostalgia ...disco dancing...couldn't go to a disco without smelling this! It also makes me kind of sad to think how far Gia could have gone in her career were it not for drugs that cut her life painfully short at 26.

I purchased Halston on a whim after reading the lovely mschnabel666's review...she knows her vintages and animalics and this is a genre of perfumes I've come to really cherish and consider my style. I had forgotten I ordered it and when it arrived I half-heartedly opened the package, not sure if this little drugstore cheapie would "wow" me.. I sprayed a bit on, and....."wow!" indeed!

Halston opens with an animalic skankiness that reminds me of Ciara and My Sin, and then morphs into a lovely green fragrance reminiscent of Gold Must de Cartier. I parted with my bottle of Gold Must not too long ago because something about it wasn't gelling with my chemistry, but I'm happy to have a similar fragrance back in my rotation as I've been missing a good herbal, earthy unisex.

I am so beyond happy with this blind buy. I went crazy with 8 sprays today as it's not a very heavy perfume on me, and I am reveling in this green aura of earth goddess loveliness. I can see myself wearing this hiking or at least on days I wish I was hiking :)

Sharp oakmoss, & roses.

This is the kind of urine blend of extra sharp sour roses and oakmoss. It has that sharp vetiver as well with some patchouli, musk, and carnations.

This is overly sharp blend of sourness, and bitter oakmoss. I can't deny it's someone's favorite but not me as i had high hopes for it but it turned the opposite. I prefer Halston night over this one.

Edit (After 20 minutes) The blend is settling now and it's getting softer! which makes it much less sharp that i first sprayed it on! i think it's getting much better than i first sprayed it on and much attractive! I believe if i stayed more it will turn dramatic... i'll give it more time and more tests to see what it will tak me to.. let's see.

I'm wearing just now..70's allure,warm hug and charming wearing. Love!

Purchased today what I hope will be the original formulation (fingers crossed). Purchased a bottle previously but it was reformulated and did not last as long as the Halston i recall from the early 1980's, plus it is missing the depth of the original. Not bad, but not the original.

FYI: for those seeking to purchase Halston, I do not recall the original formulation having the words 'Halston' on the bottle, like some are showing on Ebay and even here on Fragrantica. This may tip you off that it may be reformulated.

I love vintage perfumes, so I had to finally get a $12 bottle of current Halston.

And you know what? I love it! Uncomplicated, and just enough floral, animal, chypre, green to satisfy me! It's all mashed together, but I can smell each. I'm totally happy. It's a "kitchen sink" 70s smell, and that works for me!

Of course it's Bernard Chant! This may be an oldie, and common for it's heyday, but it's really a classic scent! xoxo

It does remind me of Paloma, but better. Paloma is very masculine and strong on me. This Halston is a bit tamer.

I received a bottle of Halston Classic when I was waaaay too young to appreciate it. As I have stated in other reviews on this site, I was a housekeeper for a family friend from ages 13-18 (late 80's to 1994) and at that time, everything in my part of the world, which was very isolated was acquired by mail after a phone order or mail order was made. My former employer used to order scads of Estee Lauder makeup and perfume, Clinique, etc. She ordered so much that she was forever getting freebies of extra makeup and perfume in her order and she passed them all on to me. As a result, I had a lot of more mature scents at my disposal and wore them when nearly everyone else my age was wearing the brighter sticky sweet scents of the day. Me, I was wearing scents like Halston, Lauren, etc. The most recent bottle of Halston Classic that I have is a drug store/after Christmas impulse purchase, I hadn't smelled it in years. While the drug store purchase is pretty close, it doesn't quite have the impact on me (in a good way) that the 1990 me appreciated. Close enough though that I am enjoying having it in my collection and wearing it, still standing out 20+ years later.

Thanks to Fragrantica and the helpful & very descriptive reviews, this is one of the first vintage perfumes I bought, and I love it. If anyone saw the Pixar movie "Inside Out" about the childhood memories, it was like getting an early childhood memory back. I was too young to wear perfume when this was popular, but some aunt or cousin or one of my mother's friends must have had it, or maybe it's just one of those scents that was in the air and is part of my scent memories from that era, because I recognized it as soon as I got it, it actually made me a little emotional.

Interesting reading the descriptions of the different formulations. Mine is a vintage 80s dab on bottle, not the one by Elizabeth Arden or the alcohol free version. It has an amber color. It does not smell like violet or Irish Spring soap. It a mossy-earthy-floral-green chypre. I get a blast of bergamot & "green" in the opening, and if the peach and mint are there, they are subtle (not like today's peach body sprays or a heavy dose of mint like in Lush's Dirty or anything like that). The floral notes are those 70s, natural smelling florals (it says Jasmine, cedarwood, carnation, ylang ylang, rose..but no single note stands out to me). The base is moss, patchouli, amber, musk, vetiver, frankincense, sandalwood. Again well blended, nothing artificial smelling, and you don't get hit with any particular note. It's 70s earthy- hippy-meets the disco scene. It stays close to the skin too, and doesn't project too much, so it doesn't feel "loud" or over the top (I only use a little on my wrists). I love this one so much.

I simply adore Halston! These past few weeks I have been in dire need of retail therapy and have emersed myself in a world of perfume. Halson classic has been the stand out purchase so far. It was a partially blind buy relying on only your reviews to seal the deal.

I give major kudos Bernard Chant for creating such a gorgeous well rounded chypre. I agree with many of the other reviewers that this is vaguely reminiscent of Aromatics Elixir, but much creamier as if you sanded down all its rough edges. Don't get me wrong I freaking love AE and wear it often in all its incarnations, heck I own the perfumer's reserve soild and fluid. But it's no secret that AE can be sharp.

When I wear Halston I feel naturally sexy if that makes sense. I do smell the mint in the opening, no melon on me but I'm not sad about that. The heart is stunning, so floral and semi-sweet, this is where it gets creamy. It finishes as a woody amber, oakmoss and incense skin sent that will have you sniffing yourself for hours. I picture the Halaton Woman of 1975 in her leather halter romper, hair, stunning hair long and wavy golden shimmering. She would have smelt so sexy and alluring, a trail of creamy moss and incense following in her wake

I picked up a gift set with a full sized body lotion for under $25 CAD. The lotion is to die for, it's the base notes and not much else. This makes it ideal for layering. I often wear it under other less mossy or green fragrances to give them a bit of base. This has made it into my tight circle of signature scents. I'm on the hunt for a vintage bottle. From what I read the older juice is much better, as it often is. If you see this at your local drugstore this Christmas buy it! You will be pleased you did.

I have an older parfum and current cologne.

The older parfum is an earthy oakmoss-rich chypre with a touch of greenness, that has a strong staying power and moderate sillage in the splash/dab on packaging. I haven't tried the parfum spray, and I can only imagine that it would completely envelop you in the fragrance. It is definitely a fragrance of it's time. I love It!

The current cologne is a shadow of the older parfum. Still very much a chypre, and that itself makes it worth having, IMO, because since chypres just aren't the thing right now, that makes them few and far between. Especially for ten bucks a bottle. It's less earthy but still has the "deep in a forest" chypre vibe. The greenness is still there, too. I smell a hint of something soapy, and something dusty and very slightly powdery. Sillage is modest, staying power is weak. It performs like a body spray or splash on my skin.

If I could afford to stock up on the vintage, I would. But for casual wear, the current version is perfectly acceptable when I'm in the mood for a dry, non-sweet chypre.

Completely unisex too. My husband wears it from time to time.

If you're looking for a classic chypre at a budget price, you really can't go wrong with it.

This stuff is not just heady, but it's heady even by 70's standards and I love it. It's one of those fragrances that really transports you to a different era when you spray it on. These days this is easily unisex and I would recommend other guys give this great fragrance a spray and check it out.

