Design

After several years of perfume preoccupation, I've finally gotten 'round to reading from THE GUIDE, by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez. This controversial book is often referred to as some kind of Bible by perfume illiterates like myself, but for me personally it's actually a weird ride. They have a decidedly irreverent attitude, coupled with a MOST opinionated knowledge of their subject. Naturally, I disagree with them from time to time. In particular, they seem to enjoy bashing inexpensive beauties for their lack of expensive ingredients, an outlook which I find circular in reasoning if not downright hilarious! Which leads me to this particular budget classic. Tania Sanchez gave Design exactly one star, meaning a deplorable scent, mere 'floral shampoo'. I do understand her point of view, especially when reading her puzzled remarks. Given just a few minutes to spray a blotter and sniff, I have come to conclusions just as arbitrary. It took me a full year to acquaint myself with Design, trying her in all sorts of weather and moods. Like Tania, I initially wondered, what makes people BUY this stuff?! Granted, Design is no exotic masterpiece, but rather a powerful, lingering floral of the most tenacious variety. It shines best when misted lightly or applied sparingly indeed. The aura is ever so slightly fruity ( black currents, disguising themselves as that insidious shampoo note ) while always uncompromisingly floral. This particular weakness is actually it's strength, delivering - sometimes loudly! - the essence of fresh greens, lilacs, and gardenias. In reality, the apparent simplicity is intelligent understatement. Civet, rose, honeysuckle, carnation, and Musk are all part of this deceptive siren song. It's simply so well blended that at first you don't notice.... Like a supposedly unsophisticated young woman in a gingham dress, who you then realize is the diva you've admired from afar, Design holds allure for those persistent enough to look twice. ( Or in my case, More than twice! ) In answer to why this perfume is still selling, I reply that it is GOOD. Not brilliant, but certainly worth a second glance. There are moments when I want an elixir of civet, musk, and florals to announce my presence, and this is IT. For those of you who feel the same, Design delivers longevity, sillage, and cracking good value.

My mom wore this in the 90s. I always considered it a mature scent until I smelled it on one of my sorority sisters, and thought it made her seem deep and mysterious to wear it in her early 20s. So I grabbed a bottle at TJMaxx back when. Couple years later, long story, but lost my whole perfume collection from college, over $2000 in scents. I couldn't even try to reconcile that for over a decade, but am finally building back what I lost, despite reformulations, and extinctions. Design is one of the first ones I bought, simply because it is now so cheap. It wasn't expensive back when I found it at TJX, but it's like $17/3.4oz at CVS now, which is really cheap. The bottle is a relic, totally not cute now, but easing into the grace of classic-ness, I guess. But the scent, for me, has memories, and otherwise, it's just pleasant to wear. It lasts FOREVER, so totally worth the bargain price, and then some. I've gotten some sexy compliments on this, but it's not a youthful sexiness, more of a Vanessa Redgrave character from the original "Mission Impossible" 1996 movie. She's the sexy older woman in the limo who kidnaps Tom Cruise for intel. That said, I still would make this more of a daytime scent. Can transition to night, but better night options are plentiful for a hot date. This is definitely a classic, much more sexy, IMHO, than a classic like Chanel No. 5, which was my grandmother's go to, like PS Design was my mom's. Both deserve a place in the fragrance hall of fame, and I know how established and cherished No. 5 is to the world, but I guess I'm a cheap nose here, and the PS Design would be my preference. Pick it up! You won't be disappointed. A cheap back up in your collection, if nothing else. Covers well, lasts forever, and even if this isn't your smellhouse, you'll smell nicer than you would with nothing!

