Chanel No. 5 Perfume History: By Susie Wilson- " I simply adore wearing Chanel No.5"
This famous fragrance was created for Coco Chanel in 1921 by a perfume creator named Ernest Beaux. Something which may seem surprising in a 21st century obsessed with getting back to nature is that Coco's inspiration behind the scent was to create something very artificial. She is quoted on the official Chanel website as saying “I want to give the world something artificial.... like a dress. Something that has been made.... I want a perfume that is a composition”. Ernest Beaux responded by creating a masterpiece inspired by the midnight sun, the lakes and the rivers of the Arctic circle which he had visited a year previously.
The Scent of Chanel No. 5
• Top note – Ylang-Ylang and Neroli
• Heart note – Grasse Jasmine and May Rose
• Base note – Sandalwood and Vanilla
In addition to being Marilyn's favourite scent, Chanel No. 5, like many other iconic brands, secured a place in the art world. In 1959 Andy Warhol, an icon himself, did a series of nine silk screens of the Chanel No. 5 bottle, once again making it the fragrance to covet.
The fragrance now sells a bottle every 30 seconds and is the top selling fragrance in the world. Celebrities still flock to wear it, and one of the modern day spokespeople (among other celebrities is Nicole Kidman. The adverts are based on Baz Luhrman's Moulin Rouge, a movie in which (perhaps not coincidentally), Nicole pays tribute to Marilyn Monroe in singing her own adaptation of Marilyn's "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend".
So now to the namesake of this scent. Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was born in 1883, although in a move amusingly similar to many women today she claimed to have been born ten years later. She opened her first millinery shop in 1912, selling simple tailored clothes for men and women, as well as perfume, jewellery and textiles.
Coco Chanel believed that women should wear perfume wherever they wanted to be kissed. In addition to her No. 5 perfume Chanel also created modern classics with the Chanel cardigan, the Chanel Suit and the little black dress, now a staple in most women's wardrobes. In the '70s, Coco introduced bell bottoms and pea jackets for women. Coco worked until she died in 1971, leaving Karl Lagerfeld in her stead to as the head designer of Chanel.
As Marilyn Monroe once famously said “What do I wear in bed? Why Chanel No. 5 of course”.
This is probably the most famous of Marilyn's quotes and undoubtedly what gives Chanel No. 5 such appeal. Who wouldn't want to smell like Marilyn? That is not however the beginning and the end of the story. Chanel No. 5 is a very carefully planned and created scent both in the philosophy behind its creation and the inspiration for its fragrance.
Coco Chanel's evergreen designs and quality have secured Chanel's, throne as the classiest and most stylish of designers. The planned sensuality of Chanel No. 5 has ensured that it remains the top-selling fragrance of all time, but it seems the birth of it as a cult classic is largely thanks to the celebrity endorsement of Marilyn and Andy.
Enjoy,
Sincerely, with a smile- Susie ;-)
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