A beautiful, elegant, complex classic which, quite unfortunately, I cannot wear due to a consistent headache-response that is in opposition to the way the fragrance pleases me in all other ways.

I can't live with the pain, so I have to skip this gentle beauty.

This perfume already became "retro" by the time I was a teenager. Considering by most reviews Halston is appreciated mostly by ladies who remember it from their youth or got accustomed to wearing it, or at least have sweet memories of their childhood and their mothers or aunts wearing it. When I discovered this scent by chance in a discount store it was very new to me, I never smelled it before, and I realized right away it's from an era gone by. Nevertheless, one doesn't have to be of certain age group to appreciate a modest, but dignified beauty of Halston. It is floral chypre done right. Classic, as its name states. Feminine in a strong assertive way.
I never tried the vintage version of it since what they sell today is reformulated Halston, and as some reviews say it's quite toned down from the original. I have both alcohol-based perfume and alcohol-free oil-based one. The alcohol-free Halston is much lighter and doesn't project at all, it is a skin scent right away after spraying, and you have to be careful with it not to get it on your clothes, it's quite oily.
But I like them both. To me this scent is a mood-lifter. I wouldn't necessarily wear it outside much, just for myself, at home or to go to sleep. It conveys the feeling of peacefulness, connected-ness to nature.
I seem to have quite a few of unexpected "likes" among perfumes with "orris root" note. I can sense marigold, bergamot, patchouli, sandalwood, incense here, but thankfully no melon or peach.

I have vintage parfum. It's all oakmoss. Very dry and woody and herbal.

I purchased my first bottle of this when I first started working in a cosmetics/perfume counter at the age of 18, in 1980. It's the most perfect chypre that I know of. The blend is spectacular, and I love that there are beautiful floral notes as well.. I purchased many bottles of this fragrance in the '80s, but I waited to wear it once it was not worn by so many women. It took me about 15 years to start wearing it..I still have some of those vintage bottles left today.

Recently, I was given a gift of the new Halston fragrance, and it's very similar to the original fragrance. I have the version with alcohol. It's also long lasting on me.

This is not my everyday fragrance, but when I'm in the mood for floral chypre nothing else will do for me. From a green opening to the floral middle to the spicy finale, every note is perfection. Whenever I wear it, without fail, my husband tells me that he likes the "soap" that I used.

One good spray is enough for me, and it lasts a long time. If you have problems with it not lasting, don't spray it on the pulse points, where it sometimes burns off too quickly.

Forget about the '70s. Few people recall it from then. You can wear this now!

This isn't going to necessarily be a review but rather a description. This is a chypre, straight and true. You have to love this style of perfume to appreciate Halston. If you love Aromatics Elixir, Magie Noire, No. 19, Private Collection, etc. you will enjoy this.

Spray through the air and walk through to really get the most out of this warm, golden, floral, oak moss-y beauty. This is a great alternative for when I don't want to use my more expensive Aromatics Elixir. That said, Halston does not smell cheap nor dated. I have been on a gourmand kick lately but suddenly craved some crisp, clean chypres. It is great for a professional environment if applied with a light hand and allowed to bloom.


UPDATE: Third day in a row wearing Halston Classic and the only downside is longevity is pretty poor. On clothes, it's fine, but you don't really want to spray chypres on clothes since they need body heat to open up and bloom. I get about 3/4 hours max on skin before needing to reapply. Granted, it's dirt cheap so it's not a budget killer.

I want to love her but she does not love me back. On my skin the first whiff is that of burnt plastic. As time goes on the woodiness starts to emerge but there is a lingering tar smell, bitter and pungent. Either I've gotten a bad bottle or my body chemistry changes its expression.

This was a blind buy based on so many positive comments. I've sprayed some on a scarf and will let it sit overnight hoping I can experience the loveliness that others have described. I won't give up on this lady but for now she will sit in the back row of my perfume cabinet.

Hi everyone

I bought a lot of NEW IN BOX vintage cologne. They are splash and half oz each. I am testing and they are fine original. If anyone wants to trade anything for a Halston Cologne Splash perfect new in box, please write to me and let´s do it.

"Halston Woman 1975 is considered to be the first perfume, in its proper meaning, containing Iso E Super" says Mat Yudov in "The History of Iso E Super in Perfumery" here on Fragrantica.

Halston is a wonderful smokey sweetish woody blend, spicey too. I see the Azuree reference and would even go to a Cabochard reference, which may well be a leather note. To me, it is sweeter than Cabochard, more powdery. I anyone wishes to trade someting for a new full boxed bottle of the original Halston vintage, I am getting some. I am longing for Cabochard original and also any of Annick Goutal original vintages. Open to many.

Just obtained a vintage (?) bottle of this. I have not owned this since the 80's....OMG, I forgot how wonderful this classic scent is !! To my nose, this is a true chypre.....It brings back many pleasant memories of the past. I was so nervous it would not smell the same to me, but....it does !!! This scent takes time to develop on my skin, and once it does, it really works on my skin. A true classic !!! I have a 1oz bottle....now I have to search for a larger vintage bottle before its too late !!!

I just realized something. Halston Classic smells like a 70s Mitsouko. It shares MANY of the same notes. I wonder if its creators did that on purpose; I don't think any perfume "nose" would miss the olfactory references. I'll have to think about ths. Oh, and yes, I'm enjoying Halston Classic very much! I love the Elsa Peretti bottle, I remember when you could buy a tiny silver one on a chain from Tiffany's, and it could actually hold a bit of parfum.

Oh, bring back the '70s! Disco, Studio 54, bell-bottoms....very much a fragrance of it's place and time. Still have an original, it's only gotten better with time.

This is a nice, dark, smoky, vintage scent that serves nicely to represent this genre of scent in a collection. I enjoyed testing it, but am not in the position to desire a bottle for regular wear. I am happy simply knowing that it is a nice scent for those who are into these vintage-type scents.

Fragrance Review For Halston Classic

Top notes: mint, melon, green leaves, peach bergamot

Middle notes: carnation, orris root, jasmine, marigold, ylang-ylang, cedar rose

Base notes: sandalwood, amber, patchouli, musk, oakmoss, vetiver incense

A 70's signature scent for many women as the men's version was for men of the 70's. My parents wore this stuff. My mother recently asked me to buy it for her and she mostly wanted to ascertain whether or not it's been reformulated. I bought it for her and she has worn the reformulation. She can smell the changes/differences. The vintage wore like a combination chypre, Oriental and fruity floral as well as spicy musk. It was wonderfully complex and heavy. It was always an affordable drugstore cheapie but the fragrance smelled as luxurious as any Chanel being sold at the time. I remember the trail of scent it left when my mother wore it. I detected mostly the flowers and musk. Marigold was prominent and ylang-ylang. Very floral. Yellow floral. There was a lot of carnation in it as well. The incense and patchouli gave it an aromatic touch. A real perfume with sillage longevity and everything that makes a fragrance so unforgettable. It was not sweetly feminine nor too fruity. On my mother it smelled great. She preferred what she called "serious" perfumes and loved soft flowers but preferred mostly woods and musk. The formula selling today for the same low price is an echo of the original. The spiciness is gone and it's mostly fruity especially the opening with mint and lots of peach. The ylang-ylang is very detectable in the new formula but that's about about it as far as the flowers. The base notes which were so strong and important in the original are not as strong in the reformulation. There's amber and a strong oak moss. In the dry down it's woodsy and mossy. It does still smell pretty vintage and very old fashioned. Very few people I know wear this and those who lived through the 70s and its fragrances which were so green and smoky would prefer to forget the smells that surrounded them in the 70's not just the perfumes but the way the world smelled back then. It was an era in which smoking was allowed everywhere: hotel lobbies, airplanes, buses, restaurants, libraries, college classrooms etc. The smokiness in the original was never that strong but it was still somehow smoky. This was a really amazing perfume. I would recommend it only if you are a hardcore fan of vintage fragrances or if you really do gravitate toward musky woodsy incense-florals. The price is very cheap but the scent is not. It's a luxurious perfume which can go into so many directions it's hard to talke it all in and to fully do it justice in one fragrance review.