I have had a bottle of Design consistently since the 90s! I can’t even tell you how many bottles of this beauty I have owned! I always purchased it at Macy’s in the good ol’ days (actually fabulous local department store later taken over by Macy’s) especially when they had free gifts with purchase, which used to be fabulous! I had so many beautiful vases, a ceramic clock, many trinket boxes, and candle holders all free from Paul Sabatian gifts! For you younger folks, that was an amazing time! Fragrances were affordable AND they gave you other useful items just for buying them!! Imagine!! But I really didn’t need insentives to purchase it! I adored it! It is a truly elegant and beautiful fragrance ! I hadn’t worn it in a long time due to all the others in my collection getting attention but I did want to remember it in the summer, and I decided it was finally, after all these years, a little tiny bit dated. But I decided to put it on today and instant delight swept across my face!! This is perfect for the winter!! It’s a bit heavier than scents I wear today, but in the cool weather, it is absolutely fabulous!! Don’t be scared by the civet note. It obviously isn’t real civet anymore, and it’s just a warm floral musk. Honestly, the leather and suede notes in a lot of other fall winter fragrances are way more animalic to my nose. This is beautiful and creamy! It projects well and lasts a long time. I love it all over again!

I just picked up Design today and it absolutely reminds me of Giorgio and the White Shoulders I had in the late 1970's (I picked up a new bottle of White Shoulders a few months ago and it was horrible and not at all what I remember from the perfume I had in the late 1970's :( ). Design, however, is a little simpler and less of a chypre than Giorgio. But Design has a dark, incense-y, more animalic note that Giorgio doesn't have. It strikes me, too, that Design is in the same family as the original Juicy Couture -- another white floral -- but Juicy Couture has a more gourmand note than either Design or Giorgio -- which makes sense, given that it was formulated in 2006 when gourmand notes were popular. Overall, I love Design and, after wearing it for a full day, I'm really impressed by its staying power. It kind of glows and smolders throughout the day with this beautiful tuberose/civet combination, the heady sweetness of the tuberose grounded by this radiant, velvety civet note; but it smells clean and fresh. It's not a loud scent at all, but rather radiates continuously without changing a lot from top notes to base. It's absolutely lovely! I'd always seen it for sale at Ross and TJ Maxx but didn't pick it up until I saw a YouTube video by Shana J, in which she sang its praises. What a beautiful scent!!!

I just recently got a bottle because it was my favourite scent in 1989 when I was a young teen. Every-time I wear it the compliments never end. It is a very sophisticated, slightly musky floral scent and in my opinion it is slightly sweet. It opens up a tad indolic because of the civet but it quickly dies off. It has carnation in it but it does not smell like a funeral home like one would think. Its a very nice smell because of the tuber-rose not being too strong you can smell the other flowers like the jasmine, YLANG-YLANG, honeysuckle and lilac quite well. This is different from any fragrance I have worn. It lasts all day long. It is well worth the money and the bottle is very nice with a elegant burgundy cap. I get more compliments when I wear this than any other perfume. It is very opulent. I will continue to stock up on this just in case they discontinue it because that is how much I love it. Its best worn in the spring and summer due to the intense floral notes. Not a winter scent at all in my opinion because its not at all spicy and a little goes a long way. Paul got this perfume right! Its so lovely I cant say enough good things about it. And do not listen to SCBohemian its not tacky AT ALL.

For years I've enjoyed this vintage floral - sparingly and infrequently. Not for the faint of heart or uninitiated. I had to be in the RIGHT mood. Civet-black currant-grape(read, orange blossom)-floral can be an intimidating combination! She's bold, but she's also pretty and elegant in dry down - musky and powdery and graciously alluring. While mature, I have a feeling that in years gone, Design read innocent compared to many a designer release. She also used to be expensive! So as a sophisticated floral, I wholeheartedly recommend. As a budget floral I recommend, as a unique vintage I recommend, and as a powerhouse value I recommend. More recently I've realized that she shines in cool spring weather, so as a spring scent, I recommend. I also recommend Design 100 Percent over the current designer florals, such as My Way. She has 'old money' vibes that Armani cannot deliver. So, in short, I RECOMMEND. <3 Update: I don't believe Design is necessarily the only good vintage floral I own, but she gets more complements from men! I think this is because she is strong enough to smell..... <3 Whatever the reason, it's a welcome aspect, as often my perfume cannot be smelled by others. Win!

