1920s Classics: Coco Chanel Perfume
The House of Chanel did not merely revolutionize women's fashion during the 1920's, Coco Chanel perfume has also branded and defined Chanel's legacy as a demigod-dess of style.
The Famous Chanel No. 5Coco Chanel, as you have probably figured out by now, is one of my favorite people of the 1920s.
For more reasons than just simply her redefinition of clothing; Chanel also reinvented scent and and gave the world an iconic perfume: Chanel No. 5.
Chanel No. 5 has gained a legacy; when you speak of perfume most people's first thought is No.5.
Released in 1921 to some of Coco's close friends, and then as a promotion to the "regulars" at Chanel's Boutique, No. 5 was unique because it was derived from synthetic scents.
Chanel wanted a perfume that was "artificial" in her words. Though this sounds bad to our modern ears, we must take what Chanel said in context of her era.
Chanel was all about making things new, she didn't want to be constrained by the limitations of the scents that previous perfumes were made.
Before synthetics, perfume needed to be applied very heavily or throughout an evening because the natural oils tended to diffuse quickly over time.
Synthetics allowed the fragrance to remain on the wearer's skin much longer than the "natural" perfumes.
A Fragrance To Match Chanel's Unique Personality
Chanel also wanted a fragrance that matched her personality, "abstract and unique." No. 5 lends mystery to the Chanel mystique, along with the "Little Black Dress" No. 5 is the defining product of Chanel's.
The fragrance had a resurgence of popularity when the iconic sex symbol Marilyn Monroe endorsed it as her favorite perfume. Remarking about what she wore to bed, Marilyn demurely responded: "two drops of Chanel No. 5".
Thanks to endorsements of celebrities and an amazing reputation Coco Chanel perfume has influenced the world of fashion and fragrance.
Chanel's perfumes have become a classic scent of women all over the worldEven the bottles that Chanel's perfumes are delivered are classic. There are no wasted lines, no frills, just like Chanel's clothes.
Chanel's style maxim:
"Always remove, always strip away, never add"
still rings true even 44 years after her death.