Halston is a classic deep sensual fragrance & unlike many fragrances in today's market, it isn't overwhelming fruity or Spicy.

I haven't worn Halston in years BUT I spray the pillows in my formal living room with it once a week & always have at least one bottle in my collection at all times. Everyone who has ever been to my home has commented on how wonderful my house smells & I thank my Mother's Disco Era Halston perfume for that:) It leaves a lasting impression!

I can't believe I missed out on this scent in its heydey, although I might not have been able to afford it back then. It reminds me of another '70s fragrance I love, Imprevu -- probably because the green woody notes are so dominant on me, and I get very little of the florals.

But while I love Imprevu, I'm IN love with Halston. So green and woody! The green leaves top note just never quits. The initial rush of mint and bergamot, with just a hint of the peach and melon, is quickly replaced by the freshness of the cedar heart note -- which also stays throughout. Of the florals, I get only marigold and perhaps orris root, but then the oakmoss and vetiver snuff them out.

Finally, a blend of the oriental base notes emerges, sweeter, spicer, but not too much so. A fragrance that's fresh enough for daytime, but sophisticated enough for evening.

Sillage for the EDC is moderate, longetivity impressive.

Goes on very strong, very sharp. From a different era: dry, soapy, oakmoss-y, but with a sensuality from the floral. Green but dirty (the patchouli and musk). It's hard to pick out any individual notes - very well blended - but if you smell close you can pick out a tang of ylang ylang and a soft haze of incense in the background. Confident, liberated but sexy. Very 70's woman.

This is my first review (longtime lurker). I had been anosmic for many years, and highly allergic, but after 18 months of treatment with supplements, not only have I got my sense of smell back, but I no longer react negatively to perfumes! So I'm having a field day, as you can imagine...
I'm revisiting perfumes from my 'hey day'. The release of Halston, while I don't remember it from the time, pretty much coincided with my mid to later teen years, where school dances and later discos were all about, well, The Disco! Flares, slinky spaghetti strap dresses, slim heeled sandals, high waisted 'going out' jeans...oh, what a time! Haha
So, after reading reviews here, I've started collecting perfumes again. Halston had me intrigued. I felt sure this one would speak to me, and bring back fond memories of sweating on the floor beneath the disco ball. Sadly, it didn't. Like Deb Martinez, what I mostly get is a soapy scent (like Lux soap) and a bit of spice, which may or may not be carnation. I get no mint leaves or oak moss , nor peach, jasmine, ylang ylang, sandalwood, etc...all those many notes that are listed that I'm searching for, fruitlessly, it seems.
I'm beginning to think there are certain body chemistry types, or certain noses, that can't detect certain combinations of notes - that would explain how my perception of some perfumes coincides so exactly with those of other fragranticans, in regard to not finding any notes other than soapiness in certain perfumes (as happens for me with l'air du temps, for example).
In any case, for me Halston (bought recently, not vintage) is a clean, energetic scent, which smells more like a refreshing unisex cologne or even aftershave. It doesn't seem to be developing, either. I'll wear it for day wear when feeling a bit sporty and simply wanting to feel 'clean'.

Un parfum magnifique dans le simplissime flacon conçue par la talentueuse Elsa Peretti. Le parfum ''disco'' par excellence. Toutes les filles qui allaient danser au mythique Studio 54 devaient le porter. Halston qui était un habitué de la place devait être aux anges.

I first came across Halston exactly one year ago on this website. Woodsy and balsamic are two words which usually send me running for the hills (or the shower!), but the overwhelmingly positive reviews and the descriptions of this scent had me intrigued. A quick glance at the notes listed didn't reveal anything too horrendous, so I added this to my Christmas list and waited.

Halston was the emblem of Disco with a capital D in the 70s and 80s, and today it remains the biggest selling perfume in world after Chanel No5. Despite this impressive accolade, I had managed to never hear of it. This is largely due to the fact that the Halston brand suffered tremendously after the death of its head designer Roy Halston Frowick, in 1990 and has largely ceased production. The Halston fragrance was taken over by Elizabeth Arden, though still retaining the same name, it now remains as a curious relic of a forgotten brand.

Halston was not the the overpowering vinegary mess that I feared. It's surprisingly very green and almost refreshing, not oppressive in the slightest. The opening smells of mint leaves, but there is something darker, giving it a lot of body, at the base which is almost kind of leathery? It's sweet without being saccharine and warm without being musty. It has a wonderful animaliac quality to it that makes me want to bury myself in clouds of this fragrance. An old-school chypre (how I love those!) - it truly is intoxicating!

I get the impression of Halston being a truly versatile fragrance. On the one and it screams of debauchery and excess. Of frequent late nights (or early mornings) partying and dancing. On the other, it has a quiet warmth to it. A comforting, soothing naturalness which makes it soporific and hazy. Could this be the ultimate "my skin, but better"?

I only ordered the smallest size as I was taking a real risk blind buying this perfume, because it is so out of what I normally wear. I will definitely have to upgrade to a bigger bottle now it has hurtled into my "Love" list!

And BTW, I love the bottle design. It reminds me of a vase of flowers.

Longevity- 6-7 hours
Sillage- Moderate

I fell in love with this fragrance years ago...my mother wore it.I was like..14 or 15. I used to steal sprays from her bottle...BTW...yes..I am a guy...
Mom caught me...and at Christmas she gifted me Halston Z-14 for men.
That is when I tried my first layering trick...I had on the women's Halston..so I had to "hide" it..lol...so I sprayed Z-14 over it! And...wow!...it really worked well together. I am now thinking this Christmas..I should re-live this memory ..and seek out a vintage Halston Classic and Z-14!
Mmmmmm...good!

As a gourmand / vanilla lover, I don't know what possessed me to buy this. I think I just wanted to smell what the infamous 'disco era' fragrance was like, as I adore the music from that time (unfortunately was too young to enjoy it!). Even if we don't like the fragrance, I believe it is good to educate one's nose, especially with fragrances that have a lot of historic weight to them.

So, it certainly doesn't smell like anything I would usually go for! It's green, dry, woody, and reminds me of my childhood, so perhaps my mother had this back in the day. That's about as far as I get with the nostalgic connection. It is an alien scent to me in today's world, I'm not sure where this would be appropriate...I'm not a disco queen, glamour puss, or power suited lady, so not an everyday scent for me. it catches at the back of my throat, and prickles my nose. I think I'm over-inhaling, searching for something sweet, but it's not there!

I do however have a love of funk, disco and rollerskating, so I think I'm going to experiment with Halston, and try to enjoy it for what it is whilst I zoom around :)

I envy you ladies (and gents!) who were out there in the 70's, enjoying this fragrance, and all that went with it!

EDIT: Nope, I just can't jive with this juice. Full bottle up for swap if anyone interested!

Even though Im only 27, Ive always had a thing about 70s music/fashion etc, I read this was a popular frag to wear at Studio 54 so I had to have it. Nice, reminds me of a spicier Chloe

I absolutely love this fragrance! I love the classic one AND I like the one that I have now which is alcohol free....having said that, let me be clear. ..I love the scent....I do not like the oily feel of it. I would love to get my hands on one straight from the early 80s...you know...full of alcohol and has bigger silage. But as for the scent, this is a very seductive, womanly, mysterious lady, who couldn't give a damn what you thought of her. She drives an old sports car and has her own business. She knows lots of people and is loved by many. She is kind and giving and not at ALL a pushover. She will eat you alive if she has to.