I sympathize with the reviewers who are bored with this one. For a couple of years, it was everywhere. I feel like that was a while ago - I haven't smelled it on anyone recently. I used to own it and swapped it away long ago. I got a nostalgia craving for it recently and ordered the parfum. It is yummy. It is everything I wanted. Pushing gourmand, but not too cloying. Mellow fruitiness and the right mid-balance of floral. Earthy, but still light. Very early 00s. For a while I thought of Paul Sebastian as too boring to take seriously, but now I adore how light, pretty and simple it is. Great for this warm weather. The citrus really rises to the occasion. I think if I didn't know and smelled this from a niche house for the first time today, I'd say hell yes finally. Paul Sebastian is a nice little personal gem. The sillage of the parfum is very close to the body, which I prefer to the total knock out projection of the , which I had before. I've recently been revisiting the perfumes I wore 10+ years ago and I have to say, this one I appreciate more at 32 than I did when I was 18. I feel lovely in this today.

Today I just bought a big 3.4 oz. bottle of Design Parfum Spray and I find it simply intoxicating! I must say I absolutely adore this fragrance! The floral notes in this perfume are splendid! One reviewer described Design as a "warm floral"...I concur; perfect description of this! This is my new all time favorite without a doubt. Mixes so well with my chemistry. This starts off smelling amazing on me, and hours later still smells equally wonderful. This one does not change and turn bad on me, and it has very, very good staying power. I put it on today around 12 noon, added a little tiny spritz around 6 pm (which I probably did not need to do), and by 10 pm its still going strong! I look at Design as a very refined; classy and sophisticated perfume. Nothing cheap smelling about it! Makes sense that it was once sold in Department Stores, as it is of that caliber. Love it. And although it was introduced back in 1985, I still see Design as being a timeless perfume, perfect for anyone day or night. Awesome fragrance and I highly recommend it. Kudos, Paul Sebastian!!

I have a couple bottles of the vintage version from when it was first released, and it will always be in my top five. I am not usually a fan of big floral frags, let alone white flower frags, but this one is astonishing. I've met so many people who wear this fragrance and rock it down to the ground. I have to agree with nikkibobby77, below, that this fragrance is CLASS. And on top of that, this is a classic; some people will recognize this frag if you wear it, although it's not worn that much these days, and they will ID it immediately and rave about it. I have bonded with complete strangers who wore this frag when we met and I recognized it and we had convos about how we love it. It's well blended, it's affordable, it lasts forever and ever, it is a compliment magnet, and it makes the wearer feel like several million bucks. What's not to like? It's an 80s frag for sure, but a very, very endearing one. I'm not quite there with comparisons to Giorgio, although I kinda sorta see where they come from in terms of sillage and style.

Marvelous hairspray floral, rich with tuberose, honeysuckle, lilac, and orange blossom. The musk and civet give it more heft and longevity than mere florals imply. Be forewarned: If you do not like 'dated' (soapy) florals or tuberose, stay away. :) As for the strength, I believe this is not only subjective, but possibly varies owing to modern dilution. Whatever the facts, I cannot be certain, because my older bottle has been slightly leaking and condensing for about a decade now. It only seems to get stronger... One spray is Ballistic. In my bedroom right after spraying this is incredibly noticeable, let alone on my person. Pow! However. If you were to meet me an hour later, you would merely notice that I smell floral and fantastic. So the potency varies based on your placement in my life! Four stars - Five if the musky civet/currant combination didn't sometimes make me feel a trifle queasy. You have to be in the right mood for Design, for sure. But when you are, she is the Best Budget Beauty Ever!

This is my all-time favorite perfume! I have difficulty finding a perfume I can tolerate. I don't like overly floral or powdery scents. I do like musky scents, but find them overbearing in the summer. I can wear Design all year round. I find it to be a nice combination of floral and musk. Everytime I wear it, someone compliments me on it. I always wanted a signature scent and apparently, this one has become mine. I was at a wedding and my teenage niece hugged me and complimented me on my perfume. She said she associates that scent with me. I have worn this since it came out in 1985, and, even though I have tried several other perfumes, I will until I can't get it anymore! I have alot of acid in my body, so most perfumes and colognes wear off quickly or start smelling like alcohol as soon as I put it on.This one goes on smelling nice and stays on! LOVE IT!!!!

