Chanel No.5 celebrates 100 years of sweet smelling success

One of the world’s most iconic pefumes, Chanel N0.5, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

Like all of madame Coco Chanel’s memorable creations, No.5 broke with the traditions of the time to establish a new norm. In 1921, ‘soliflores’ perfumes, or fragrances that smell like a single flower, were the industry standard. Coco Chanel wanted to stretch the boundaries of perfumery and create a scent that could not be attributed to any one thing in nature.

As she told her perfumer, Ernest Beaux, No.5 should be ‘an artificial fragrance like a dress, something crafted’. The result was a revolution in perfumery that blended more than 80 scents, including jasmine, ylang-ylang, sandalwood and May rose, with an unprecedented amount of aldehydes, the organic compounds that amplify a fragrance’s olfactory profile.

The minimal, square bottle, with a clean graphic label, was also starkly different from the more flamboyant perfume phials of the period. The timelessness of the flacon design is evidenced by how little it has changed since 1921, altering just four times, each with only slight adjustments to cap size or label font. Its enduring appeal is yet another testament to the genius of Coco Chanel. 

The French Maison is unveiling a variety initiatives to commemorate this momentous event in its history. To celebrate the ultimate ‘celebrity’ of the perfume world, the brand released a short film called ‘Celebrity’, starring Marion Cotillard (the face of Chanel No.5), ballet dancer Marie-Agnès Gillot, Chinese fashion media icon Hung Huang, psychologist Laurie Santos, former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, and dance star Lil Buck. The film saw this eclectic array of famous faces discussing the impact of celebrity – its role in shaping our culture, its influence on psychology, and its effect on future generations.

Other initiatives include the Chanel Factory 5, a series of pop-up spaces around the world that will launch from the 29 June. It’s sure to be an exciting year for the brand, with more announcements to come – watch this space. Come into the beautiful world of Chanel.

Chanel Parfumeur Chapter 1: I Am An Idea

The world of Chanel fragrances is an undisputed success story, born from the very first No.5 perfume, created by Ernest Beaux for Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, that’s often imitated, but never truly duplicated. More than just a scent that lingers all day long, Chanel fragrances have an ability to connect with the mind, empowering you to be a stronger individual with every spray.

For the first time, French Maison Chanel tells the story of fragrance in an exclusive series. Discover the first chapter, I Am An Idea, featuring the voice of Vanessa Paradis.

They are also scents that enable you to express your personality, dressing you like an invisible olfactory garment that seeks to complement your daily outfit. Or, in the case of Marilyn Monroe, who famously declared that she wore a few drops of No.5 to bed, and nothing else. It’s a source of comfort, a precious connection and one that becomes one with your identity over time.

Now the French Maison is going further into the world of its signature fragrances, carrying on Gabrielle Chanel’s vision together with Olivier Polge’s masterful modern-day interpretation, with an all-new series of mini-films, Chanel Parfumeur. The series serves as a means to highlight the house’s expertise in fragrances, along with the history of how it all began. The very first chapter, ‘I Am An Idea’ – directed by Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai – is narrated by Vanessa Paradis and describes the manifesto when it comes to Chanel’s fragrance creation. Enjoy!

Come into the wonderful world of Chanel.

 

 

 

 

When I see red, It better could be the Chanel No.5 Red Editions

 

When it comes to describe a perfume from the famous French maison Chanel than it is a pleasure as no words are needed. Chanel is always delighting its perfume lovers with one of the most outrageous and outstanding perfumes. This fall, a new version of iconic No.5 appears on the market to allure and delight its wearers.

Little Black Dress. Multiple strands of pearls. Most of the timeless looks from the past century can all be traced back to Chanel. Perhaps the most memorable of all is the brand’s first fragrance, Chanel No.5.

For years, Chanel’s iconic No.5 perfume is still remaining one of the famous classic fragrances of all time. Why exactly is this fragrance so famous? It was the world’s first abstract fragrance, utilizing floral aldehydes created by perfumer Ernest Beaux specifically for this scent. It’s complex and multi-layered in a way that perfumes really hadn’t been before, so part of its memorability is due to some pretty revolutionary breakthroughs in scent technology.

Designed in 1922 and adapted in 1924, the clear rectangular flacon of simple lines became a symbol of luxury and perfumeryof the 20th and 21th centuries. For the first time in the history of the French maison, the legendary clear glass flacon, designed by Mademoiselle Chanel herself, is presented in a new color. flamboyant and fiery red for three limited editions of Chanel No.5 fragrances: Parfum, Eau de Parfum and L’Eau.

For the first time ever, Chanel will be launching a limited edition of N°5 in Red. One of Coco Chanel’s favourite colours, the colour of love, of passion and of sensuality.

The color of red has always been the ultimate femininty and seduction power symbol. From the suit worn by Carole Bouguet, Nocole Kidman’s haute couture red carpet dress, Gisele Bündchen’s haute couture dress, and the Little Red Riding Hood film shoot by Lus Besson, a common thread of red runs through the ad campains for the iconic fragrance. Red. What other color could express the uncompromising choices of a designer who wanted to dress woman only in black, white, beige, gold and … red?

 

 

Mass-dyed red glass adorns 100ml flacons for the new No.5 L’Eau Eau de Toilette and No.5 Eau de Parfum editions, while the red handmade Baccarat cystal flacons – only 55 pieces made – contain the luxurious Parfum Extract in flacons of 900ml.

