Coco Chanel is Inspiration for Six New Fragrances: Les Exclusifs

"A women who doesn't wear perfume has no future". -- Coco Chanel

Leave it to Coco to tell it like it is!

Coco Chanel's colorful and fascinating life provides the inspiration for the six new fragrances being launched by Chanel this month. Les Exclusifs are based on the things and places beloved by Mlle. Chanel. Created by Chanel perfumer Jacques Polge, these fragrances sound very intriguing. In an interview in The Australian, Christopher Sheldrake (deputy perfumer at Chanel) states, "Jacques Polge wanted to create something original and different." The article continues:

Each new fragrance balances innovation with historical inspiration, referencing the spirit and history of Mademoiselle Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel, and places, houses and furnishings that were important to her. Polge and Sheldrake have worked with exceptional and exclusive raw ingredients, including some not often used by the perfume industry, such as ambrette seed and iris pallida, both rare and low-yield natural materials.

The six fragrances are:

• 28 La Pausa, a powdery floral named for Coco's estate on the French Riviera;


• 31 Rue Cambon, named for Coco's couture atelier, is a spicy, patchouli-based scent with notes of jasmine and rose;


• No. 18, named for the address of the Chanel jewelry boutique on Place Vendôme, has a heart note of ambrette seed;


• Coromandel, refers to the Chinese screens that adorned her Paris apartments. It is a blend of amber and wood with a hint of creamy vanilla;


• Bel Respiro, named for Coco's first country house, has green, stemmy notes;


• Eau de Cologne, which is a unisex, neroli oil-based fragrance with the addition of musk, vetiver and green notes.

Chanel is also re-launching four older scents which have been hard to obtain in recent years: Bois des Iles (woodsy); Cuir de Russie (leathery); No. 22 (like a lighter version of No. 5); and Gardénia (a bright floral).

The fragrances will be available at Chanel Boutiques and Bergdorf Goodman February 12th.

Cost: $175/ 100 ml eau de toilette.

photo source: fashiontomorrow.com
quote source: wikiquote.org
fragrance descriptions source: W Magazine