Lady Stetson (1986)
by Stetson

Looking at other reviews I really do wonder if we're all smelling the same scent. For me I find it has a brief burst of floral that's a bit soapy when first applied, it reminds me of bubble bath. It quickly fades and mellows to a warm creamy scent, a touch of musk and vanilla and the barest hint of spice. It would be very nice if it actually held up but I find it doesn't linger, after an hour I have to nearly put my nose to my skin to smell it.

25th October, 2011.

I have been unabashed in my adoration of Lady Stetson. Perhaps it's my stubbornness.

You see, I had a heiress as a friend in graduate school. Money meant nothing to her. But as a working class kid of even more modest means as a young adult, it meant everything to me. Making ends meet until the end of the month was my biggest challenge. But that may or may not be the point.

One Christmas my heiress friend asked her two gal pals (me & another gal, whose name escapes me) what fragrance she could bestow on them. "Chanel Number 5," my one friend squealed. "Lady Stetson," I said. "Just Lady Stetson." For I honestly knew not what to say. A working class kid being asked to name a gift, any gift, with the implication that money was no object.

My beau had bought me Estee Lauder Beautiful, and I hated it, just hated it. Exclamation was my perfume of choice at the time, I think. And before that, Vanderbilt and Oleg Cassini and Enjoli and Charlie. My perfumes were restricted to Walgreens ... on sale. And so was my choice as restricted - Lady Stetson - as I think I had seen it advertised recently for the holidays. It seemed right up my alley.

And a few days before Christmas, the heiress had us over, for treats and cocktails. And there waiting for us were two department store, ribbon-tied boxes, from Marshall Fields no less. My friend, squealed again, and opened her Chanel Number 5. The heiress handed me my package, perhaps with the biggest gift-giving smile I had ever seen. I wondered, had she possibly given me Chanel too? And as I opened it, there was exactly what I had wanted ... Lady Stetson, in all its mass market glory. She leaned over, and said, "I had them give me an extra box." You see, Lady Stetson was not at the department store. The heiress had to make a trip to Kmart. We have been friends ever since.

No, the Lady is not Chanel 22. She was never meant to be. She captured the imagination of young American women, and I was one of them. But I think I will always remember the Lady for what she is to me ... something I rarely got ... exactly what I wanted at Christmas.

16th October, 2011.

Like a previous reviewer here, I bought a small bottle of Lady Stetson because it had been compared to Chanel No. 22 in "The Guide". Well I adore No. 22 (EDT), but this to me bears little resemblance. All I get is a very strong 'flypray note' that I have smelled in some other fragrances such as Givenchy Organza Harvest Edition and the current Rive Gauche. I know 'flyspray' is a very subjective descriptor and it's probably the case that I've been sensitised to a particular fragrance chemical previously encountered in the context of flyspray - but that's how it is for me! If you can relate to what I've said, avoid this fragrance. Otherwise, don't base your purchase on my opinion :-)

24th May, 2010.

I finally decided to try Lady Stetson, my curiosity on its resemblance to No. 22 finally getting the better of me. Well, I lovelovelove 22 edt, but that's not what LS is akin to-- it's the pure parfum. They share the same very powdery aldehyde opening, and also some of the same white flowers-- maybe gardenia? Different is the sweetness in Lady Stetson's opening, which reminds me a little of the peach in Petite Cherie. I prefer 22 edt to the parfum because of the superfluity of liturgical incense, making it easily the most beautiful thing I have yet sniffed. LS doesn't have any incense and therefore lacks the depth of either 22 formula, but it is still elegant and quite pretty.

14th January, 2010.

This is a beautiful fragrance and does not smell cheap in the least to me. It opens with slightly sharp, aldehydic spicy peach and dries down to eggnog: creamy vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. It is lovely and lifts my mood. It's a fantastic bargain for the price.

25th March, 2009.

I'm wondering if we're all smelling the same frag??!!

On me, this floral opens light and peachy with a hint of citrus...it is low-key, exuberant and unassumingly classy. Dries down to a refined and comfortable amberousness (is that a word?) Nice longevity - at home anywhere.

Another "cheapie" you could put in a crystal bottle and pass off as niche.

In my opinion.

11th December, 2008.