Hello all,

I'm trying to find the Halston for Women classic perfume for my wife, i believe the original comes in an all glass bottle with no plastic on it, is this correct/ The color is kind of orange, but i'm unsure where to buy the original and also that i'm not getting a knockoff. Any help would be really appreciated. Please PM me if you can help.

Thanks!

Received my vintage mini perfume a couple days ago and this wasn't what I expected at all. I wore this a couple times in HS and didn't like it much. Always received compliments but personally, not thrilled. That was oh so many moons ago and now, wow. Absolutely love it. Warm, complex, I still smell the note that I disliked as a teen but find it terribly appealing now. Maybe my "nose" has improved, I don't know. Still not sure what that note is, sharp, not a bit sweet. Maybe that's why I like this frag so much now, I've lost a lot of my own sweetness over the years and gotten more complex and sharper. Lol. Whatever the reason, I really, really like this now. A little dab does the job, definitely on my "go to" shelf now.

Ladies, please be light-handed when spraying this perfume on. A little goes a long way!!! A group of old ladies next to me at the bowling alley were wearing this during the day and it seemed like they bathed in it because it was super strong and nauseating. A little could be nice, but a lot is overkill. This is way too strong for the day time, and is definitely not suited for the office. It's interesting how we associate perfume on people, places, things, events, etc. After the incident in the bowling alley, I'm now associating this perfume with old ladies in the bowling alley. Definite turn off for me. When I get to be an old lady someday, I hope to remember not to wear strong perfume during the day in an enclosed bowling alley with bad air circulation.

I worked with a German lady in my early 20's and this was her signature scent. I loved it on her. Now that I'm in my 40's and have dry skin that chomps through a fragrance in 3 hours, I think I am ready to buy a bottle. Your reviews and my fond memories have persuaded me! In South Africa you can a 100ml of this juice for the equivalent of about USD23,00. That's a bargain.

A week ago I purchased a new Halston from Walgreens ($19.99. Score!) and have been loving it ever since. So sexy, so 70s, so Liberated Woman working 9-5 and to the discotheque at night, yet still smells relevant.

Today I received a bottle of the vintage version and... WOW.

It is a vintage bottle - the dark juice, no writing on the bottle - in its original sealed box.

The vintage and the new Halstons are the same scent except the vintage is a darker, scratchier, more mature experience. The opening reminds me of Bal a Versailles and I smell a bit of Arpege as well in the vintage. The new version is crisper, clearer, more shrill, colder somehow. The vintage will sit alongside my Mitsouko and VCA First where the new one will likely reside in the Chanel No. 19 and Bandit area of my perfume altar.

I might try to layer them and see what happens.

EDIT: OH MY GOD. It's been an hour since I sprayed the vintage Halston. It smells like a rich, luscious woman. Like I imagine Charlotte Rampling and Marissa Berenson smell. Slim silk blouse, jangly gold jewelry, cigarettes. I think I'm in love.

Studio 54 in a bottle for the price of entry to a shitty nightclub now. It’s like OAKMOSS AND AMBER AND INCENSE WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT MOTHERFUCKER? And what you do about it is dance to Freak Out in a gold lame outfit because it’s 1978. The perfume just sent you back to 1978, but that’s okay because you smell fabulous

This is some nice stuff. I've smelled it on numerous occasions on various people but most recently my mom has been using perfumes that she used to wear many moons ago. I can see why this was so popular back in the day. It smells so refreshing, cool and clean. I tribute the refreshing and cool parts from the mint. Although it's not sweet pungent peppermint. I get spearmint. And it lasts a decent amount of time. The peach really works to keep the mint from smelling toothpaste like. It continues on very powder and somewhat mossy, very woodsy and somewhat floral. I'd say this is good for year round and for anyone 20 and up. It doesn't seam very dated to me at all and neither do a lot of the 80s powerhouses, probably because I have fondness for them and am used to them

I just got this bottle of Halston Classic this morning. I sprayed a little on my left forearm and wrist and waited.. Not for long. At first it hit me and I was like "Oh no" But in only a few minutes my whole outlook changed and I can only tell you how I felt. I know a lady who is a nursing supervisor. She is tall and beautiful and quite and sincere. She does not say much but when she does, every one stops to listen. She exudes confidence and mystery. You just want to know what is going on behind those eyes, but you know that sadly, you might never completely know this woman and if you did, you still wouldn't... That is what this Halston reminds me of. Quite intensity, intelligence, confidence, beauty, longing and multi layers of mystery. I love it and while I lack the "perfume" vocabulary to describe it, I can tell you that is smells the way it makes me feel above. I either want to be that woman or kiss her, don't know for sure. She/Halston tosses me on my head and now 6 hours later, she is still lingering in my head and on my wrist.

Back in the day it was sophicated smell, serious and feminine.

Many years ago, when I was in high school, I tried Halston and rather liked it, although at the time I preferred more "Oriental" scents.
I found a couple of bottles of the cologne on clearance at CVS this week, and was prepared to be somewhat disappointed by a reformulation. However, Halston actually smells better to me than it did back then (perhaps my nose has matured!).
The oakmoss is quite prominent, although not as strong as Nuit de Noel, and there is a slight sweetness from the amber/sandalwood.There is an almost masculine feel to Halston, which I like. Men could certainly wear this fragrance.
I love the smoky woodsy notes, and the carnation is not enough to make me sneeze.
This is a very sensual and mature fragrance, and I would call it aggressive in a typical 1970's "liberated" way!
Sillage and longevity are amazing, even for the cologne version!

I don't know what happened to this, but it makes me sad. In the late '70s. I was a bellydancer in nightclub shows in California.

One club made us wear this. It INTOXICATED audiences. I wore it, after than, for years, with many positive comments.

Then, it suddenly seemed harsh and sharp. I tried a few times, but I never liked it, again.

I think this is absolutely splendid. It doesn't smell like a modern perfume. Good! This is for someone who doesn't want to smell like all the other girls. You're going to stand out from the crowd a bit in this. If you want to smell sweet, young, and girly wear one of the taffy or rose scents. The Halston woman is intriguing. She is memorable.

I just got a small bottle ("classic" - there is an update) on fragrancenet for cheap and I will be wearing this a lot. Oh, yeah.

To @bonnie52: i'm sure the last bottle you've had was an alcohol free version of this fragrance. I had both, alcohol free and "normal" versions and indeed - there are differences between these two fragrances.
Alcohol free Halston is oily, doesn't last as long as the other version and sillage is clearly weaker.
The smell is also different - softer, weaker and not that complex. I'd say alcohol free version smells more like body oil or balm, it's more powdery, just like a reminiscence of "normal" version, which is deep, dark, dense green chypre with impressive sillage and longevity.

My mom has worn this for years. Love it! It could pass for unisex or a men's scent. I'd wear it but it says its for women so I'll pass.

I used to wear Halston in the 80's and 90's and loved it, however, the last bottle I bought had far less scent and was some oily concoction that ended up in the trash. I hate when they mess up a good thing!

Coming of age in the late 1970's in NYC, I favored the Ramones over the Bee Gees. Since Halston and his perfume tend to be associated with Studio 54, disco, and excess, it was hard for me to listen to all of the Fragranticans who said Halston was a truly great chypre. But my love of chypres eventually overcame my fear of disco, and I am now delighted to be wearing Halston EDT, from a bottle labeled "Parfums Halston," "Made in France"--the original version? For me, the opening notes are mainly fresh bergamot with a definite touch of mint. Later, I perceive soft, tropical flowers (no peppery carnation or sharp marigold to my nose) with some fruity sweetness, set against a rich background of patchouli, moss, and sandalwood. No muskiness or scent of anything sweaty or furry on this dance floor. Halston is an elegant, green, luscious, woody, and aromatic chypre...and what a surprise!

