Perry Ellis for Women by Perry Ellis: launched in 1985 in association with Parfums Stern.
Ellis decided to launch both his first men's and women's fragrances at the same time. He had his own reasons. "It has been a dream of mine to bring women and men fragrances as beautiful as the spirit of our country," said Ellis. "I think that the quality of life in America is better than ever. There's an honesty and spirit in our lives that's wide open to many interpretations. But there's hope and opportunity here, and all the things that America embodies through our freedom in government make it a very special place. I wanted all that brought together in a very special way with these fragrances."
When asked why he didn't make an extravagant introduction of his fragrances, Ellis replied, "I wanted to keep my launch understated. I wanted to stay away from flash in the beginning. It's longevity that counts with a fragrance - not a big spurt in the beginning. I shied away from that kind of launch and had quiet meetings with the people who sell my fragrance. I entrusted Parfums Stern to do what's necessary...there's a real sense of responsibility to the needs or American men and women and less emphasis on show here. I think that's awfully good...I think I personally have more of a tendency to go in an opposite direction from what Europe is doing."
Ellis toured perfume factories in Grasse, France to understand how fragrances are formulated, but decided to use ingredients all found on the American landscape in the composition. This detail was "very important for me," he said. The scents were familiar to him "from growing up in the woods in Virginia.""Because I believe strongly in natural fibers in my clothes, I wanted to use as many natural ingredients as possible," said Ellis.
Fragrance Composition:
So what does it smell like? It is classified as an aldehydic floral fragrance for women. The women's scent is a beautiful tribute to America, a blend of magnolia, honeysuckle, marigold...along with exotic fruits and warm ambergris.
- Top notes are bergamot, marigold, aldehydes, magnolia, fruity notes, pineapple and violet
- Middle notes are jasmine, gardenia, honeysuckle, geranium, ylang-ylang, orris root, rose and lily-of-the-valley
- Base notes are vetiver, musk, sandalwood, oakmoss, virginia cedar, ambergris and civet
Bottles:
The bottles are derived from an antique Early American blown glass "pinch" bottle, designed in the USA but manufactured in France. "I just wanted to keep it American in every way I could," said Ellis. "The pinch bottle, very slim, very flat, for both men and women, is simple and clean, but inspired by the past," explained Ellis."I wanted the women's scent to be feminine and pretty and the men's to be masculine and handsome."
As a rich finishing touch, each parfum flacon's gold banded caps are fitted with genuine semiprecious cabochon gemstones including malachite, lavender amethyst, red jasper and hematite. The list below was originally given by Perry Ellis press materials, but I have found variations in the caps and bottle sizes, as no doubt you will too. Most people today do not know that these are genuine gemstones, if you find these bottles, keep them!
- Malachite = 1 oz bottles
- Amethyst = 1/2 oz bottles
- Red Jasper = 1/4 oz bottles
- Hematite = 1/3 oz Gemstone Wand Spray
The Eau de Toilette splash and spray bottles are topped with simulated coral or simulated turquoise.
Ellis explains that "In my mind, this added a precious quality to the scent by using semiprecious stones, and it was a way to add color to the bottle."
Boxes are covered with black and white linen, Ellis' signature fabric.
Perry Ellis for Women was available in the following products:
- 0.33 oz Perry Ellis Gemstone Wand Perfume & Refill (retailed for $55)
- 0.14 oz Parfum miniature
- 0.25 oz Parfum (retailed for $50)
- 0.5 oz (retailed for $85)
- 1 oz Parfum (retailed for $150)
- 0.75 oz Eau de Toilette Splash
- 1.7 oz Eau de Toilette Splash
- 3.3 oz Eau de Toilette Splash
- 2.5 oz Eau de Toilette Spray (retailed for $30)
- 4.2 oz Eau de Toilette Spray (retailed for $45)
- Body Lotion
- Body Dusting Brush
- Body Bath
- Body Powder
In 1987, Parfums Stern repackaged the Eau de Toilette in white and green striped boxes. All of these Eau de Toilette bottles have malachite colored caps.
Fate of the Fragrance:
The original 1985 version was discontinued.
The Perry Ellis fragrance line, originally licensed to Sanofi Beaute, Inc., was sold to Parlux Fragrances in 1994. The deal gave Parlux funds to fuel growth of other scents and Perry Ellis more control over the creative development of its namesake fragrance and helped provide cachet to the ailing label.
In 1994, a new version was reformulated and released. It is classified as a soft crisp white flower floral eau de toilette fragrance for women. The spray bottles are the same, but the packaging looks different. The boxes are now turquoise blue and white linen. I believe that the Parfum was discontinued as was the large Eau de Toilettes, instead, it was now only available in Eau de Parfum concentrations:
- 1 oz Eau de Parfum Spray
- 2.5 oz Eau de Parfum Spray
- 4.2 oz Eau de Parfum Spray
- 1/8 oz Eau de Toilette miniature
By 2006, this version was discontinued.
Parlux was struggling with distribution and administration and sold its licensing rights to the fragrances back to Perry Ellis International, who in turn sold all licensing rights, inventory, molds and other assets to Falic Fashion Group (FFG), LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Duty Free Americas, Inc., in 2007.
In 2009, a new version, Perry Ellis for Women, was reformulated by Claude Dir and relaunched in new packaging designed by Denis Boudard. The clear bottle is a curved triangular shape, with a heavy glass cap, gold accents and a pearl embellishment wrapped around the collar. The box is an ivory mother-of-pearl, with the fragrance name picked out in gold lettering.
So what does it smell like? It is classified as a fruity floral fragrance for women.
- Top notes: apple, plum and mandarin orange
- Middle notes: gardenia, jasmine and lily of the valley
- Base notes: musk, vanilla and amber
The newest version of Perry Ellis for Women is available in the following:
- 1.7fl oz Eau de Parfum Spray
- 3.4fl oz Eau de Parfum Spray
- 6.7fl oz Luminous Body Lotion
- 6.7fl oz Luminous Shower Gel
A cultured freshwater pearl necklace will be offered as the launch gwp.