WHY oh why wasn't I introduced to Design sooner?? This fragrance is fabulous! I absolutely love it! Floral yet there's a depth there, like others have said below it smells classy, fresh, a little soapy, something about it sets it apart from the plethora of floral fragrances out there. I love many types of fragrances, and I like variety but Design is the first fragrance that I have ever smelled where I thought "Wow, this could be my signature fragrance!" The only negative to it is the performance, on me it starts out strong but really only lasts about 90 minutes to 2 hours. This is the newer formulation. I have been very tempted to seek out a vintage bottle of Design. I am a bit wary about purchasing vintage perfumes as I don't want to buy a bad bottle. I bet that Design was marvelous in it's heyday as even this reformulation smells utterly divine!

This was my signature scent for years. It reminded me a bit of a perfume my moms best friend wore ( Ciara ), however Ciara didn’t work on me like it did on her. But Design works for me in the most beautiful way. I stopped wearing it because my in laws loved it so much on me they all began wearing it to my dismay. We’d have family get togethers and everyone would show up wearing my beloved Design. It was like a huge Design cloud, so I sadly decided to stop wearing it. I wanted to say it’s rude to copy someone’s signature scent. Every time I wore this men and women would ask what I was wearing. It really is a beautiful bargain scent. If you like VS rapture and Elizabeth Taylor’s diamonds and rubies, then you’ll probably enjoy this as well. All three do the same magical thing on my skin, they may work for you as well.

Warm weather is here, and that means its time to pull out my bottles of Design! I LOVE wearing this during spring and summer. I always carry a travel spray with me to freshen up. The vintage gives off this floral blast and civit combo that is dazzling @FrazzledVirgo4 is absolutely right. The older formulations have something in it that I have yet to experience with any other perfume. I dont know what it is, but its addicting to me. Well addicting enough for me to have over 30 back up bottles. Its my most used perfume in my collection. Except for when fall and winter are here. It just doesn't bloom in the cold on my skin. But when spring and summer comes its game OVER! I pull out all the works.. Design body wash, body lotion, body talc powder and perfime to finish it off almost every day of the warm seasons!!!

This perfume has fast become one of my favourites and I find myself reaching for it all the time. It has a plasticy top note that lasts for a few seconds on first spray but after that it's all smooth sailing. It's beautiful, tuberose and jasmine heavy floral. It's clean and fresh and slightly sweet from the peach and that honey suckle comes in strong. As it evolves on your skin a warmth and depth start to bloom giving it a complexity. The bottle is beautiful, and the fragrance lasts forever. I love wearing this in the evenings, like a night blooming jasmine. Such a underrated gem, so glad it's come into my life. This is the perfume my mum compliments me on the most, every single time I wear it around her she always mentions how nice I smell.

Such a pretty white floral with a touch of sweetness. One of my very good friends wore this when we were in our late teens/early 20's so this reminds me of her and all the fun times we had together. This scent reminds me of her laughter and she had one of those deep, heartfelt belly laughs that once you heard it, you'd start laughing even if you didn't know what you were laughing at. That is what this fragrance reminds me of. A simpler, sweeter time in my life that I'm aiming to recreate. I wonder if it's worth seeking out an older bottle that has civet in it? I would love a little more of an animalic note in this scent. I just sampled a newer bottle today at Meijer so I did not detect any civet but it is still good stuff!

This is one of those love it or hate it ones. I personally love it, but I do understand people who say it's old fashioned. I smelled this at an antique shop and couldn't stop thinking about it for the next week or so. I went back and it was still there so bought it immediately. It is definitely "business-like" as @herculano put it on the initial spray. But I'm getting mostly gardenia and that does redeem it for me. But the dry down is really what gets me. Dries down into such an intoxicating animalic smell, I can't stop sniffing myself whenever I apply this. I'm such a sucker for musk or powder, and it blends together so well with the florals and black currant as the musk comes forward.