The opening is pretty scary - strange combination of chypre with ripe sugar melon and soap.
But after about 15 minutes it starts to turn to warm dry wood and amber. Then it smells similar to Aromatics Elixir, less sharp and acidic. The natural kind of scents, that could be considered as unisex (AE (the same nose behind both, not a coincidence), Cabochard, Magie Noire...)
Halston smells like a hayloft, or an old wooden box full of dried herbs. I also get strong amber and incense.

I love this fragrance. I never knew the original version but I am loving what is available to us now. I have a collection of fragrances but this is my favorite classic. I am tired of smelling like a candy shop so I often turn to this. Happily so because I recently discovered that it resembles Coach Rose D'Or. Since I have the alcohol free perfume I often layer it under the Rose D'Or and it compliments it well.

Finally a strong Oriental, Earthy Sent, that DIdn't Agree with Me! I read the reviews on it before I baught it, Id thought I would love it, but this sent is proff in point you can go over the top with Earthy Orientals, This sent had no softness no femininity no, no sweetness, and not much personality. It was like a mens colone, with out even being like the more romantic mens colone. It kind of reminds me of Clint Eastwood on a Bad Day too Macho, Come on Punk Make My Day, Well It Centianly Didn't Make My Day, My Husband saif his Aftershave Smells Better than that, for the 20 Dollars I wasted.

Dear Readers,

I love this perfume, its one of my new personal favorites, not my signature but a good companion to have around when im in the mood for its unique character and let me tell you why.

I was gifted this on my birthday recently and I was unsure since I never tried Halston's fragrances but my mom said that since we have similar tastes in perfume I would enjoy this and she was very right.

Its very aromatic ,assertive but sweet warmth ,and chic modern sexiness to it which I loved alot ! and reading the notes on this site I got to find out what it had in it and no wonder I could not really put my finger on it since it complex but fabulous.
On my chemistry the perfume gave a good aromatic warmth feel to it in the beginning but at least on me its very moody, other times it just aromatic when Im in a relax situation but other times when I go for a work out this perfume becomes something else with body heat ,on me it became a warm amber spicy rose which was very yummy made me feel like I was hot as like Jerry Hall, assertive like Gloria Steiner . cool like David Bowie and chic as Mr Halston , meow.

This perfume reminds of a modern chic female that has a confident savviness that's very "with it" and sharp that is very cool to know and be with , this isn't a fragrance for a woman with a princess complex or a insipid bimbo type, this reminds me like a assertive sexy female with charm and intelligence with approachable warmth , this isn't a ice queen perfume at all.
This makes a great gift for charming assertive special someone in your life for yourself if you enjoy aromatic sweet fragrances with a chic edge to them, its very versatile for office and social outings .

I got a body lotion of this as a gift in the late 80s and LOVED it. But I never asked for more, for some reason, and the frag fell out of my life. Recently I saw it in a drugstore and snapped it up. Still just as awesome as I remembered. I like the depth and complexity of it, the warmth of it. At the same time, the fresh green note is clearer to me now. Love it; an old favorite.

Hi again Fragrance friends all over the world. I am not sure how this should now smell, I have a big bottle narrow at top wider at bottom and dark perfume in it. The smell on me starts sharp, then becomes powdery and warm and soft, at times it feels like a hint of Private Collection hides, but then it is replaced by a woodier note. At first I thought the sent fades, then it seems to rise again and again and it has that fantastic dry down. I am loving it! Will be careful with my bottle as who knows what they will do to it next?

My sweet, sweet Halston. How do I love thee. Let me count the ways. This is a perfume that knows sweetness, but not sugar, that understands bitterness without a sour bite, that encompasses what the woods has to offer-in all that Mother Nature can produce, with the warmth and sweetness of the summer leaves, the cool crispness of Autumn bark with its lichen and mosses, the reverence of cold, crisp Winters still, and the dank, decrepitness of Springs thawing leaves, left-over and rotted remnants from season't past and now warmed by yet another season. Halston is a gestation of cycles, of primal urges and tempered by societal banality and its' demands, and that's exactly what 1975 was all about, its inaugural year. The Primal Scream was uttered in metropolitan cities, bell bottoms scraped the floors with Frye boots and platforms danced the night away while shiny winged-back hair did the hustle. Those years were a paradox of times and so is this perfume. One side is dark, damp and disquieting with its mosses while its counterpart of sweetness brings one back to better moments. America had come out of the war, and spirits, altho still dealing with adversity needed to get away. America needed a diversion. Disco was born. Halston's powerful sweetness overlies all of the notes in this timeless (now) classic. Perfumes address what society is feeling, what they may want or what they may need., Halston did just that and did it very successfully. Today's available versions are two. One is called an "alcohol-free spray cologne", available in a spray version, same bottle with tree moss extract and oak moss extract. This Halston has an oily base that dries quickly and is excellent as a perfumed moisturizer. Longevity is shorter because of its composition. The bottle without or without the name, still produced within the last few months, also has the tree moss and oak moss extract is a natural spray cologne. (I'd suggest checking the batch number for the actual date produced.) Sillage is wonderful as is longevity. The depths of todays' version may not be as strong as one of yesteryear but they are still very good and smell absolutely wonderful. They are all just completely different animals and need to be appreciated as such. The oil is sweeter at first, the vintage is deeper, and the new formulation is lighter. They are still Halston. If you adore a strong vetiver mingled with sweet patchouli and the woods, this one's for you.
Vintage Halston begins deeper, not as sweet as the new version. You must wait for its wonderful drydown to appear. And when it does? You're in true heaven. Other reviewers aren't lying about people inhaling you. This is the one that makes others notice your perfume. It's a true magnet.

Wore it many years ago and always enjoyed it. Returned to it for awhile. Probably too old for it now.

Oh no, not for me. Very bad blind buy. Opening is harsh like there is no tomorrow. Smells sharp, bittery, outdated and makes me nauseous. After I scrub twice, the dry down is pretty nice with sandalwood and jasmine, i could almost like it. But i am not going to try it again because of the opening. i dislike the bottle as well because of the plastic top. what was i thinking?

I have both a bottle that looks like the one pictured above as well as a vintage splash bottle. I agree with HazelMae's description of the pictured bottle, which I assume is the latest formulation. The vintage is really well done and I think most vintage fans would consider it unisex, at least beyond the top notes. And while I understand the chypre idea, what I like is how the incense and sandalwood elements add a bit of contrast as well as balance. Of course, it smells natural and the dynamism is enjoyable for hours. I was able to find my 2.5 ounce vintage bottle for a good price on ebay, so grab them while you can, but I suggest finding one that is made by Halston and not any other company.

Back around 1980 I used several bottles of the EDT of Halston. I was passionate about the fragrance until I noticed that after many hours it would start to smell sour on me. So I moved on to something else.

Recently I came across some very old bottles of Halston, two small bottles of the parfum and one small cologne spray. I'd never worn the parfum so decided to give it a go. I chose the tiniest bottle with a deep amber colored liquid. The neck of the bottle was so tiny that I shook out 5 or 6 tiny drops.

Holy smoking 80's, Mr. Halston came roaring to life and not only filled the room, but pretty much the entire house. The day was cool and a nice breeze was coming in all of the windows circulating the scent everywhere.

After two hours of no let up, I decided to scrub it off. An hour later it was still overpowering so I took a shower. An hour after that I was delightfully enveloped in one of the most beautiful dry downs that I have ever experienced. This is such a fresh sweetly green scent that is just simply endearing. No wonder I was once so passionate about it!

Since then, I've worn it 3 or 4 times, starting with one or two tiny drops. This fragrance sometimes intensifies in it's mid and end stages. I'm still using that itty bitty parfum bottle and it looks almost completely full even after 4 or 5 wears.