Since it was firstly introduced Chanel No.5 is the symbol of wealth and luxury touched by pure elegance. The Chanel No.5 Red Editions will capture the world with a unique and glamorous fragrance that defines time. The flacons will be available in Chanel stores in October and in department stores and online from the 1st of November and are intended for the upcoming holiday season.

 

 

 

 

Chanel No.5 Fragments D’Or

Feeling a little dull with the shorter days of Fall? Bring a spark of radiance to your fragrance routine with new, limited-edition No.5 Fragments D’Or. Accented with delicate flecks of glitter, the silky, shimmering body gel not only scents skin with the now and forever fragrance, but Ieaves a subtle golden sheen so you can keep glowing well into the season.

Maison Chanel started presenting limited edition products for the winter Holiday season at the end of October 2017. One of this year’s exclusives includes shimmering body gel scented with fresh, powdery and sophisticated Chanel No.5.

The gel is inspired by the legendary perfume developed in 1921, when Gabrielle Chanel asked perfumer Ernest Beaux to create ‘a woman’s perfume with the scent of a woman’. After he  presented her with variations of the composition rich in aldehydes, she chose the fifth sample  and decided to name it simply No.5.

 

Chanel No.5 Fragments D’Or (or N°5 Gold Fragments) is described as a silky, shimmering body gel infused with their iconic Chanel No.5 fragrance and accented with delicate flecks of golden glitter. It smells of  May Rose and Jasmine notes, as the key ingredients found at the heart of the No.5 aldehydic-floral bouquet.

Chanel No.5 Fragments D’Or is to be applied in touches on pulse points, across your décolétté, anywhere you want to highlight. No.5 Fragments D’Or is available in a 250 ml bottle as a limited edition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Les Exclusifs de Chanel box set revisits iconic scents

Chanel has created a new set of mini perfumes from the collection ‘Les Exclusifs de Chanel’, which draws its inspiration from the French brand’s history. A limited edition which will go on sale on February 17, 2017, exclusively at select Chanel Beauté sales points.

While you’re bound to be familiar with No 5, No 19, Coco Mademoiselle and perhaps a few more Chanel perfumes, Les Exclusifs are the real gems. Created from 1922 onwards, these are the most rare and luxurious scents in Chanel’s armoury, ranging from florals to leathers and orientals. Each one is inspired by a key element, person or place in Coco Chanel’s life, from her Parisian apartment, 31 Rue Cambon, to her dearest friend, Misia

Exquisite precious materials, elegant bottles, timeless fragrances: ‘Les Exclusifs de Chanel’ was created between 1922 and 2016 by renowned perfumers with close links to the French fashion and beauty house. Ernest Beaux, Jacques Polge, and Olivier Polge have come up with their own interpretation of a place, texture, meeting or symbol loved by Gabrielle Chanel. Together they form a unique collection, taking us on a perfumed journey through Chanel’s history.

The collection consists of 15 4ml perfume bottles: 14 Eau de Parfum and one Eau de Cologne. An opportunity to (re)discover and appreciate a selection of rare fragrances which include hesperidium, woody, floral and oriental scents.

Fans of unusual perfumes and collectors will be pleased to discover that this set contains ‘Bel Respiro’, a floral evocation of spring, ‘Sycomore’, a woody scent based around vetiver, ‘Coromandel’ with its incense, benzoin, and patchouli notes, the oriental scent ‘Cuir de Russie’, the aromatic-floral-powdery ‘Jersey’, and the woody and fruity ‘N°18′.

The set also includes ’31 rue Cambon’, ’28 La Pausa’, ‘N°22’, ‘1932’, ‘Gardénia’, Beige’, Bois des Iles’, ‘Eau de Cologne’, and ‘Misia’, a fragrance created by Olivier Polge.

This ‘Les Exclusifs de Chanel’ set of 15 mini perfumes will go on sale on February 17 for €280, exclusively at Chanel Beauté stores and the brand’s e-shop.

Chanel Les Exclusifs

 

 

Chanel Les Exclusifs (Click photo to enlarge)

Identical bottles. Individual influences. Chanel Les Exclusifs is a collection of 14 fragrances first created by Ernest Beaux, Mademoiselle Chanel’s exclusive perfume creator to present day by Jacques Polge.

Each fragrance reinventing a moment in the life of Gabrielle Chanel’s life. A home, her atelier, her country side walks. 14 unisex fragrances. Which scent inspires you?

Chanel Les Exclusifs (Click photo to enlarge)

• Cuir de Russie. An imperial fragrance inspired by old Russia
• Coromandel inspired by the exquisite Chinese lacquer screens in Gabrielle Chanel’s rooms
• Jersey, a scent of freedom named after the fabric Gabrielle boldly used in her designs
• Bel Respiro, fresh open air of the French countryside.
• Beige, a colour beloved by Chanel for the simplicity it evokes
• 28 la Pausa, the woody country smell of Chanel’s country home
• 31 Rue Cambon, the couture fragrance named for the location of her atelier.
• 1932, the brilliance of a constellation of diamonds
• Sycomore, woody and noble
• Gardenia, the closest flower to Chanel’s beloved Camellia flower
• Eau de Cologne, simple and refreshing • No 22, created in 1922, graceful powdery florals
• Bois des Iles, an invitation to travel
• No 18, inspired by the Chanel boutique at 18, place Vendome, rich and full of surprises.
• Misia, an ode. Misia Sert and Coco Chanel shared a unique friendship. A rare complicity also because it was marked by curiosity.

Chanel Les Exclusifs Parfums (Click photo to enlarge)

Soon we will review each of these beautiful scents, starting next month….

by Jean Amr