My mom used to wear this when I was a child. Her hugs smelled like it, and the whole house would carry its scent long after she’d left for work. She’s moved on from it now, but she still keeps a bottle for nostalgia’s sake. It’s sweet, fizzy, and fruity. I was going to say it reminds me a lot of Giorgio, and then I looked up at the “this perfume reminds me of” bar lmao, makes sense! I still think it’s beautiful and has absolutely stood the test of time, but I don’t know if I could pull it off. She is LOUD! And while I do like loud fragrances, the particular notes that shout here aren’t exactly my kind of loud. I might have to get a bottle and see😹🖤.

I don’t get all the “this is a very heavy scent” it’s stronger but no powerhouse. I love it and my bottle is from the 90s, and 3 sprays is all you need current is lots weaker and imo not strong really at all. Maybe my nose is blown out by heavy smells but this is perfect in vintage form. Current I would pass. This is a beautiful Aussie hair spray smell that I adore. Pss, loving all the wild reviews on this beauty some crack me up... There all over the map... Design is not Elizabeth Taylor perfume strong AT ALL... Yes it’s strong but not overly strong so don’t let the reviews scare you off.. Find a vintage bottle it’s perfection. Good day, ladies.

The Short: I love PS Design. Happy florals and soft musk. The Long: Really such a great affordable scent! The florals are juicy sweet (not sugary), honeysuckle and orange blossom are very noticeable. Lilacs and ylang-ylang are also nice. I enjoy the musk base. It is a fine choice for everyday fragrance. I am in such a happy mood when I wear this sweetheart of fragrance. Longevity is good 4-5 hours. Sillage arms length. It is very wearable. Noticeable. If you want to smell like clean flowers, pick this up! Back up bottle? Yes, please. *This review is for a current new bottle. I hope we can keep this one going. Love it!

I just read new reviews and just want to say I am so glad I bought a bottle of this a few years ago before it was reformulated. It is is a cold dark place. I wore this yesterday. I put it on at 12 noon. Its 6 am the next day and I can still smell this beauty in my hair like i just sprayed it. I have the vintage obviously because its a powerhouse. Gorgeous clean white florals. Tuberose delight. Design is different than anything I ever smelt. I still have half a bottle and I am so grateful. It is hard to find a decent bottle of perfume nowadays everything's been reformulated sadly. Get this if you haven't its amazing.

I graduated in 1991 and this was one of my graduation gifts from mom and dad. It was my first "expensive" bottle of perfume from a perfume counter. I had been sneaking sprays from the perfume counter every time I walked by it at the mall. It was bright, sunny and unique to my nose. I just bought a bottle of it from Ebay and spritzed it on my arm. It's not quite the same as it was back then but it still smells sweet and unique. I always got compliments back then and I felt like it fit my personality. It feels like a bright yellow sundress with a big hat, strappy sandals and a big pair of sunglasses.

I have tested this a few times at my local Marshalls and I think I've had a break-through. Some of these older "vintage" scents from the 70's and 80's have a timing aspect that you have to get in stride with. They are absolute BANGERS at the first spray and when the top notes hit. But don't scrub!!! The magic happens within 30 minutes, and then lasts and lasts. The dry-down on this is heavenly! Clean, musky, a bit soapy... in a relaxing and feminine way. This girl is sitting at my Marshalls, with a red sticker marked $6 and if she's still there tomorrow, she's mine!

Design is a very pretty & sweet floral fragrance that achieves depth with Amber. I first smelled Design around 2000 on my, then, mother-in-law that we only saw once or twice a year due to long distance between homes. Design had me at first whiff. When she told me the name of it and the affordable price, I knew I had to have a bottle, especially since it was affordable to this poor, new college graduate. It only takes a couple sprays to achieve projection and a considerable longevity, making Design a beautiful smelling deal!