This bottle has a cream colored screw on cap. There are quite a few of the vintage parfum bottles for sale on Ebay rather inexpensively. So far there has been nothing sour in the scent, so maybe that is only relative to the EDT, or else maybe my chemistry has changed. Sillage???? You have to be the captain at the helm here as Mr. Halston is quite large and rather expansive. Longevity is a good 18 hours. I'm so happy to have this good smelling fellow back in my life!

I am looking forward to the fall for a chance to wear this classic fragrance. Woody, green, verging on unisex but not quite. Perfume was perfume back in the day. Much more interesting than today's perfumes that all seem to be about wearing dessert. Not Halston. This one is for women and not girls. The biggest caveat is in the application- even the reformulated new version is strong. Try one spray around the abdomen and this earth-mother scent will seem to exude from your inner being. Don't wear it every day, you don't want to get used to it. Perfect autumn- Saturday scent. Even better that it is so affordable and evokes the 70's, the first belt-tightening era since the depression. Enjoy.

Personally, I think women bought this perfume for two reasons, and not necessarily for the fragrance itself; one, the beautiful Elsa Peretti-designed bottle which originally housed the fragrance, and two, the tall, dark and handsome designer behind the fragrance. A man like Halston stepped straight out of the pages of a Harlequin romance novel, and it makes little wonder that women ran in droves to purchase this fragrance back during its release in 1975, thus sharing the top spot with the famed Chanel No. 5 for the length of its run. It certainly helps a perfume's sales if a designer has smoldering good looks that compliment his simple but sensual designs.

With that said, I was looking for a special gift to give to my mother, who lived the good life during the 1970's with my dad, going to the nightclubs and discothèques, many of them which Halston himself frequented (including the infamous Studio 54). My mother loved Halston's designs, but never owned the perfume itself. I originally had given her the spray, bought at Walgreens, but she hated the alcoholic stench that derived from the first spritz. I smelled it myself. It was obviously not the original 1970's fragrance. I wouldn’t even clean my floors with it. Having learned my lesson, I looked for the original perfume, in the original Elsa Peretti bottle. And, indeed, I wound up paying a hefty price for it on eBay, but it was all worth it. I bought two, the 1oz. and the tiny .125 oz.

There are subtle differences between the two. Both are nearly 40 years old, but the tiny .125 is the more "fresh", I guess you could say, of the two. It has that gold-light amber color, and the scent is sweet, yet light, but still has that 70's oriental floral scent. It suits the body-hugging cashmere, jersey dresses, and Ultrasuade shirtwaist that Halston was so famous for. A sensual, seductive fragrance that was good enough to get you noticed by day, and probably laid by night. Since it is a dated fragrance it is best to pair it with a body spray to kick the floral up a notch.

The 1oz. is older, and more concentrated. The liquid is darker, a deep copper-amber, and much stronger. It screams 1970's fragrance, and it's the sweet perfume amplified with a kick of heavy oriental strength. The scent reminds me of Henri Bendel's White Orchid candle (which I love), but much heavier. It's best to wear this one at night, and it's the bottle I gave to my mother. Since she loves heavy fragrances as such she loved the original Halston, and the beautiful 1oz Elsa Peretti glass bottle holds a special place on my mother's dresser.

I truly believe that all the other designer 70's scents released after Halston are all but copies of the original master. Halston was a genius when developing this fragrance, and the sales, not to mention the continual craving, attest to that genius. The only other designer whose nose matches the delicacy that Halston had for scents would have to be Tom Ford, whose perfumes hit the mark every time, and Black Orchid will probably be the go-to perfume when looking for a scent that is evocative of it’s specific time period. I kept the Halston .125oz, and, like my mother's perfume, it occupies a special place on my dresser at home. I wear it sparingly, since they do run on the expensive side being that they are discontinued, but I am excited in knowing that after the perfume is long gone I have a beautiful glass bottle to keep as a souvenir. Another stroke of genius from a man who knew instinctively what women wanted. 10/10.

I have the old formulation.
It is very, very green on me.
Moss, pine, sandalwood an vetier is just oozing out of this perfume.
You have to be a heavy chyprelover to like it.
To me this would be a great mens perfume.
Also a typical 70-ies perfume.

I was given a bottle of this in the late 80s. Very strong, only needed a tiny amount and it followed you around all day, even when you had enough of it. After a couple of days wearing it, I had enough.
Very strong and I put it at the back of my wardrobe very quickly.

Did you know that this is actually the 2nd highest selling perfume in the world with Chanel No5 taking out the top spot? I saw a great doco on Halston and was so moved by the vintage 70s footage that I immediately purchased a blind bottle of this. At first sniff, it smells a lot like the old Chloe, and then calms down to a sort of generic perfume-smell that takes me right back to blue eyeshadow, Avon samples and Agree Shampoo. It's nice, but badly dated.

If you want to see the doco that inspired me it's called Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston. Really worth a look. The original 70s fashion footage is swoon inducing!

I have nothing original to add to previous, glowing comments about this somewhat dry, green chypre. Except that to me this timeless ~ and like most of my favorite "new" discoveries ~ Discontinued scent represents perfection!

It came as a disappointment to learn that this chic chypre does not last at all on my somewhat dry/cold skin type. But! I read a review that stated the alcohol free version was almost like an oil, with excellent longevity. They were SOooooo right! It's also a bit sweeter than it's alcohol based companion, but I don't mind in the right weather ( cold! ).

As an alcohol free formula, the opening is perhaps not as beautiful. And the texture does indeed remind me of liquid soap or hand sani! These things are of no importance to me, considering the STUNNING aroma that wafts up seconds later. And I might add, goes on and on and on........ all day.

For sillage and longevity, 5 stars
For fragrance and overall aura, 5 stars
For cost ( around $16 USD per 3.3oz ), 5 stars!!!!

A bit too heady for me as a perfume, but I loved the bubble bath & lotion.

The year was 1983. I had just entered my teenage era. I was still a child but things where happening with me but they where just in the beginning of a very exiting time of my life. In one of the subjects I studied I had a young female teacher. She was strict, beautiful and fair. I did not fall in love with her but I did fall in love with the scent she always wore. It was just amazing. It was something I had never smelt before. It was wild and dangerous but at the same time incredibly seductive. It got your attention at once and I just sat there during all the classes and did her every bidding and all my homework without even arguing at all about the load of work I got. One day I was bold enough to ask her the name of the scent she had. It was Halston. That summer I slaved like h*ll and cut the grass at all our neighbors lawns and did a lot of other stuff so I could buy it to the woman that was most important for me right then, my mother.

I got nostalgic when I saw that it was still around and bought a bottle again to give my mother at mothersday this year. No the scent is (as quite a few of you have noticed) not the same any more. It is more tuned down and the wildness and the seduction is not there anymore. But it is ok. My mother is not as wild and young anymore but a grand old lady and the scent still smells nice. Soapy, woody and stays on the skin for some time and it fits my mother quite well and the most important thing; she was happy with it.

Great memories of this perfume back in the 80s. I received compliments on this every day that I wore it (EDT). Strangers would ask about it, everyone seemed mesmerized by it. I have not worn a fragrance since that received as much praise & attention as halston. I was sickened when it was discontinued. My all time number ONE compliment getter--nothing to date has come close and I suspect nothing will. It was one-of-a-kind.

Okay, what's the big deal about reformulations and parent companies? I just purchased Halston Classic from Ross for a mere $9.99 for 3.4 oz. and it's awesome. There's no writing on the bottle whatsoever; however, the box states that it's from EA Laboratories. I'm not familiar with the vintage version because I never gave it a chance. It's from the 70's and considered old school and there are millions of other fragrances to choose from. If the vintage from back in the day was better, so what. I'm more than pleased with the scent that I'm smelling for what I paid for it. Mix it with Halston Woman and it's phenomenal!

