Womenswear by Alexander Julian c1992

Womenswear by Alexander Julian: launched in 1992 in association with Paul Sebastian.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a delicate fruity floral fragrance for women.  Described as floral, soft and powdery with a hint of fruit.

• Top notes: ylang-ylang, passion fruit, mandarin, cassis, apricot, peach and plum
• Middle notes: cyclamen, freesia, jasmine, lily of the valley, orchid, narcissus, rose and rosewood. 
• Base notes: amber, sandalwood, vanilla, cedar, oakmoss and white musk

Alexander Julian's vision was that Womenswear would be an environmentally conscious fragrance. No animal testing was involved in the creation of the scent, the paints are lead free and the outer packaging was made from recycled paper..

Bottle:

The one ounce parfum bottle retailed for $175 and the half ounce parfum retailed for $95 in 1993. The high price may have come from the fact that the bottle was made by famous glassmaker, Fenton. The parfum flacon is made up of iridescent glass and has a glass stopper. In the magazine ads, the bottles look like ancient Tuscan jars washed up by the sea and that's exactly the effect marketers at Paul Sebastian wanted to achieve for the unique packaging of the Womenswear fragrance. The parfum bottle is extremely rare to find today and remains a coveted collectible by both wearers of Womenswear as well as collectors of Fenton glassware.

In Fall of 1991, Fenton began working with the Paul Sebastian Company and the designer who originally introduced them to perfume bottle production to develop a line to be marketed under the direction of Alexander Julian. The project included Fenton manufacturing a stock clear glass one-half ounce and one ounce bottle in light blue with an iridized and then satinized surface with a hand painted gold band at the top of the bottle. They also manufactured the stopper that goes in the bottle in a similar treatment. The very expensive combination of colored glass and iridescent treatments was unique to Fenton in the perfume bottle market.

As far as I know, the other bottles were not made by Fenton. They are clear glass bottles with their surfaces entirely covered with a matte effect colored enamel, which has very subtle marbling. The bottles are painted with lead-free, organic paint and packaged in recyclable paper cartons. The caps are plastic with iridized marbled finish. The labels are discreetly placed on the bottom as not to mar the beauty of the glass. Both splash and spray bottles were available. Each bottle was accompanied by a small paper note reading: "Each bottle of Alexander Julian womenswear fragrance has its own variation in surface color and texture. Let them be your subtle reminders that each of our bottles is crafted and glazed individually by hand."

The Womenswear bottle was available in three colors: teal (2 oz Fine Parfum Spray), orchid (4 oz Fine Parfum Splash) and rose (4 oz Fine Parfum Spray). 

Womenswear was available in the following:

• 1 oz Parfum (in Fenton glass)
• 0.5 oz Parfum (in Fenton glass)
• 0.25 oz Parfum Splash (not in Fenton glass)
• 4 oz Cologne Spray
• 2 oz Cologne Spray
• 4 oz Cologne Splash
• Perfumed Body Satin Spray
• 6 oz Body Lotion
• 8 oz Bath Gel
• 4.5 oz Talc 

 

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued, date unknown. Still sold in 1996.

A followup fragrance, Colours was introduced in 1993.

Colours is classified as a floral fragrance for women.

• Top notes: aldehydes, fruity notes
• Middle notes: floral notes
• Base notes:

Colours for Men was launched in 1994, a warm citrusy floral woody musk fragrance.

• Top notes: bergamot, lemon, orange, lavender
• Middle notes: incense, spices, jasmine, ylang ylang, rose, white lily
• Base notes: oakmoss, sandalwood, patchouli, musk, vetiver

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