Halston Classic Halston for women

To those concerned about the alcohol-free version. Simply avoid it - it really is nothing like the original - not to mention it bears no resemblance to the awful reformulated EDT. Go for the vintage and avoid the discounters - good, authentic, original versions are so easily available via eBay that it should be a crime to buy the EA travesties.

Really, the EA versions, both with or without alcohol are NOT like the originals. Some EA reformulations are okay, but this one is really unforgivable.

Enough said. Sorry karlovonamesti, but you really need to try a vintage original to compare.

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.

I'm posting another review since I've had a change to sample different iterations of this.

The basic idea of this perfume is a peach fruit nectar, florals, herbs, a tiny hint of mint, all over a chypre structure. All of the versions I have tested have this basic idea intact.

Vintage: Box says "Halston Fragrances" and mainly coloring agents are listed in the ingredients. This is the perfume I remember from the 70's/80's. I think the top notes are a little off, but the oakmoss chypre base is stronger, smoother and better. The nectar element also seems richer here. I can even detect, faintly, something unidentifiably animalic. The drydown lasts longer. The overall composition seems more blended.

Recent but not latest: Box says "EA Fragrances", oakmoss or tree moss are listed in the ingredients. The bottle has no signature. This is old stock and can still be found in many drugstores and discount stores. There is a watery element to the nectar note. The depth of the oak base is not as strong but it is there. It takes a short while for everything to come together. But this is recognizably the same fragrance and gives me that incredible memory blast when I smell it. It is not as great as the vintage but still a fine perfume that feels enough like the original. It gives me a lot of pleasure to smell and wear.

Latest version: has white "Halston" signature printed on bottle. At first spray, this bears no relationship whatsoever to Halston that I can see, it's sort of a generic, cheap floral. Then in a couple of hours, it sort of coalesces into something that is at least recognizable as attempting to smell like Halston, but it's like looking at a scene through a snowglobe. It's safe to say this perfume is dead now.

Your mileage and taste may vary.

this stuff reminds me of my mom, because she's worn it on special occasions since I was very little (I'm 22). lately I've been interested in chypre fragrances, so I thought I'd try some of my mom's old Halston. not sure if her bottle is the vintage or reformulated kind, because she's had it for a pretty long time. unfortunately, it's very strong and nasty on me, and I'm not even one to stick with "girly" fragrances targeted towards young women in their early 20s. although Halston does calm down a little after the first 20-30 minutes, the smell doesn't seem to change much on me; it stays strong and offensive. I guess I'd better stick with my Salvatore Ferragamo...

It was a gift and at first I didnt really like it but once it was on my skin for awhile I really grew to appreciate the smell.
Definitely a classic and classy scent :)
I only liked to wear this one at night time.
Not a day time perfume in my opinion.

Ah!!! The 70's!!!! I just got a vintage bottle for 20 bucks (and there are 4 still waiting for someone). To me this is all about being out there (just like me LOL)

I absoluitely loved this perfume in its day and theres hundreds of bottles for sale on Ebay but not the original smell. does anyone know a perfume that smells the same or very similar to the original, gorgeousness that was Halston?????

Well...it didn't smell bad in the bottle...but the dry down made me feel sick to my stomach...do not like this one. However, in the description, it mentions peach, which I love...but I cannot detect it here whatsoever...

I guess the chypre genre is not only broad but forgiving. This fragrance’s calibration is a bit off, and its structure focuses on blend and harmony rather than highlighting the distinctive elements that make a chypre wear so well. Halston reads as a bit blurred. But if you’re not looking for a challenge, it is also a nice simple grassy chypre. If you like it but aren’t sold, try the men’s chypres Z-14 or 1-12.

Picked up a bottle of this a few years back from a discount store - only to later find out it was the "alcohol free" version. Really oily and slick and smelled nothing like the original. I thought it might have been an alternative version that never sold well, so I gave it to a charity shop. A year later, at the same store I bought the first one from, I found the good old original - or so I thought. After reading the dreaded "EA Perfumes" printed on the box (a.k.a. - Elizabeth Arden - a.k.a. cheaply reformulated colored water) - I knew there might be a problem.

Oh, poor Halston - he must be turning over in his grave over this travesty. This stuff has none of what made the original so cool and unique. What used to be a high quality chypre is now a screechy chemical mess that smells of violets and thin woods rather than original's bergamot, amber and oakmoss (+ all the wonderful other notes that made it so original). It's pleasant enough, if one had never experienced the original formulation, but now mine gets used in the bathroom as an air freshener - and one that hardly ever gets used. Blech!