I remember it when I was in highschool and I wore it alot. It seemed strong then. I have a small perfume bottle and it seems much tamer now. Easier to wear now. It is also much less expensive than my favorites. I have several Creed and Guerlain favorites that are pricey. Its a scent I will wear more in the winter than summer. It is suprisingly warm with out being sharp. And it is probably not a "today" scent but I have a penchant for likely perfumes that are older than I am. This one isn't so it is a newer one for me.
I have not tried the current version.
Another fragrance I picked up again from reading the comments here. Thanks.

This is an old friend. I've worn lots of perfumes but this has been a tried and true scent for me. It's not my signature scent, but a tried and true favorite none-the-less. I didn't experience any problems with formula changes as some of the other reviewers experienced. For this, I'm glad. It would be a sad day for me if it did. Oakmoss is being limited in perfume production because it's considered an allergen, hence the formula change. Luckily for me, I still get the same woods, musk, and earthy aromas (from the oakmoss) that I remember. Oakmoss is an important ingredient in this perfume. I understand that Guerlain's perfumer, Thierry Wasser, has found a way through science to use (cultivate?) oakmoss that doesn't have the specific molecule which is not allowed by regulations. With this, Guerlain has been able been able to preserve the scent of their original formulations of their perfumes. I certainly hope that Mr Wasser will share this discovery. Recently, there has been talk of a complete "ban" all together of oakmoss in perfume products. If that happens, production will stop on perfumes like this one, and another favorite of mine, Chanel No. 5, unless cultivation of oakmoss, without that specific molecule that is against regulations, can be achieved. Let's pray something can be worked out. I don't want to lose this one.

I liked this one very much in the eighties. The scent is different now, as others have noted. I found an old bottle on sale, but it might have 'turned'.
I feel nostalgic about this fragrance.
But I always thought the bottle was obscene! I'm an introvert, and always felt as though I should hide it in a (dark, cool) cupboard.
I miss you, dear Halston.

A captivating very strong intense and sexy jasmine coupled with ylang ylang less the rose flower scent shining through on me. Never qustioning definite shades of green peaking on my skin A musky incense telliing smell. Halston has tons of amber and different bellowing woody scents, carnation flowers pop along with patchouli.. ..very sensual and unique all time Classic. I am thinking of trying this out once again to see if it works with my body chemistry after a very long time letting it go. Thanks for all of your helpful reviews!!!

I also used Halston in the 80's and loved it. I recently bought a vintage Halston and unfortunately it was too old and did not smell at all like the Halston I remembered. i bought another bottle this one has Halston written on the bottle.and the scent is very similar to the original halston. Does anyone know which reformulation is the bottle with halston written on it. If I remember right the original halston bottle did not have any name on it

Only the Original Vintage formula, Perfume Even if you can find!!, The new Crap is beyond Terrrible!!!, Dead, Weak, Flat, Fabric Softener at Best, Only will I ever wear the 70's Classic a true Fall/Winter Staple for a Classic Warm Wardrobe.....

I was buying perfume from a website and needed to spend just a tad more to get free shipping. So i added unboxed (so discounted) Halston Classic to my order.

I had the original back in the 70s and loved its modern and intense fragrance. Even then Halston liked to allow some chemical or metallic scents into his perfumes, which gave them an edge so many others lacked. My bottle is old now and pretty much used up. So i was pleased to think i would have it again.

When it arrived i gave my wrist a little spritz. Sadly i forgot what calyx93 had written here. Ugh! It was sickening. Not the rich deep intense fragrance it used to be, but something that smelled sharp, and sour, and cheaply unsophisticatedly chemical. Now i have to see if this mess was the EA version, which i strongly suspect.

I mourn the loss of the true Halston perfume.

70s elegance...A perfume that comes straight from NY, Studio 54. I really appreciate it. A combination of wood and green notes, bold amber, vetiver and sandalwood (both so 70s!) meets the mystic incense and the sensual musk. Earthy and warm. American modern and chic. Wear it in autumn or winter in a big city (mostly urban-like fragrance) and feel like walking in a green forest a rainy day.

I fell in love with Halston in the bottle the year it was released and bought one without trying it on my skin. I didn't know it then because all the info such as Fragrantica gives wasn't available then, but I realize now I have always been immediately drawn to chypres. So I buy a bottle of Halston and put some on and it smells wonderful. For about 15 minutes. I keep trying and trying for about a year off and on and it keeps smelling awful on me. I got a small bottle of vintage a while back and tried again, thinking 30+ years might have changed my chemistry. Well, it didn't. It still smells awful on me and after trying again this morning and reading the notes, I realized it's the mint that doesn't work for me. Or possibly the mint together with the cedar and vetiver. The first 15 minutes is wonderful though!

a classic fave! need to purchase again

I LOVED this scent! It was the first perfume I bought and wore it frequently. I had nearly forgotten about it until seeing again here! Now, I have to go find it again!

On me this is Estee Lauder Private Collection but just a slightly less rose and more hippy patchouli scent. Can be quite overpowering by today's standards but in the right dosage is an exquisite scent clean mossy but just feminine and warm enough to hug you in it's scent. Very classy on the right chemistry

This is my second review for Halston. This review is for the current version, My first review was for a pure perfume concentration from the 90's. Comparing the two, I can say that they definitely smell similar, but my current EDP is like a lightened up version. Today's version is certainly recognizable as Halston, without a doubt, but there seems to be less heaviness. It is still woody and earthy, with oakmoss taking centre stage, but where my 90's fume took a certain amount of daring to wear, today's version seems tamer, and much more wearable. I just have to be in the mood for a no-flowers, woody, chypre scent to wear this. It doesn't announce your entrance like the previous stuff did, its just not potent enough, and it fades more quickly. I prefer the drydown of the older version better. It was more earthy and mossy and smelled more well blended at the base than today's formulation. But overall, I am happy with my new version because it is still Halston in tamer, more wearable form.

Update: I was just reading some other reviews of Halston and I have to add that I agree with paulie86; I also detect that almost dirty animalic quality at the base. I am convinced there must be civet in here, even though it isn't listed. And I am still talking about the current version.

Luckily for me, a friend had the scented lotion out for our use in her guest bathroom. It was certainly an experience! I can't say that it works at all with my chemistry, but at a certain level I really admire the solid, unisex nature of this classic. The almost creamy patchouli spice appeals to me, but not so much to my skin! If this was a trifle less green and earthy, I might try mixing it with an amber and powder scent like Emeraude, and as it is I'll be certain to try it again if my chemistry changes someday. You never can tell when your chemistry will ignite a love affair with a " predictable " drugstore standard. Serendipity waits in a bottle at the perfume counter!


Update:

Is it really possible that I now love to distraction the "harsh" fragrances I recently admired from afar? So, as I eat humble pie, let me assure you that it tastes absolutely MARVELOUS!

Aha! I have now tried that same guest bathroom lotion again, and I'm not surprised to learn that it smells old and has decidedly 'turned'. My initial impression of Halston from the lotion could not help but be a little "off". What a great surprise the real thing has proven!

Found an older version 1 oz at the drugstore today. I had forgotten how much I love Halston. I decided to try to snatch up some older versions still on the market but I AM interested in smelling the new version....older isn't always better. For instance, Ralph Lauren has reworked Polo and it is lighter and more wearable, a guy doesn't have to worry about offending anyone. I am sure there are other examples. Anyway, I LOVE HALSTON!

Happy Perfuming! ♥

Whoever said it now smells exactly like Irish Spring is right. Wow.

I loved the vintage, so I bought a new Halston online...and there is no cedar left in it, and it smells soapy now, as it never did. It was SO good in the late 80's....I had a Wool Esprit sweater I bought for $140 in 1988 ($$$$), and I sprayed Halston on this sweater to go watch the Olympic Winter Games Closing ceremonies, and could smell it for weeks after on that sweater! So many great memories....it is NOT the same. BOO-HOO!

