Coco’s entente cordiale: Introducing Chanel’s dreamy new eau de toilette

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Marie-Hélène Arnaud in Chanel Tweed for Vogue Paris, 1958 Sante Forlano / Courtesy of Chanel

Salmon fishing, deer stalking and hunting are not things that immediately spring to mind when one thinks of Chanel. And yet Scottish country pursuits have been imprinted in the brand’s DNA since its founding. It was Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s love affair with the 2nd Duke of Westminster in the Twenties – when the pair would gallivant across the moors, flitting between the duke’s many houses in Scotland – that inspired the tweeds and tartans that became as much a symbol of the brand’s identity as the double Cs. The Scottish mantle was picked up by Coco’s successor, Karl Lagerfeld, and then again by Virginie Viard, with the latest collection displaying a rich spread of Scottish textiles.

Yet this influence on the house does not end with clothes. The new Paris-Édimbourg is an eau de toilette inspired by the wild landscape of the country that played host to Coco’s 10-year romance with the Duke of Westminster, nicknamed Bendor.

Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel and the Duke of Westminster at the Epsom Derby, 1933 Classic Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo

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Coco and Bendor met in Monte Carlo at the end of 1923. What followed was an extravagant courtship, which saw Bendor send Coco a host of luxurious gifts, usually packages filled with exotic treats and fresh vegetables from his gardens (he once hid a giant uncut emerald among the produce for her to find).

By 1924 they were a couple. Coco immersed herself in the culture of the Scottish aristocrats, going with Bendor to the races and taking up his favourite country sports. According to river logbooks, she became especially good at fishing, on one occasion even outperforming Winston Churchill.

Chanel Haute Couture SS2020 Victor VIRGILE / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Coco also began to adopt pieces from the duke’s wardrobe, and would wear them fishing at Lochmore – styled, naturally, with her usual flair.

It was with these pastoral scenes in mind that the Paris-Édimbourg scent was conceived. Olivier Polge, the perfumer responsible for creating the Chanel No 5 L’Eau and Gabrielle Chanel fragrances, is the nose behind the house’s Les Eaux de Chanel collection, of which this new scent is part.

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‘Paris-Édimbourg could be the fragrance of a tweed jacket borrowed from the men’s wardrobe that was such an inspiration to Gabrielle Chanel,’ says Polge. ‘The way it would smell after a stroll through the countryside.’ There is an obvious androgyny to the scent: the aromatic notes of juniper berry, cypress, cedar and vetiver allude to a traditional British cologne worn by gentlemen of the day.

Les Eaux de Chanel Paris - Édimbourg

Polge also feels that the juniper evokes Scotland’s damp and misty landscape: ‘There is something icy and gripping about it that does one good, like a walk in the great outdoors.’ This bracing sense of the outdoors is tempered with the more comforting and warming notes of vanilla and musk.

The relationship between Coco and Bendor was not destined to last, but the reverberations of their romance can still be felt throughout the house of Chanel, and now in this delicate eau de toilette. Apt, given that Coco herself was unforgettable. As she once put it: ‘There have been many Duchesses of Westminster, but only one Coco Chanel.’

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£100 for 125ml, chanel.com

This article was originally published in the June issue

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Artists in Paris in the 1920s

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Chanel, l’iconica camelia simbolo della maison dal 1923

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La camelia è comparsa per la prima volta su abito Chanel nel 1923. Da quasi 100 anni, quindi, è diventato tra gli iconici simboli della maison di moda in tutti i suoi aspetti, dalle collezioni di moda al beauty.

Il progetto di Chanel legato alla coltivazione di questo bellissimo fiore si è guadagnato il livello più alto della certificazione di Haute Valuer Environmental, ovvero un alto valore ambientale. La camelia, il fiore preferito di Coco Chanel, è da anni coltivato, osservato e sperimentato dalla maison, che ha adottato un approccio agroecologico virtuoso. Questo, infatti, unisce pratiche di coltivazione tradizionale e innovazione scientifica.

La collaborazione tra Chanel e l’esperto di camelie Jean Thoby

Chanel porta avanti dal 1998 nel comune di Gaujacq, nel sud-ovest della Francia, un programma dedicato alle camelie. Questo è stato avviato insieme a Jean Thoby, esperto internazionale di camelie. Thoby, da decenni cura il giardino-conservatorio botanico che ospita circa 2mila varietà di camelie. Accanto ad esso, inoltre, troviamo le coltivazione dell’azienda agricola dedicata a questa bellissima pianta.

Inoltre, la maison ha guadagnato anche l’etichetta “Conversione all’agricoltura biologica”, un altro riconoscimento importante che testimonia come Chanel voglia preservare le pratiche agricole, riducendo l’impatto ambientale.

Le attività sostenibili della maison

Questa, tra l’altro, è solo una delle attività sostenibili della maison. A marzo 2020, infatti, Chanel ha lanciato Mission 1.5°, un impegno per affrontare i cambiamenti climatici in linea con gli accordi di Parigi per il clima. Inoltre, Chanel ha deciso di impegnarsi, entro il 2025, ha utilizzare il 100% di energie rinnovabili.

“Nel 1998 abbiamo avviato una collaborazione con il reparto di ricerca Chanel per realizzare degli esperimenti e creare piantagioni”. A spiegarlo è proprio Jean Thoby. Inoltre, come spiegato dall’esperto, sono riusciti a creare insieme a Chanel una prima coltivazione di Camelli Japonica Alba Plena, che senza di loro sarebbe sparita. Inoltre, questa specifica camelia si trova nei trattamenti di tutta la linea Hydra Beauty. La coltivazione di Chanel comprende oltre 2.700 piante, coltivate in terra secondo pratiche agricole rispettose dell’ambiente, senza l’utilizzo di sostanze chimiche.

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