However, I now have a sealed, original bottle - from the 70's - making its way to me thanks to eBay. Thank goodness enough of it was made - so there's no excuse in not owning the real version if you want to relive it in all its "disco" glory :)

Aw Halston...my 1st real "grown up" perfume...

I received a large bottle as a christmas gift in 1983 or so and I remember thinking wow, this stuff is bold...strong, deep and way different than anything I'd worn before.

And it was! An in-your-face-I-am-woman-hear-me-roar kind of thing if ever there was one.

I remember wearing it to work and feeling empowered and ready to take on any challenge. I don't recall the "smelling like sex" part but maybe I was too busy being in charge to notice the "lowly male species".

The re-form has none of the shameless bravado and is a disheveled has-been empty echo of it's old self.

So sad...I could've ruled the world!

I had this wonderful scent in 1979. After reformulation it smells unpleasant and artificial.

This was the disco era chypre! More, More, More, how do ya like it? I loved it! Oakmoss dominated rose and ylang ylang in volumes. My grade school art teacher used it and my class bought her a bottle at the end of the school year. She was a 1970s riot with large round glasses and feathered hair and a bubbly personality to match. That described up Halston wearers for me.

Yes, the bottle was provocative, yet it cannot be forgotten. Its current formula has been given an oakmoss lobotomy, rendering it worthless rose water. Ah, how times have changed-in this case for the worse...

I had been put off by the extremely ugly bottle for a long time, but I finally got a chance to have a sniff at Marshalls. All I can say is it is not by any means nasty or loud, but nothing outstanding either if you compare it to other classics of the same type. Just not enough personality in this fragrance, more of a comforting, warm scent. No matter how cheap it is, my advice is pay a little exra and go with Diva or First instead.

I was with a friend at Sears and smelled this. As soon as my friend smelled this, she made a horrible face and said, "Ew, that smells like hot sweaty nasty sex!" Need I say more...?

This was the first perfume I ever wore, I remember when I was thirteen my mother bought it for me as a Christmas present and I discovered it in the closet weeks before Christmas came, and I took a secret whiff. It was the most sophisticated and sexy thing I'd ever experienced. Totally tonboy, which fit my personality. I wore it every day until it was gone and since I was a kid, had no money to replace it, I haven't worn it since. But all of the comments make me remember it, and I will surely be purchasing another bottle post-haste...

HAZEL MAE

the one you have to avoid is the one WITHOUT the signature , the new one made by Elizabeth Arden , i bought one last weekend and i was soooo disapointed.. it almost felt like they took the original , diluted it with water , and pack it again..zero longevity , smells like violets only , to flowery , no basenotes whatsoever..... they did the same to LAGERFELD classic..now is just a joke..avoid avoid!!!

I found my old bottle of original Halston today, in the far back of a drawer!! Wow - this is just fantastic :D
I was sure it was given away or used up, but it is half full and in good condition. My hard core interest in perfume is quite new, so I guess I kept the bottle because of the design.
Happy!!

(vintage parfum review)
I've tried this before, but in the modern EDP or EDT. Now that I"m trying the vintage parfum I'm quite sure tihs is a completely different scent, because I am just speechless.

Wow. This is pure perfection. A dark green, raspy chypre that has little competition. This is just stunning, I can't say much more than that. I wasn't expecting to like this and let it sit in my box for a month before sampling.

But oh my, what a gem. I did get carnation, and this is the note that I detect the strongest. The vetiver and basenotes are blended beautifully, I just can't imagine wearing this without a standing ovation from all who pass in your wake.

A hands down classic.

I love this fragrance, and I actually think the reformulation is fine, though admittedly I haven't smelled the original since around 1987. I have newer bottles without the "Halston" signature in white at the bottom, which I have read are to be avoided. But at 10-20 dollars a pop, I may just try one of the dreaded white signature bottles as well to see what I think. Non-signature bottles are readily available in drugstores and places like Marshall's. Such a deal! I have stocked up, since heaven only knows what they will do to it next.

The fragrance is as others have described, oakmoss chypre layered with floral notes, peach, melon and finished with a subtle halo of mint. It is complex and has great longevity. I just love fragrances where one spray lasts all day. It's funny to think that this was such a hugely popular fragrance in the late 70's, it is pretty out of style today. But you'll be the only one wearing it and it's much more sophisticated and sensual than today's candy flower scents. It also might be one of those things that people keep in their collection just to take a sniff and be transported back in time a couple of decades.

ETA: there are several iterations of this fragrance. All of my backup bottles are without the white signature, but the ingredients lists differ slightly. There is one with tree moss, the others have oak moss listed. Since this fragrance usually comes without a shrink wrap, my advice would be to ask the sales associate to test before purchasing.