I will reach for Private Collection instead when I want a not-too-sweet-oakmoss-green masterpiece, or Safari would be another great one to try instead if you loved the Classic.

I have the white bottle with the signature , the one everyone hates. I think that when you have never smelled pre reformulations of a perfume you are perhaps more open to liking the reformulation ! The one I have smells nothing like how people describe the old one (which sounds amazing) but I like this scent, it does smell like Irish Spring as someone else said, it smells green and soapy, nothing more and nothing less and I like it for that reason, its clean and I layer it with the oil free version, this one can be worn in summer , imo, (I assume the older one was stronger and deeper) or winter.

I went through quite a few bottles of this in the seventies and eighties. I smell and love mostly the base notes of this.

I remember finding a bottle of Halston in my moms room as a kid, and I absolutely loved it, and I still do. This is my go to fragrance and has been since I was 16. A friend of mine sprayed it on herself and it smelled absolutely horrible, but lucky for me it smells amazing. On my skin it picks up the base notes and the peach and melon top notes. This perfume is not for everyone because it is such a deep scent. Though I have never had any complaints while wearing, on some people its just blah. I love this scent and I always will! =D

This fragrance worked for me back in the early 80's for a few years. Then either it or I changed and it started to smell rancid after a few hours of wear.

I smell no mint and that's fine because I hate it - I never want to smell like toothpaste or mouthwash.
If I want to smell earthy, spicy, sophisticated and tigerish then this is the perfume I need. It is an icon of the disco era and it wears it's shoulder pads and glitter with style. The opening is very animalic and might be daunting for some but give it a little time and the drydown is gorgeous. A rich, seductive chypre with fantastic oakmoss and musk that lasts for ever. Seek out the vintage stuff and enjoy because they really do not make them like this any more.

Im more of a floral kind of girl myself so this fragrance is not for me. It is very earthy but at least i gave it a try! I agree w/jenthescentjunkie "There is nothing dainty or soft about this fragrance". It is really strong but on the bright side the scent would last all day!

This was my signature scent in the 70s & 80s. I haven't worn it in a while but I loved Halston's style, even in fashions. This is a very potent fragrance, not for the timid! It is an attention getter, blends so well with my chemistry into a sophisticated blend. If the florals weren't as pronounced as they are, it would smell almost like a men's fragrance on me. I like it casual, sporty, outdoors occasions or lounging in a tee or flannel shirt. It appeals to the tomboy in me!!!

12/2/12 Update: My earlier comments were written based on my memories of the original EDP version. A few months ago I picked up a bottle at TJ Maxx for a pittance & didn't realize it was EA's cologne reformulation. This bottle has no white Halston name written on the bottom either.
It was initially such a disappointment in comparison to the outstanding signature that it was for me years ago. I wouldn't doubt Halston is turning over in his grave!
This EA cologne version is a sad, much watered-down version of the original. It does have a strong treemoss presence in it & now I am wondering if the original oakmoss is being regulated here like it is in Europe. I dearly love fragrances with oakmoss, patchouli, woodsy & green notes, animalic notes. And vetiver. So this EA version is something I do love, but there will always be a touch of sadness for me when I pick up this bottle to spray some on. I so remember the MAGIC, DIVINE MAGIC THAT TOOK PLACE WITH THE ORIGINAL!!! No wonder Wikipedia says it was the 2nd largest seller of all time & I can believe it! The original was almost like an aphrodisical, spellbinding-alchemic charm with it's somewhat animalic brazenness. I loved the original so very much, went through probably 3 or 4 bottles of it before I followed my Gemini-changeling nature that loves variety & moved on to Chloe for a while. Chloe & Halston bottles adorned my dressing table with pride as I savored my beloved oakmoss in both.
Yes, Halston succeeded in a fabulously sexy, androgenous scent that epitomized many young women like myself then, in my 30s, really beginning to enter into a phase of independence & (frankly), rebellion. His fragrance drove men mad when combined on feminine flesh.
His clothing designs for women were genius takes on men's structured, tailored lines & turned them into something classic, timeless, elegant yet ever sexy in it's allure & forthrightness to use the soft & feminine fabrics that he somehow combined with lean lines that truly accented a woman's contours. His original fragrance was also like that---and I can imagine old Hollywood greats such as Katherine Hepburn, Marlene Deitrich & Greta Garbo would have loved it with their bent to menswear designs. But this new version has become a hybrid with only a few notes that evoke the original CHARACTER of it's parent.
Still, I will put up with the extreme oiliness of this EA cologne for the nostaglia & if I purchase it again, it will definitely have to be the original EDP. It is as if Elizabeth Arden wanted to make it acceptable for church by removing the total sensuality/sexuality/animalic quality of it! And what I would call a "Yang" fragrance now has a "Yin" quality.

Rumor has it that Halston has been reformulated more than once. My bottle is a pure perfume (!) from the late 1990's. It's not made by Elizabeth Arden so it must be one of the reformulated versions but not the most recent one.

This fragrance screams 70's to me, and that's not a bad thing. This is a very woody green chypre with a huge blast of oakmoss that lasts from beginning to end. This might be the most heavily oakmoss-infused fragrance I have ever smelled. It might just be the perfume concentration I have, but this is strong stuff. At first sniff, it can be a bit overwhelming. As it dries down, the oakmoss subsides just enough to let some of the other notes through, but always remains. The carnation comes out next, and there is a suggestion of some very faint florals being present. I can't distinguish any of the floral notes, rather, they give an impression that there is more beneath the surface, while never being obvious. Finally, there is a hint of musk. Oakmass is the heavy hitter here throughout. There is nothing dainty or soft about this fragrance. This stuff announces your presence, in a big way.

I bought this blind because it is iconic, and cheap on legitimate websites. I must have gotten some reformulated version of this fragrance, because on first spray, and for a few hours, the top note was marijuana smoke. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. I bought it from drugstore.com, and although I was younger, I remember the iconic bottle and wanted to own some since I'm a a fragrance junkie. That being said, its longevity is record book, and the pot smell does die down after two hours. The dry down is nice; it's like Obsession's not-quite-as-sexy-but-original older sister. I'm a newbie for judging scents, but it's that deep, "oriental" fragrance. In your face, though, so be prepared!

I just don't get it. For a man or woman .. Not my cup of tea. This smells exactly like washing with Irish Spring Soap in a plain white bathroom while burning some stinky incense.

I often purchase my fragrances at a local Marshalls, which here in the U.S. is a higher-quality discount store. You can get anything from Dolce & Gabbana to Calvin Klein there. The one by me is staffed entirely by women in their low twenties, and it isn't unusual for me to find them restocking the fragrance shelves. What's funny is that they can't seem to figure out where Halston Classic belongs - they have boxes in the men's and women's sections. Looking at the box, it's not hard to see why. That blank beige with the word "cologne" printed on it suggests it could be for men, but then if you take a peek inside at that oddly feminine bottle, the contradiction is revealed. And if you sample the wares, you'll likely end up even more confused, as the fragrance opens with a light, peachy greenness that rapidly darkens with oakmoss, patchouli, and woods.* Feminine intro - masculine drydown. Ladies don't wear chypres much anymore, and that sucks in a way, but I think it works to my advantage. Halston is green enough to be unisex, and my wearing it makes my fragrance choice seem new and original. Besides, it just smells good. My only gripe: this "alcohol-free" formula uses an unsavory oil solvent that takes forever to evaporate and stains clothing. I have to rub it into my skin, but I can live with that.

* This review is for the version of Halston that came just before the version with the name printed in white on the bottle. It does not reflect the contents of that white printed version.