If you happen to be in NYC, Manhattan, and stroll on 5th Avenue, skirting Central Park Uptown to Downtown, you come across architectural beauties. For instance, the Museum of the City of NY, the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rockefeller Center, Madison Square Park, the Flat iron Build, up to Washington Square Park. But I almost forgot to mention the Empire State Building, an art deco skyscraper in the city of New York, located in the Midtown district of the Manhattan district, on the corner of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. What is so important about this skyline? Well, if you take the cap off the bottle of perfume, and watch closely, you'll notice that its stylised form is precisely that majestic skyscraper, filled with precious golden juice.
First things first, I must say a big thanks to @Anessa, who introduced me to this gorgeous golden oldie and well-known classic through her fairytale described here on Parfumo. Who does not know this scent? Me, I didn't realise it. I have always seen it on the perfumery shelf, often also very bargain, but I don't know why I wasn't curious to try it. I mean, this is not usually the type of fragrance I would seek out to work. Bought this on a semi-blind buy based on Anessa's positive reviews on here... and I am not disappointed! This frag is everything I've read about, which is terrific. 5th Avenue vintage is the first of a series, many other flankers have been released after it, more and more contemporary, for both day, afternoon and night, including After Five, NYC Uptown, and NYC Only to mention a few.
About the scent, it is floral, no question about it. The perfumer behind it is Ann Gottlieb, who gave life to some beautiful perfumes as CK Man and Reveal, CH Chic, and MJ Bang.
There are a plethora of white blossoms, the overture unfolds with a clean and soapy accord from the lightweight citrus fruits, sweet mandarin and powdery bergamot. That soapy aspect soon melts with a bouquet of pungent linden blossom that smells sweet, honey-like, grassy, green and herby, if you ever cross an avenue of lime trees, you know what I'm talking about, the scent is intoxicating. Follows a dewy magnolia that I cherish and I can't resist burying my face directly from the blossoming tree in spring, lilac that smells of roses, milky almonds and green leaves, and finally the fatty muguet. On my skin, the fresh lilac and the candy muguet are the ones that I feel most, and I am glad since lilac is not present in many perfumes. It is like catching the breeze that blows through bushes of lilac with a carpet of muguet underneath. The opening might be a bit too strong, in your face, and you might be tempted to go away from that old-lady redolence, but it calms down quickly and mutes for the best.
The heart notes change into a bouquet of more coloured blossoms. There is a gentle trail of dustiness from violet leaf, the sexual sensation from the jasmine sambac and tuberose, and a hint of carnation, a tinge of fruity peach and some mild spices. These are powdery florals that are sweet but not too sweet, the kind of sweetness that can only come from flowers, the same generosity and nectar that bees use to make honey. Ylang-ylang enters in to stir the heart with a carnation. Nutmeg isn't substantial, and so does the clove, but there's just enough of them to give a slight underlying crisp note. It isn't screechy or too spicy. I also like that the fruity notes are there but done very subtle, the scent of peaches is really noticeable, light a fresh like a just-sliced peach and complements the bright rose with a touch of honey.
When the dry-down came within an hour, 5th Avenue changes to a barely clean, light floral that smells like my skin were rubbed with soft smelling flowers. I get some kind of scarcely woody musk with a hint of coumarin. The overall scent turns out as powdery and musky, not all too sweet and gourmand vanillic. The florals are dominant but at the same time expertly blended with creamy sandalwood and a little musk, amber accord and hints of vanilla to give it an overall sincere softness.
5th Avenue is not outdated even if it is nowadays a vintage, a bit floriental, as sweet as a caress. The floral character makes me reach for it during chilly Spring days and the whole Fall season, perhaps the latter more than the former. The sillage and longevity, based on my 2019/2020 production batch, are moderate making it a very flexible fragrance. It can be worn anytime and anyplace. There is a sweet creamy undertone to this fragrance that makes it feel comforting, but it is definitely not sickly sweet or gourmand. It is a highly wearable scent that exudes elegance, I would say the kind of grace that Americans think of French. Let's say, it smells like French perfume in the American version if it makes sense. There's almost a soapy overtone to the whole fragrance, but it's very subtle and lovely. Subtle is probably the best adjective I can think of to describe 5th Avenue - it's unobtrusive, gentle, delicate, tenuous, and polite, maybe even demure.
This review is based upon a 75ml bottle I own.
Stay well; stay healthy.
-Elysium
Top Notes 
Lily of the valley
Lilac
Magnolia
Bergamot
Linden blossom
Mandarin orange
Heart Notes 
Jasmine
Peach
Violet
Bulgarian rose
Ylang-ylang
Clove
Indian tuberose
Nutmeg
Base Notes 
Sandalwood
Tibetan musk
Amber
Iris
Vanilla
Elysium
Jazzy76
Anessa
DorothyGrace
MOONTRIPS
