Anne Klein

Picture it: Christmas, 1987. A 14 year old high school freshman receives her first "grownup" fragrances, a Bloomie's mini set. Out of those five tiny bottles, the one that really speaks to her is Anne Klein which, if you can believe it, strikes her as subtle in contrast to the Obsessions, White Linens and Poisons that are making the rounds at the time. Being only 14 and more than a little anxious about being That Girl Who Everyone Can Smell Before She Enters the Room, she uses the tiniest dabs, one on each wrist, and so more or less keeps the delicious fragrance to herself. It makes her feel sophisticated (though she's certainly not), and somehow completes her school uniform. Then at fortysomething, I'm feeling more than a little nostalgic. Perhaps it's because we're nearing the end of another decade, perhaps it's the undereye bags that are slowly pillowing a little bit more every day. Whatever the reason, it's been almost 30 years since I wore Anne Klein and I need it again. I remember what it smelled like - smart, primly sensual, a little mysterious - but I want more than the memory. As luck would have it, someone on Ebay is selling a seemingly endless supply of minis, just like the one I had...I think. I purchase a parfum and an eau de parfum to find out which is which. I try the parfum first. All worries that it might be expired or that I'm remembering the wrong fragrance are cast aside. This is IT. Heady, sweet, and pristine. ("I'm not THAT pristine." - Claire Standish) Regardless of what Anne Klein might mean to anyone else, for me this is '80s innocence and impudence in a bottle. Then I try the EDP and it's...well, a decent-enough replica. It reminds me of a poster print of a famous painting. The essential feel of the original painting is there, but it's missing the texture, the play of light and shadow on brushstrokes, that makes viewing a work of art in person a richer experience than just looking at a photo of a painting. The animalic undercurrent of the parfum is arrested by white flowers in the EDP, and without that sensuality it doesn't seem so exceptional. I'm grateful I was able to find the parfum. The effect would not have been the same otherwise. I'm regretful I didn't purchase several while they were so plentiful and inexpensive. But then again, this isn't something I should wear every day (though I probably could); the nostalgia factor is too high. Right now I'm feeling like I might need to open it up again. Maybe play some Depeche Mode or Pet Shop Boys to complete the mood.

I never tried the original formula, so I didn't know how this new bottle I purchased of the latest formulation, which is now made in the US, compared. But yesterday, quite by chance, I found out. I had to stop at a friend's house after work to pick up her dog (my dogs' buddy!) to babysit for the weekend, and as soon as I walked through the door she said “Anne Klein! You're wearing Anne Klein! I haven't smelled that in years.” She then proceeded to tell me that she wore it when it first came out. It was good to know this is still recognizable and basically smells the same to her now as it did then. I wasn't sure considering that this is now on its third manufacturer. As to this new version, I love it! First spray of aldehydes and hyacinths immediately brought to mind Carolina Herrera. It then morphs into a tuberose dominant white floral bomb not only still reminding me of Herrera, but also of Paul Sebastian Design and original Lagerfeld Chloe. Unlike them though, this has a fleshy muskiness that gives the florals a softer, plusher profile. As it continues to dry down it develops a slight soapiness, (there's that Paul Sebastian again), though in no way harsh. Just a soft, clean floral. But then, just when you think this is the end, that muskiness comes back and it is accompanied by an animalic civet. I'm not usually a fan of that note, but there is no denying how much it adds to this scent and makes it absolutely intoxicating. Overall, this is an 80s floral bomb, on the line of other floral bombs of that time period, though this is softer and not as in your face, at least as it wears on and the musk becomes more prominent. But it does start strong, and for a few minutes there had me gritting my teeth that I was about to be clobbered with a bouquet of flowers. But after a few minutes it lightens up to a more discrete, though in no way unnoticeable level. Longevity is excellent as a few sprays lasted all day. For something that cost me less than $20 a bottle, I am more than happy with this blind buy, and like @drugstore classics, am finding it somewhat addictive as I've worn it for several days in a row and haven't tired of it yet. I am considering a back-up when I purchase a bottle to surprise my friend as I know this scent is going to be in very heavy rotation.