When I first smelled this back in 1981, I was a teen and didn't much care for the patchouli heaviness in the drydown. My Aunt was a big patchouli fan and this was her favorite scent back then. Now I have a renewed appreciation for the Halston that used to be, for the modern version is a sad example. The current Halston is almost medicinal in it's smell. Please, if you want that wonderful way Halston should have stayed, get a vintage.

its freezing today. i picked out my halston to wear. haven't worn it in awhile. it goes on strong, harsh and chemical. stays that way for about 20 mins. then it dries down to a calm, warm, dry, amber powder. yes, i like it.

It was a stunner way back in the day , for sure. Men loved it , it is definitely a sexy fume. I just might get me a little sample and head down memory lane.

Woodsy, musky & down right filthy. One of the most animalistic fragrances that i have. It isnt for the meek & mild or to wear on a day when you want to be a wallflower...but to wear to be noticed.

The first spray will knock you out...then that dry down. Oh boy is this one sexy juice.

Patchouli & vetiver are extremely distinct, as is the incense but a sweetness does come through if you inhale deeply.

When i wear this my man usually asks what im wearing today & says he isnt sure if he likes it...then he nuzzles in more & inhales deeper but still says he isnt sure if he likes it. But...he cannot leave me alone when i wear this, he constantly nuzzles in & it does bring out his 'male' side a whole lot more.

So he doesnt seem to like it in his immediate conscience but his subconscience loves it.

This is what i lovingly call a true old school fragrance with balls.

This is another my mom used to wear...kind of heavy, almost masculine, but it smelled good on her!

Yes, I wore Halston back in the day, about 1980-1986'ish. Drinking all night, dancing until dawn, and doing "it" till 7pm the next day. This was a strong, strong scent for a hard-partying girl.

I had a mental block about this scent for a while here. I could remember what I wore in the 70s as a high school girl, and what I wore in the late 80's when I got married and had my first child, but for the life of me I could not remember what I wore during those partying years...not sure why.

I remember now it was woodsy, musky and strong, strong enough for a strong girl. I'd love to get my hands on a bottle of the old juice as I'm sure it's been a bit reformulated now.

Oh, and I hated Charlie so this has no resemblance to that scent. My best girlfriend was a Charlie girl and I really could not stand that scent.

This was a fav of my Aunts I liked it but thought that It smelled a little too mature for me. I found out later my mother liked it so I gave my bottle to her she greatly appreciated it

This fragrance evokes alot of memories for me. When I was a pre teen my mom had a bottle of this and me being a tomboy at the time I loved the adventerous spirit of this classic. Halston is for the woman who steps out into the world as is with strength and beauty. The smell of dry leaves and earthy warmth of this fragrance makes me feel beautiful. but most of all is the sweet note of femininity that just is there I can't place it, maybe musk or jasmine? It is definately a rainy day, any day favorite for me.

dieser duft ist ein absolutes "Superparfum",schwer,sinnlich,dominant,
mit sehr überraschendem effekt, den untergründigen grünnoten, die an fichtennadeln erinnern, so habe ich ihn schon damals als meine schulfreundin ihn trug noch in erinnerung das war 1983.

This is quite a bit thinner than it was back in the day, but it still smells good, just not as rich. I agree that it can be worn as well by a man as by a woman. You can buy it very inexpensively in discount stores like TJ Maxx, or at the drugstore, but check Marshalls or TJs first. I especially enjoy Halston in autumn, on those crisp, cool days when the leaves are dying, and the sunlight is still bright though mellowing. That time, to me, is when Halston smells best. :-)

Halston on me is very earthy and natural. It is a fragrance that I use as an every day scent or to go out at night or to sleed . It connets me with Mother Nature. It is not chemical but woody ,earthy green. I use as a comfort sent and before I go to bed , when Im in the mood. I use it and feel as if nature is saying I love You. I know this is not for everyone But I love it!!!

I do like this one a lot. With any perfume, I am always waiting for the dry down stage where all the woody notes are, to kick in. Might as well wear something that is earthy and woody from beginning to the end. I know where Sarah Jessica Parker got the idea for "Lovely!! The shape of the bottle the dryness of the perfume very similar. Halston I find is much better because it is not that common any more, every body smells like "Lovely" these days. I hate to smell like every one else. Second plus for Halston is that it does not have a sharp sour note.

I saw an unboxed bottle on a shelf in TJ Maxx, so I snuck a spray of this onto the back of my hand. I truly expected something sharp and horrendous, but it was so soft and herbal. I sniffed the back of my hand for about two hours, and what started out as herbs, flowers, and twigs progressed to herbs, leaves, and twigs. There wasn't too much change, but it all felt very earthy and natural, and I really enjoyed it.

