Chanel No 5: Retrospective {Fragrant Reading} {Scented Images & Perfume Adverts}
There is an interesting dossier on Joyce.fr offering a retrospective of the history of Chanel No. 5. The images are well-worth discovering. As zakuski, we have selected three that we thought were particularly captivating. The top one is the first advert for Chanel no. 5 drawn by Sem in 1921 (see also the Sem candles issued by Maxim's of Paris). The ad with actress Carole Bouquet dated 1997 and photographed by Dominique Issemann is the sexiest we have seen with her....
Finally, we picked a picture of jasmine growers in Grasse showing their harvest and weighing a basket of it in front of in-house perfumer Jacques Polge. Yes, there are real flowers going into the composition of Chanel No. 5 which are carefully cultivated in the south of France. Get the pure parfum version to appreciate fully the addition of Grasse jasmine and May rose into this legendary composition.
Previous Posts in Fragrant Readings:
The Smell of Old Lady Perfume (2008)
Invisible Architecture: Experiencing Places Through The Sense of Smell
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Wow, what a change in attitude about the fragrance can be seen through the ad campaigns. I admit I am genuinely surprised by the images for chanel 5 being shown with sporty images. I admit the first 1921 advertisement and the Estella Warren one's are my favorite.
Posted by: Jennifer | May 5, 2008
Oh yes, the Estella Warren one is spectacular. I note in passing that it looks close to the aesthetics and movement in the ad for the new Zen by Shiseido (in a gold bottle), or rather the reverse should be noted.
Posted by: Marie-Helene | May 5, 2008
any knowledge on quart size bottle of chanel No.5? I have unopened bottle still in box w/price marked $60. any input would be apriciated! thank you, Annemarie
Posted by: annemarie mcmanus | June 1, 2008
Hi i and my class did a national history day project for our school and my friends did a project on the perfume of who made it and it came out great! I just what to know somthing did she make other perfumes other then Chanel no.5?
Posted by: melissa | December 29, 2008
Yes, Gabrielle Chanel "did" other perfumes such as No. 19, No. 22, Bois des Iles, Sycomore and more. If she contributed to the creative process around the scents, she did not compose them herself as she was not a perfumer but a fashion designer. Ernest Beaux composed Chanel No. 5. Having said that, Chanel had ideas of her own as to how one of her perfumes ought to smell like :) She was more like an artistic director for fragrances.
Posted by: Marie-Helene Wagner | January 3, 2009