I cannot be completely subjective about this scent. It is SO gorgeous on me that it's difficult to put into words, describe adequately, or even define. Some people understandably hate soapy florals. They do nothing for them, and thus they've gotten a bad reputation. This is such a scent, but OH how beautiful to me! KL Chloe is much more screechy/soapy at the beginning than Anne Klein. Cabotine is also rather soapy and challenging at the beginning - to me. But all three are utterly gorgeous on dry down. This one is easily the most golden and lyrical. I don't know HOW to describe it. I have tested Caroline Herrera's eponymous scent in the past, and frankly think it far more tuberose centered, if related. Anne is femininity personified, a huge bouquet mixed with honeysuckle, lilac, pollen, and golden warmth. (I know lilac isn't mentioned; it's probably the hyacinth!) Tuberose may be the most dominant flower, but all of them meld with 'spicy' galbanum, amber, and vetiver to absolute perfection. Comparisons are misleading. At times I catch whiffs of this and that, but nothing in my scent memory is a smell-alike. Truly, I wouldn't change a thing. Anne Klein is distinctive and womanly and expensive smelling all at once. A note about reformulations: I swapped for this bottle because I HAVE the vintage mini. The mini has aged top notes and a most glorious dry down. It wafted from my sweater for days on end and finally boosted my urge to obtain more. No longer curious, I am now Satisfied. Reformulations are rarely a good thing, and here the watering down is evident. This is not an EDP. This is an EDC. A bit of the previous 'thickness' and warmth are dialed down. But! One spray under my shirt lingers nicely for hours and a generous misting on fabric and hair yields a cloud of moderate scent. Performance on skin is low - on fabric and hair wonderful. It is clearly (to me) the same scent, if milder mannered. Strong on first spray, however, so you may not wish to spray around the perfume sensitive. Conclusion: Many a current designer EDP has similar performance for a much higher price tag. If you (as I do!) choose to imagine the label on the bottle 'EDC', this is a fairly priced and wonderful offering from the house of Anne Klein. Count me happy!

A nice perfume friend that I met here sent me a sample of this and I really, really like it. In fact, it is a love. And it cost nothing! This really reminds me of the 1980's. Everything in that time period was big, larger than life, over the top and full of optimism, happiness and sensuality. It is a time period that was fun to be a teenager. This perfume really reminds me of the original Chloe, that was my Aunt's signature (she has passed) she always, always smelled AMAZING! Getting a hug from her was a joy, she was the kindest woman and she also smelled so floral, but it had a warm glow to it. This perfume has that same warm glow. I think it is the way I smell amber and musk. This perfume also reminds me a bit of Estee Lauder's Beautiful as well. Like original Chloe and Beautiful had a baby. You have to really love aldehydic florals like I do (I didn't for most of my life but when I smelled White Diamonds something inside my brain clicked and now, I get them and can't get enough) The trick w/ aldehydic florals is you have to find the one your brain gets and when you do, you want them all. I have been wearing a lot of these types of florals as of late, yesterday I wore Velvet Sicily and it was brilliant. This cost less than lunch at McDonalds, now what would anyone rather have a crappy lunch (I can't eat that) or a gorgeous perfume? I'll take Anne Klien Thank you! Another trick w/ these types of florals less is more. When you wear them the right way you can wear them well.

My bottle is a vintage partial. Aldehydes, with touches of currant, peach, and greenness in the opening. Then a sumptuous, indolic white floral. Very big, heady, thick, luscious tuberose with some jasmine & ylang-ylang. Gardenia notes from this time period never smell realistic to me, but the perfume has a buttery, milky quality, so I see why people are voting gardenia. The indolic florals are brought to the next level with animalic musks. A subtle but distinct ambery sandalwood base. Anne Klein signature is one of many "the 1980s recasting the 1930s" perfumes. The '80s was the decade of excess, and as such, the tastemakers of the day attempted to reignite the golden age of perfumery. Unfortunately many '80s numbers smell cheap, cosmetic, high-pitched, metallic, oily, pushy or are otherwise a whole lot worse than the grand perfumes of the '30s. When accounting for how expensive '30s fare has become on the secondhand market, the original Anne Klein is certainly worth buying and trying. This is a very well made '80s release, especially for the modest prices of old bottles. Underrated - it doesn't get nearly the recognition it deserves. Edited to include FYI: The newer bottles say "Made in China/Palm Beach Beauté LLC". These newer bottles are not nearly as good, scentwise. Avoid them. Search for the older bottles that say "Made in France/Parlux".