Love that ad above. I think I actually remember that from when I was a kid in the 70's! Loved the bottle and the scent was absolutely fabulous. The original, that is. They have reformulated. Something is missing and to me, it just does not smell the same as I remember it. I love the fresh, sharp, greenishness of this. Reminds me of going to Studio 54 when I was 16 and dancing to Chic, "I Want Your Love."

I really cant smell this one.What little i perceive is like medicine.Not what i wanted or expected.Would not purchase again

When I first spray this on, I don't get any of the peach or melon top notes. It's all green leaves and bergamot, sharp and almost pungent. But in the first few minutes it warms and... I guess smooths out is the best description. It becomes less sharp, but only a little.

I smell orris and ylang ylang most strongly in the middle notes, but the jasmine is there, rounding out the scent. The carnation is in there, too, very faintly.

I think the payoff for this perfume is the dry down; the sandalwood is warm, the musk is sexy, the incense is smoky, the amber is powdery and the oakmoss is earthy. It all blends together to be green, warm, spicy and sexy. The more it dries down, the more I smell the oakmoss and vetiver, in a wonderfully earthy, green way. It's an altogether a satisfying scent, particularly if you're fond of chypres.

Hey, has anyone noticed the watered downess of this scent lately? I can swear that the reason I would not use this perfume before is because it was too strong but this year I smelled this on a clearance shelf and it was a glorious smell and that is not how I remember this scent at all! I can swear it has been watered down to almost nothing compared to what I used to be. All comments welcome.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SCENT!!!! It smells like soap and powder to me. Its a classic beauty without a doubt to any mature nose. This is not for the young. I have fallen madly in love this scent and will be using it forever. I WANT A VINTAGE BOTTLE OF THIS SO BAD, DOES ANYONE HAVE ONE FOR TRADE?

I bought "Halston" when it was first released, and i recently gave it a try again, from my old bottle (i have always kept my perfumes out of heat and sunlight). And i still really like it.

It is *very* strong. I love chypres, and it is very woody and mossy, tempered by flowers (i've never noticed the fruits). Plus it also always seemed to have a hint of the metallic to me. It was very modern at the time of its release. And while it has the intensity of a 70s perfume, it still retains some rather contemporary aspects as well.

Leesee smells "Charlie" in it, but i don't. In fact, i detested "Charlie", which always smelled "cheap" to me. Perhaps it's a difference in our noses or our skin chemistry.

"Halston" was a revelation when it was first launched, and now it is a classic.

Yes, very 70s. The first one I really liked and wore.

One of the first couturiers of the modern era to aggressively market a "designer" scent, Halston paved the way for relative newbies like Calvin Klein, Diane Von Furstenberg, and other fixtures of the Studio 54 era. The scent, which has always reminded me a bit of Revlon's Charlie in overall impact, is a citrusy, strident, even "ballsy" composition, just perfect for discoing the night away. Arguably, Halston set the standard for the breezy, faintly unisex scents that soon followed, including Lauren, Calvin Klein for Women, and Geoffrey Beene's Red. Almost as quickly as Halston became a "scentsation," however, it found itself completely and permanently eclipsed by the Viking-strength scents of the 1980s.

Ich hatte es schon mal vor 20 Jahren und war begeistert. Jetzt habe ich es mir wieder gekauft und es gefällt mir immer noch genauso gut. Es ist einfach zeitlos.
Sogar das Eau de Cologne hält den ganzen Tag.

I had it already times before 20 years and was enthusiastic. Now I bought it to me again and please it me still just as well. It is simply timeless.
Even the Eau de Cologne holds all day long.

I love this Halston perfume. I discovered it from a girlfriend in 1978 and have only worn this since. My mother bought me another of Halston's perfumes for my birthday once and I gave it away couldn't stand the smell. I have never been able to find any other scent I could love as much and the matching body lotion is perfect although harder to find.

I really wish I could wear this one. It smells lovely on my aunt, my sister and a co-worker who sometimes wears it. On these ladies, Halston is a warm, soft, sexy fragrance. Woodsy, slightly musky, with just a hint of feminine floral. On them it's a "your skin, but better!" kind of scent. On my own skin, it's sharp, sour and unpleasant. Didn't even smell like the same perfume at all. I guess it's true that every perfume reacts differently based on your individual chemistry. Halston is living proof of this!

Shoot I wore some of the Halston Makeup line FAB colors! MAGENTA! In cosmetology
school @ the time. Wore this @ 21 and had men all over me! Now looking back and being on this site I have always have chose Chypre Florals. This was my first!

A typical seventies perfume, a bit harsh, not very feminine, greenish, with a patchouli/vetiver base.
It goes well with suntan and cigarettes, glam rock, safari cothes and unprotected sex - a very retro repertoire.