Those who say this is a white floral bomb aren't kidding. Where has this been all my life? Or rather, where have I been that I never even heard of this beauty? Clean, fresh, creamy, with all my favorite notes. I'm a big white floral lover, the heavier the better; and this has all my favorites in spades. If you love big white florals, you can't go wrong with this. I like it just as much as some of the $100+ white floral fragrances I own. I just have to remember to go easy on the spray because this one packs quite a wallop.

My mother bought me my first bottle of Design and it’s magical on my skin. I can’t find many fragrances that smell nice on me. This is the fragrance that stands out from all the sugar milled overpriced and cheap syrup duds. This is very distinct. I was very surprised to see another Dior Poison similarity. I do get a combo of Poison and Pure Poison. It’s not soapy but the tuberose is a chameleon that smells like magnolia and the peach is just enough to settle it. I don’t detect a manly musk scent. Underrated. Must try.

Okay people , I hear ya ! It seems a lot of reviews are negative but I am telling you this is divine on me. People get back on elevators and ask what I am wearing. Must ne a body chemistry thing as my sister and aunt LOVE it on me and hate it on them. There is no other perfume that I have received more compliments on. As far as it being an old lady perfume........the lead singer of the very young rock band Hinder asked me WHAT are you wearing , God you smell SO good !! And thats my two cents on Design , its devine .

Gosh how much I love PS Design. Such a beautiful scent. Not for people who don’t like sweeter florals. I find Design to put some ppl off. Mind you not everyone is gonna love or even like Design. I wear like 4 sprays my bottle is quite older definitely not today’s formula. I find the vintage much deeper and less synthetic. I love this fragrance, and will always wear it❤️ Longevity Till your clothes are washed 24+ hours. Silage arms length. Compliments Yes always. My rating in this fragrance 10/10. Gorgeous❤️

I still love this(already reviewed once) but it is true that too much can be cloying.It's perfect for cool summer evenings.It reminds me of a Southern garden with the scents of all the flowers mingling.Every night I sit on my porch and catch whiffs of my gardenias and jasmine blooming and this is so similar.Again I think moderation is the difference between a lovely scent and one that makes you gag because it is so strong.I guess this is definitely a love/hate scent for many.

I'm very surprised at the quality of this fragrance. It smells pricier than it is. Not a lover of heavy white flowers but here it is nicely done and balanced with the peach, which mellows them out, and the carnation, which gives a little spiciness and also a light soapiness. The dry down is a nice soft musk and sandalwood with a touch of civet. With so many voluptuous flowers I don't know how it still manages to smell clean and fresh. Very pretty. I like 😉.

Sensational vintage, very easy to wear. Used this to layer with D.S. Durga's Deep Dark Vanilla ... i cam finally wear this vanilla with help from Design🥲. Another fragrance, not in fragrantica.com, thar layers well is this one: [https://palmbeachbeaute.com/product/candied-citrus-vanilla/] Design and this Candied Citrus and Vanill scent by Palm Beach Beauté seem to interact beautifully with D.S. Durga's Deep Dark Vanilla orchid scent.

This is really nice-not what I expected.Maybe I got the 'watered down' version but it has very light silage on me.I get mostly just a lovely,non cloying gardenia out of it with a hint of rose-doesn't remind me of typical 80s scents at all.Well worth what I paid for it...and luckily no carnation to be found as we don't play nice with each other;) Edit:I love this more and more each time I wear it...big bottle purchase for sure!

YUM!!! My mom has used this for years and she always smells fantastic. Design has awesome sillage and lasts forever. It's amazingly inexpensive for how nice it is (at least on her). I can smell the gardenia the most, and it comes across to me as a lush creamy floral. I wish that Paul Sebastian had made more women's fragrances than just this and casual because if anything they have amazing longevity and sillage.

I love the opening; while I find most perfumes initially smell strongly of alcohol, this goes on lovely at first spray. It is undeniably retro. It does indeed smell like a (heavily fragranced) bar of soap--it's sweet and clean but still a little spicy and warm. If sprayed in moderation, this is not overpowering but has a definite presence. I find this to be a very comfortable fragrance.

