CHANEL N°5
What do you wear to bed? A few drops of Chanel N°5
I find myself in possession of a scent as illustrious and timeless as its maker. Described as an ‘abstract’ perfume, this is a fragrance with over 80 scents containing notes of jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, orange blossom, sandalwood and a revolutionary dose of aldehydes. The perfume is packaged in a bare and minimalistic glass bottle with a stopper cut like a diamond. It receives its name as Mademoiselle Chanel preferred the fifth sample that perfumer Ernest Beaux presented to her. I am in awe of how one fragrance is still able to captivate the world decades after its inception. What is it about this amber liquid, that when asked what she wore to bed, compelled Marilyn Monroe to reply, “A few drops of Chanel N°5”?
Chanel N°5 Paris Eue De Parfum in essence is a legend, a revolution and an identity. Coco Chanel’s mythical aura seems to imbue from any and all Chanel products. Coco is not merely a nickname but a history of cabaret singing and a longing for a father who never did call her by such a name. The black of a Chanel garment is not merely a colour, but the revolution, redefining the colour from that of house servants or mourning, to elegance and style. A tweed jacket is not only a piece of clothing but a love story between The Duke of Westminster and Gabrielle Chanel who took inspiration from the fabrics he wore.
Chanel N°5 is not merely a fragrance, but a social paradox and feminist movement. In a time where traditional and respectable women wore singular floral scents and courtesans wore brazen smells such as jasmine or musk to allure men, Chanel releases a fragrance combining undecipherable floral notes as well as jasmine and muskier scents. The paradox is captured beautifully in the launch of Chanel N°5 L'Eau, a modern embodiment of the classic perfume whose tagline “you know me and you don’t” depicts women as binary beings who can embody many things at once. Given the history of women and their fragrances, Chanel N°5 welcomes a new era of feminism; in which a woman can be both pure and alluring, strong and soft, vulnerable and invincible, masculine and feminine, traditional and innovative.
This perfume is so timeless because it does not define a woman, but a woman defines the scent in the way she wears it and carries herself. It transcends generations, occasions and labels because this scent becomes what you need it to be. It epitomises the essence of being a woman who loves, works, raises children, hurts, cries, fights, overcomes and excels. It is not an accessory, but a companion. This is a scent that can see you through opulent nights of dancing and luxury, indulgent days of sleeping and spas, or in times of courageous persistence and hard work.
Soft floral fragrances will always attract my attention, and my taste in perfumes will surely vary over the years. But I will always be able to connect to Chanel N°5.
Its paradox will transcend time and when I wear this perfume I know that I am wearing more than a scent. It is an extension of my identity so intimate and true, I can even wear it to bed.
