Popular Women's Perfume Of The 1980's.

In this installment of my popular perfumes by the decade series we'll be taking a look at five perfumes from the 80's that were as popular as Madonna and bigger than a John Hughes movie. The 1980's saw a transistion not only in fashion but also in music from the departing decade of the 70's. Disco was giving way to the new sounds of bands like Duran Duran,Culture Club and Wham to name just a few. Bell bottoms were on their last leg and wide lapel shirts and leisure suits were slowly being swept into the dust bin of fashion. Styles were spinning towards a whole new look from designers such as Halston,Viivenne Westwood,Lacoste and Ralph Lauren. The 1980's also marked some landmark events such as the first personal computer which was introduced by IBM on August 12th,1981. The first space shuttle launch on April 12th,1981 and an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan on March 30th,1981.

The "Valley Girl" (which originated in the San Fernando valley area of Southern California and was immortalized in the Song "Valley Girl" by Moon Unit Zappa in 1982 and in the movie 'Valley Girl" in 1983) with their mini skirts,,leggings,off the shoulder slouchy top,headbands and bangles and beads became the style that many young girls aspired for while the mall became THE place to hang out. "New Coke" hit the market on April 23rd,1985 replacing the original 99 year old Coca Cola formula and promptly fell flat on its face. Teenagers and young adults were flocking to the theaters to see films like The Breakfast Club,Fast Times At Ridgemont High and Beverly Hills Cop The Berlin wall came down in November of 1989 and a four sided multi-colored object known as the Rubik's cube was the hot toy that not even adults could put down. So there you have a brief re-wind of some the things that happened during the 1980's now lets get to the perfume that rocked the 80's like Metallica!

Obsession by Calvin Klein."Between Love And Madness Lies Obsession" so goes the tag line for Obsession perfume. Released in the spring of 1985 this oriental spicy fragrance has more notes in it than the 1812 overture. A few of the more notable ones include amber,spices,vanilla,sandalwood and incense. Obsession was also part of an aggressive and most memorable advertising campaign that was created by Robert R Taylor and was rooted in sexual undertones. It won the coveted FiFi award in 1986 for perfume of the year and is still one of Calvin Klein's all time best selling fragrances.

Red Door by Elizabeth Arden. Launched in 1989 Red Door is the company's signature scent and gets its name from the famous Elizabeth Arden luxury spas and hair salons which first opened on Fifth Avenue in New York in 1910. Created by perfumer Carlos Benaim Red Door is a classy and elegant perfume that features notes of honey,rose,carnation,tuberose,jasmine and ylang-ylang. The company has been bought and sold several different times including to Eli Lilly and Company in 1971 who then sold it to Faberge in 1987. In June of 2016 Revlon announced its intention to buy Elizabeth Arden Inc for $870 million as of this writing the sale is still pending.

Must de Cartier by Cartier. This beautiful fresh oriental fragrance was launched in 1981 and was Cartier's first entry into the world of perfume. It features the very green note of galbanum as well as amber,Brazilian rosewood,vanilla,amber,sandalwood,tonka bean,leather and civet. A legendary perfume from the legendary Jeweler Cartier.

Coco Eau de Parfum by Chanel. From the world renowned fashion designer Gabrielle"Coco"Chanel came Coco Eau de Parfum in 1984. Classified as a spicy oriental fragrance this perfume was created by Jacques Polge and features an exotic blend of cloves,Bulgarian rose,coriander,opoponax and sandalwood. Coco Eau de Parfum is intense and reflects Gabrielle's personality and her love of all things baroque.

Poison by Christian Dior. This revolutionary fragrance is a legend in the world of perfume. Launched in Paris in 1985. Poison is a soft, spicy,woody,fruity fragrance that's dark and mysterious and very feminine. Expertly blended notes of plum,tuberose,incense,white honey,wild berries,coriander,cinnamon and heliotrope confuse your senses yet mesmerizes and delights them at the same time. Truly a great fragrance created by perfumer Edouard Flechier. Poison was the first perfume to not have the Dior name in it and won the FiFi award in 1987 for best women's perfume.

So there you have my top five perfumes from the 1980's. There were others that were popular such as Beautiful by Estee Lauder and Samsara by Guerlain but I believe my top five would make any list out there. Do you have a favorite fragrance from the 1980's? Please feel free to leave a comment.