My Holy Grail fragrance! I discovered this fragrance from a sample placed in a Spiegel catalog in 1983(?). I was 23. This floral smells so clean and fresh and just beautiful on me. It wasn't a screamer or loud on me probably because I have or live in a dryer environment? You all should know that this was re-formulated when it went from Parlux Inc to Parlux Ltd. My first clue was when I bought an "off" bottle at a Jacobson's store while visiting in Saginaw, Mich. When I finally called Parlux, the rep said that, yes, it had been revised (something about "more floral"), she was sorry and sent me some travel-sized pieces and mini's of the original and some freebies of AK II (which I do NOT care for). But the scent didn't go "more floral" for me -- it now had an unpleasant undercurrent of something (I still don't know what it was) that just ruined it for me! :( I've been trying to find a replacement ever since. Some come close to my ideal (First by Van Cleef & Arpel comes to mind), but so far none with that extra zip of fresh/refreshing and bright, if those are the correct terms ...

Worn sparingly this is a sumptuous, bright floral that includes the sparkly fresh green of the lawn surrounding the garden as well as the blossoms themselves. One or two sprays to wrists and neckline and you'll glow with elegance. Over apply and you'll choke yourself and those around you. So... applied sparingly I sense the brightness of aldehydes enhancing the green notes, hyacinth's spring sweetness, a bit of ylang ylang's fruity-wine notes, just enough potent gardenia to give depth to the mix & a haunting strain of civet that takes all the florals to a higher level. This one doesn't say girl nor does it simply say woman, no, it most definitely says lady, An elegant, sophisticated lady. My edp bottle's list of ingredients says "alcohol, fragrance and water" and credits "Anne Klein Fragrance" with a Paris address as well as a NY address for Parlux and the box is a marbled yellow, not red/burgundy, so maybe it's the original formulation? This is quite beautiful and I'm grateful to the lovely member who sent this grand lady's fragrance to me.

I have a Parlux vintage 1-oz, and I agree 100% with drugstore classics--it's all about the heavenly dry-down. Top notes are actually too much for me--that "fruity notes" aspect. But the florals (hyacinth, yes yes) and the dry-down and the animalic resonance. Oh my. I don't wear it often because of those "fruity notes," and I wonder if my juice could be a bit too aged in that aspect of the perfume? I also agree with the comparison to the gorgeous dry-down of Cabotine. I hesitate to wear these beauties if I'm feeling impatient, even though they are year-round great daytime scents, but when I do, I am rewarded with something so special and long lasting. I would like to try the newer made in USA version. (My bottle does not say where it's made, and I don't have the box.) Edit: fyi, I have seen photos of the box which I think goes with my Parlux version, and it does say Made in France on that box.

I have been puzzling over this one for three days, since I bought it. There is something soooo comforting and somehow I recognize this perfume even though I had never smelled it before purchase. Its TATIANA. Diane Von Furstenburg's Tatiana (one of my all time favorite scents, long since discontinued and extremely expensive to purchase if you find it now) and Anne Klein's 'Anne Klein' could be sisters. They are veeeery similar to my nose. To dig deeper, I compared their scent profiles and they share a lot of the same notes in the same places. Im so incredibly happy! I have been missing my beautiful, comforting Tatiana for years and jealously guarding the last bit of juice remaining in my bottle, and just in the nick of time, I discovered Anne Klein, which is so cozy and comforting for me that I wear it to bed and sleep better because of it. It just puts me in the right frame of mind to sleep.

I have about an ounce and a half left in a 100 ml bottle of early 90’s AK. The vintage juice has aged beautifully and really doesn’t differ much from the current formulation. I find this perfume truly timeless. It’s sensitive to temperature and humidity, being surprisingly stunning in cool, damp weather. Hot summer brings out a honeyed note that is just beautiful. If I could change one thing, it would be to soften the gardenia, which rivals a Dementor’s kiss for soul-sucking ability, but that’s just my very tenuous relationship with gardenia talking. Apply less than you think you need and you will be impressed by AK’s balance and beautiful blending. It smells expensive, luxurious, and like a special occasion, for an insanely bargain price. I just don’t know how much longer that can last.

