Chanel No. 5

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chanel No. 5

Chanel N° 5 is one of the best known perfumes in the world. It was the first fragrance from Parisian couturier, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.

1 History
2 Style
3 Notes
4 Cultural influence
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Coco Chanel commissioned Ernest Beaux to make six perfumes. They were labelled No. 1, No. 2, etc. through No. 6. It was bottle No. 5 that was to Chanel's liking and became the chosen formula.

Chanel introduced it first to some of her friends on May 5, 1921. Initially, it was given to good clients for free at her boutique.

In 1924, Pierre Wertheimer partnered Coco Chanel in her perfume business. He owned 70%, Coco owned 10%, and her friend Bader owned 20%. Today, the Wertheimer family still runs the perfume business.

[edit] Style

"I want to give women an artificial perfume," said Chanel. "Yes, I really do mean artificial, like a dress, something that has been made. I don't want any rose or lily of the valley, I want a perfume that is a composition." ^{[citation needed]} No. 5 is famous for being the first perfume to heavily rely on synthetic floral aldehydes as a top note. Before synthetics, perfume either had to be applied very very heavily before going out to ensure that the fragrance would last, or frequently through out the night.

Chanel applied the French aesthetic theory that "ugly" placed next to "beautiful", by contrast, makes the beautiful object more so. In this era almost all perfumes were floral and "pretty" - designed to enhance a woman's beauty with more beauty. Instead of the scent of flowers, Coco wanted a perfume that "reflects my personality, something abstract and unique". She believed that a perfume should serve to spotlight a woman's natural beauty using contrast - i.e. the artificial perfume would make the woman's natural beauty more evident.

[edit] Notes

Chanel No. 5 is classified as a chypre, and within that was the first floral aldehydic. Its top notes include ylang ylang, iris and aldehydes; its mid notes rose and jasmine; and its base notes sandalwood, vetiver and vanilla.^[1]

Laboratory tests have shown that Chanel No. 5 contains secretions from the perineal glands of civet cats. Civet is a powerful fixative, making the scent last a long time. Animal rights groups such as the World Society for the Protection of Animals express concern that civet is harvested in a method cruel to animals. The Chanel company claims that, starting in 1998, natural civet has been replaced with a synthetic substitute.[1]

[edit] Cultural influence

Sales increased in the 1950s, especially after the perfume was introduced in the United States. Movie star Marilyn Monroe's endorsement of the brand is said to have contributed to its popularity. In 1953, when asked what she wore in bed, Monroe famously replied, "Two drops of Chanel No. 5". Chanel herself is quoted as saying that one should put perfume only where one wanted to be kissed.

Andy Warhol sealed Chanel No. 5's status as cultural icon when he made nine silk screens of the perfume, elevating it to Campbell Soup status. And in 1959 the packaging itself made it into the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Famous spokesmodels for the fragrance have included Marilyn Monroe, Catherine Deneuve, Estella Warren, and Nicole Kidman (who in 2004 played along Rodrigo Santoro in a Baz Luhrmann-directed multi-million-dollar commercial titled N° 5 the Film).