It is a mix of every floral note that I love, on top of that there is a big dose of civet!! if you know me, you would know that I am addicted to civet!! This stuff has tons of projection, and sticks around on my skin forever!! It is my utmost favorite, #1 signature of mine for sure. I will forever use, and have back up bottles of Design until the day that I die.

I reviewed this a while ago but decided to try this again after not wearing for a few years. I'm not surprised this is an 80s scent because to me this is like Giorgio Beverly Hill's younger, more modest and quiet sister. It's a very clear, soft white floral and I had forgotten just how pretty it was. Will be wearing this a lot more in the future.

I just repurchased this after years of not owning it. I had forgotten how much I love the sweet nectar in the lovely bottle. On me it is pure floral (mainly honeysuckle) with a hint of sandalwood and civet. It brings back memories of a simpler time and I will not be without it in my collection again.

Tuberose, civit, and black currant, what an amazing combination. Some people just can't handle the intensity of this tuberose powerhouse, but that's okay with me. I spray away with no shame!!

Every time I spray this, I think - ahhh, smells like the '80's. I love it. So fresh and pretty and so nostalgic. I haven't found a place or a season where this doesn't feel appropriate.

I am OBSESSED with this!! Tuberose Civet BOMB. Slightly skanky, in a good way. Dive bar, cigarettes, teased bangs, acrylic nails, LOUD. My kinda fragrance. Cheap, trashy, wonderful!!

This is seriously one of the longest lasting fragrances there is. I have a weird attraction to this even though I know it can be too much. I guess some days I want to be too much 😂👏🏼

God I love Design so much. It reminds me of Aussie hair spray and that’s why I love it... I have a vintage bottle. It’s gorgeous..

This is lovely for the summer it smells like tide laundry powder

This is such a happy scent, and I love it, even though it's far too upbeat for my ever growing cynicism. I have a vintage bottle, which I had to transfer to a new spray bottle because the atomizer didn't work. (I think it said French Fragrances, Inc. on the bottom of the bottle?) Also smells really beautiful (and long lasting) on fabric and paper surfaces. I do see the similarity to Sand & Sable, but not a lot of the others--Giorgio? No, this is so much more focused and cool headed. Anne Klein? No, Anne Klein is in a whole floral league of her own, with greenness and bitterness that I just don't get here. Elizabeth Taylor Diamonds & Emeralds? No, there's none of that mandatory lily business going on. Design is very at home with me, even if I can't live up to her polished, unflappable cheer very often. Added: I am mystified by how this could remind someone of Rochas Femme, by the way, but I haven't tried today's version of Design. Rochas Femme has such a completely different vibe, and even the peach note is different to my nose. Perhaps they are glopped out of the same vat at the end of the day, but one (Design) is free and easy; the other (Femme) is more of a caretaker, a serious person capable of maintaining love whilst submitting to fate. My opinion only, of course.

Spraying this on this morning kind of blew me away. I wasn’t expecting such a fresh white floral with a twinge of fruitiness. I’m not sure if that’s just the sweetness from the honeysuckle, I could’ve sworn it was a orange note. I get the gardenia + tuberose most strongly, and they’re equal players in this scent. It’s not entirely unlike Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia, which I own, but that one is much more green and slightly more realistic. Also this reminds me of the time I sampled Elie Saab Gardenia. I was expecting to hate it because gardenia scents rarely ever work on my skin, they go salty butter on my chemistry. This one and that one both threatened to go there but the fruity note is their saving grace. That and the tuberose in this one. I’d say if you know you love white florals this one is worth trying. And I don’t get the remarks about this being dated at all. If this was slapped inside a Juicy Couture bottle nobody would bat an eye. Gucci Bloom smells much more dated on my skin and it’s a modern release. Don’t let the age fool you, this one’s timeless and classy. Performance isn’t great on mine, must’ve suffered one too many reformulations but it’s still a good scent and worth owning at its price, you can just mist it all over.

