Have you seen the new commercial for Chanel No.5? It’s more like a short film, really. It features supermodel Gisele Bundchen struggling to balance her career with her personal life as a mother. I was enamored by the story, however, I wish I could summon up the same kind of enthusiasm for the iconic fragrance.
My mother has an enormous bottle of Chanel No. 5 on her vanity, which she uses sparingly and only on special occasions. However, I never fancied the fragrance — although I tried. I would dab it on my wrist in hopes of detecting a composition of sexy, perhaps musky notes. However, after the initial alcohol tang dissipates, I would be left with an unyielding bouquet of muddled flowers. Most people who aren’t fond of Chanel No.5 say it smells like “old lady,” which is often synonymous with anything floral.
A newfound appreciation
I decided to revisit Chanel No.5 after the short film aired and now I can say I’m learning to appreciate it. It’s still not my fragrance of choice, but I do detect woody notes of vanilla and sandalwood, which is an apt descriptor of the fragrance’s mature sophistication.
Coco Chanel launched Chanel No. 5 in 1921, nearly a century ago. The fragrance is imbued with jasmine, rose, and of course sandalwood and vanilla.
“It’s the spirit of Coco Chanel that has continued to influence the house. She’s about paradoxes in character – one minute she’d be in trousers on the beach, the next she’d be in a beautiful frock,” said Baz Luhrmann, an Australian writer
and director. “That’s what I love most about Chanel – it comes from an actual person and the things that she felt and that were real to her. She really changed fashion.”
Do you like Chanel No 5? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below. Coco Mademoiselle and Allure are my favorite Chanel fragrances. I’m also looking forward to trying Coco Noir.
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