When we talk about the newest fragrance, or the latest must-have release, our thoughts will instantly turn to those images of the bottles that we’ve seen in magazines or online. We instinctively look forward at what is to come, but there is a treasure trove of perfumes that are also waiting for us in the past. The idea of “newness” is often confused with “latest” but, if you stop and think about it, everything is “new” to someone. With finances getting a little tighter, some historic searching can turn up some fantastic fragrances at inexpensive prices. So, with that in mind, it’s time to rediscover Halston 1-12.
To say that it’s been a challenging twelve months would definitely be an understatement but, for the second year running, the fragrance industry has refused to give in. Even with partial restrictions and a decidedly uncertain future, companies have continued to do their very best to bring us some much needed scented escape. Some of the fragrances have been new, some have been classics, but all of them have kept us smiling. So, as we approach the end of 2021, I thought it would be a good moment to look back at twelve months of articles, once again channel my inner Blyton, and pick My Favourite Five.
The part of reviewing fragrances that I really enjoy is when you end up with connections that, until you stumble across them, hadn’t been mentioned before. This can be because journalists are nervous about veering too far from the company’s press release, for fear of upsetting the person that’s written it, or they’re financially tied in some way to the promotion of the scent. So, when the worlds of Netflix, perfume, and American fashioned collided spectacularly this week, I finally realised that I was sitting on a modern day classic. It’s time to revisit, or discover for the first time, the Ultrasuede styling of Nightscape by Ulrich Lang.
If you think about the vast number of fragrances that are launched every year you’ll understand why securing a following is so important. The constant stream of new releases can potentially result in us switching our allegiance to the new kid on the block, and then it’s very hard to tempt us back. It wasn’t always like this. In the past, the launches every year were only in double figures, and that actually may be one of the reasons why some have stood the test of time. One such fragrance is Halston Z-14 and, as it celebrates its forty-fifth birthday, I thought it was time to see whether the years had been kind.
How do you begin to describe Isaac Mizrahi? He’s a designer, an actor, a TV host, a writer, and a producer... and he is also unbelievably funny. Born in Brooklyn, he was torn between fashion and theatre, so decided to do both. He received early backing from Chanel, had a client list that included Naomi Campbell and Liza Minnelli, and also does the perfect imitation of Barbra Streisand. Isaac eventually released his autobiography, I.M. A Memoir, in 2019 but I wondered what extra scented secrets we’d discover during “Stephan’s Six”.
How do you introduce someone like Julie Halston? She’s an award winning American actress and comedienne, she’s kept us entertained online during a “global pandemic” courtesy of Virtual Halsten, and her list of credits include everything from Hairspray to Sex and The City. Never one to shy away from a one-liner, I thought it was time to find out a little more about this Flushing girl and ask her “Stephan's Six”.