I enjoy this fragrance very much. For me, Design is not a social fragrance despite its extroverted inclinations. I wear it when I'm alone, with only my thoughts and the open air of Summer for company. I sit here on my patio in the early evening of Summer and my jasmine bush is beginning to release its aromatic attractions for the night. I feel I am a good companion for it with my spritz of Design. The combination keeps my thoughts on an optimistic track. Design is a heady and gregarious troupe of white florals. The carnation adds a dash of spice that fuels the frenzy of the floral troupe, while lilac lends her genteel grace. While I detect no civet or black currant - I do recognize the regal Sandalwood in the dry down lending its sensual warmth to the exhausted floral troupe. It's nice. Perhaps it is not a masterful composition befitting the highest ranks of perfume craftsmanship - who's to say - but for the price point, it certainly is worth a spritz on a Summer evening in the open air if you're curious about it.

Just bought another bottle. Maybe someone with a science background can help? Of course I know people reformulate and do things the cheaper way...but the curious gal in me, is wondering what did they change in this perfume??! My last good bottle where it was exactly how I loved it? Was about 2014. Yes it’s a floral and the civet. I think the civet has been messed with? My main fav thing about design wasn’t necessarily the florals? It was hr fact this scent constantly changed with you? Sometimes the florals stronger sometimes the musk? But..there was ALWAYS a deep tang of something sexual!? Also something else and that’s what I’m missing??? Is the honeysuckle too soft? Along with the “tang” that would hit the wearer there was a “combo” of something that made this smell heavenly! Something they would constantly bring my nose in for more and deeply inhale it in?? What is it that’s MISSING my science Perfume ppl???! It’s truly making me sad without the thing that’s missing? This is just florals

I smelled this on a co-worker a few years ago and loved it. I just had to have a bottle. I enjoy this fragrance. It is clearly a fragrance from the 1980s. While I love fragrances from all eras - all eras have their merits - I really have a love jones for the 80s. I was a kid then and this was the time when I really started getting into fragrance. In the 1980s, perfume was perfume - big, brassy, distinct. Even though I don't wear 80s fragrances every day (they require too much thought), I dig them. Design, to me, is a fearless blend of several florals with maybe a tuberose note predominating. I think the thing I love most is that there is a distinct spicy floral note - this is something I almost never smell in perfumes. Is this carnation? Whatever it is, it really makes the fragrance stand out. I wear this one when I want to feel like a ball-busting 1980s Manhattan broad in a power suit (shoulder pads included), big hair, oversize earrings, and jogging shoes. :-)

When Design is good, she is very, very good. When she is bad, she is downright disgusting. Most scents are somewhat affected by climate and body chemistry, but in my experience, Design is especially finicky. Design was my Mom's one true love, and on her, it was absolutely heavenly. People constantly complimented her and asked her what she was wearing. It was like it was made for her. My relationship with Design is complicated. If she were as good to me as she was to Mom, I'd never ever look at another fragrance. But alas, Design just doesn't love me. One day she smells like a rancid garbage truck, the next day she is pleasant. I never know what to expect from her. If it weren't for the nostalgia factor and for the fact that I know how beautiful she can be, I'd give up on her forever. As it is, I'll keep my bottle because it reminds me of Mom, and I'll hope that one day, Design will come to love me too.

I'm wearing this for the first time today. I do like it, being a white floral fan. It's a little bit different from most in my collection, as it's not an in-your-face kind of white floral. There's a nice mixture, with nothing dominating. I'm getting a little more animalic note than usual in the early going, which I didn't expect. Then, it settles into a nice, unassuming melange of white florals. I almost never wear a fragrance all the way through the dry down. I just can't resist respraying in order to enjoy the top notes again, which is why I am writing this early in the day. I do NOT understand the many references to the strength and longevity of this perfume. After about an hour and a half, this has faded to the point of being almost undetectable. I can smell it on my clothes, but my skin??? Not so much. I'm enjoying it, though. I'm glad I have a large-ish bottle. It won't last long at this rate.