Design Perfume

Intention is the whole premise behind a fragrance called Design, and Paul Sebastian built this one with unmistakable structural ambition for its era. Tuberose, jasmine, orange blossom and peach open this Design Eau de Parfum sweet and heady, a dense white-floral top accord from the start. Gardenia, honeysuckle, carnation, lilac, ylang-ylang and rose deepen that floral theme through the middle, one of the more ambitious bouquets from the 1980s still sold today. Musk, civet, sandalwood and black currant close out a warm, slightly animalic drydown. Black currant returning at the base rather than fading with the top notes is an unusual structural choice, giving the drydown a faint fruity tartness underneath all that musk and civet that most white-floral fragrances of the same era never bothered attempting. Sold as Design Perfume, this Eau de Parfum is classed as floral and built for evening wear, dense enough to fill a room the way fragrances from its decade of origin generally intended. The civet in the base is a holdover from an era less squeamish about animalic notes, and it's part of what keeps Design from smelling interchangeable with newer, cleaner florals, making it a distinctly interesting comparison point for anyone curious how mainstream perfumery's relationship with animalic ingredients has shifted since its original release.