I just love this fragrance! The notes are blended so beautifully and one note doesn’t dominate another. This scent can be worn year round anytime of the day. I have a vintage mini from my days of working in the fragrance industry but I don’t want to use it as I have been collecting mini’s for over 30 years and I want them to remain full so I’ll pop off the tops to smell them and bring back memories! I ordered a new bottle to use that is a reformulation and will update with the comparisons. I received my new bottle and when I first sprayed it on it didn’t smell like the original but when it dried down in seconds it smells very close to the original . I also did a side by side comparison with the original and I am very happy with the reformation so glad to wear this fragrance again.

This was my first ever perfume, back in the late 80's- early 90's. Now i can't help but laugh, what a choice for a 16 year old :D. This was a big an loud one, and very very pretty. I think i actually used up 2 or 3 bottles of this, and that has never happened since. Back then i had no clue about sillage. I think i sprayed this very liberally, as i got used to the smell myself. I vividly remember one time, i was in a store, and a friend came up to me, saying "hey, i just followed your scent trail around the store". Lol... that made me a wee bit more cautious about overspraying. I was devastated when i found out that this had been discontinued. But c'est la vie, many many new perfumes were out there waiting for me :)

The Short: I love it! Retro flowers in the best way. The Long: This is a full bodied floral with a really smooth ride to soft pillowy drydown. I get gardenia, hyacinth, lily otv, musk, amber, sandalwood powder. Love it in the spring best. It just blooms better on my skin. Doesn’t matter which occasion. It is a unique wear for modern day but, translates beautifully to 21st century. One of the very few floral aldehydes I own (don’t typically reach for them). Lasts 6+ hours on my skin. Even longer on clothes. I have both old and current versions. They are VERY close, I can’t smell the difference. A better nose may be able but, to me it is spot on. So happy about the reboot on this one!

AK opens with a blast of honey, although there's no honey in this composition. The initial sweetness comes from the floral/fruit mixture, and it's hands down delicious. Amber and musk add power to the perfume, which has very good lasting power and good sillage. The dry down is a little soapy, like a high end triple milled soap. AK is a very feminine perfume that avoids being girly. It's probably work safe unless one bathes in it. Which would be nice because AK is that good. I keep smelling my wrist, delighted by the honey notes. A wonderfully warm scent for the cooler time of year!

Love it! 😊On my skin i mostly smell the gardenia. So the comparising with Caroline Herrera i understand. But Caroline is one of the most heavy gardenia scent i know. It's so strong you will smell it days after spraying on your clothes. The gardenia in Anne Klein is lighter and more shy. The projection and longtivity is therefore moderate not strong. But it's there and i smell it lightly every time i tack a breath. So it's one cheapie i enjoy very much and is present. So a stayer for me.

I have been wearing Anne Klein off and on for days...and days... and days. And probably shall for months to come! That is how good a Bouquet this is to a vintage floral lover. Truly, if you already love Estee Lauder Beautiful and the Karl Lagerfeld Chloe, it would be advisable to eventually obtain a bottle of this truly golden floral bouquet. She is every bit as good as either and just as unique. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Reformulated or otherwise, an extravagant floral beauty! <3

Bright and grassy green opening tapers into a massive gardenia heart balanced by sweet fruits, jasmine, and lily-of-the-valley. Gets muskier as it dries down, but never loses sight of the florals. Projects very strongly, tapers off into arms' length after the 2 hour mark. Lasts all day on skin and twice that on clothes. Can be worn all year round, but I generally prefer scents like this in warmer weather. Very affordable and still quite easy to find, bought two bottles.

I love this perfume.You would think that as much as it sells for on E-Bay ...A.K#1 AND A.K.#2 that whoever owns the perfume would remake both and put them on the market.The perfumes of today just syink .I don't know if its the chemical s they use or the noses behind the fragrance..but they clash and smell badly. If there's anyone out there that can tell me a perfume that even comes close to A.K.#1 top notes..please let me know. Thanks

The original formulation is a great big Southern belle of a perfume full of magnolias, gardenias, sandalwood, and musk that flounces into the room. I know those flowers are not listed, but those are what this girl from the South smells. Ultra feminine, rich, very long lasting, beautiful drawling daredevil, impertinent, sexy-sweet. I’ll have my mint julep on the veranda, please.

@s801959 You're right about Anne Klein II which is a beautiful amber, benzoin and green vanilla fragrance and the new version is unfortunately made in China....It does though smell unique. Its longevity is quite good also. This one has its with own beautiful, uplifting scent-Smells like expensive fruity champagne or an expensive spa shampoo. Lasts all day!