Behind the Icon: Chanel No. 5
What makes a product iconic? That was the question we asked as we edited this year’s list of the 100 most iconic beauty products of all time. Though every lipstick, mascara, hair spray, and cleanser on the list deserves its moment in the sun, there are a few key beauty icons who have earned to have their stories (legends?) expanded on in greater detail. First up: a mini history behind Chanel No. 5 perfume.
N°5 Eau de Parfum Spray chanel.com $138.00 SHOP NOW
Maybe you’ve never worn —but you know what it means to wear it. There’s only one fragrance that telegraphs sophistication as quickly as this rich floral scent, which debuted 100 years ago. It was the first Chanel fragrance; it had to make a statement. Gabrielle Chanel’s vision was that a woman’s scent was as important as her dress.
Made in concert with perfumer-to-the-stars Ernest Beaux, No. 5 was seen as a departure from the perfumes that were popular at the time, which were all single-flower scents and utterly simplistic. Beaux got his inspiration from as far away as the Arctic Circle. He wanted to give the scent freshness and light, and he achieved it by adding aldehydes, synthetic substances he was researching that gave the fragrance an airy quality. They also have this fantastic ability to make all the ingredients more complex and almost impossible to decipher. (Aldehydes would later be commonplace in perfumery, and dominate the 1980s. Beaux was a revolutionary.) At the same time, Chanel herself was feeling bold, pushing Beaux to add more and more jasmine, one of the most precious essences. The end result is an opulent, heady, and completely modern floral.
And then, of course, there’s the bottle. In the 1920s, perfumes were fussy, romantic, flowery little things. Chanel No. 5 was Spartan by comparison. It looked like a lab flask, with its geometric shape. The black blocky letters. The name. No. 5? It was simply the fifth sample Beaux sent over, which Chanel approved. It didn’t hurt that Chanel felt that the numeral 5 was especially lucky, and her sign, the Leo, was the fifth sign of the zodiac. It was so different, so refreshing; it worked.
Marilyn Monroe poses with a bottle of Chanel No. 5. Michael Ochs Archives Getty Images
Public adoration for No. 5 reached a fever pitch when actress Marilyn Monroe began mentioning the bottle pictured on her nightstand. “You know they ask you questions like, ‘What do you wear to bed? A pajama top? The bottom of pajamas? Or the nightgown?’ So I said Chanel No. 5, because it’s the truth,” Monroe says in a recording obtained by Chanel. “And yet I don’t want to say nude. But it’s the truth.” Monroe cemented No. 5 as more than just a fragrance—it was now the scent of the world’s most internationally beloved sex symbol.
Today, the century-old fragrance sits among new launches looking and feeling entirely modern. The trend right now is about scents that combine synthetics with precious naturals. And aesthetically, the austere designs are the order of the day. Chanel and Beaux were ahead of their time, creating a revolution in a bottle.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
Blackpink’s Jennie Named the Face of Chanel’s New Coco Neige Collection
Blackpink’s Jennie just got a promotion. After working with Chanel as an ambassador since 2017, the K-Pop star has now been named the face of the brand’s latest campaign for their upcoming Coco Neige wintersports collection.
Shot by Inez & Vinoodh, the first photo from the campaign shows Jennie in a matching hot pink bra and sweatpants set, emblazoned with “Chanel.” On top, the singer casually drapes a large silver puffer jacket off her shoulders. The look is finished off with a matching belt and necklace, and a netted veil placed over her head.
Choosing Jennie as the face of the campaign is a no brainer to Blackpink fans, who have been referring to Jennie as “Human Chanel” for years, thanks to her fondness for the brand. In an interview with Dazed Korea back in 2019, the singer explained what the nickname, and partnership with the fashion house, meant to her.
“Chanel is a brand that I always dreamed about and I had always thought it would have been amazing to work with them…” she said. “Now that dream has come true! I’m so happy and I’m having a lot of fun.”
About the Coco Neige collection specifically, Jennie said, “Just hearing about being able to join the ‘Coco Neige’ collection was like a dream. I love to go out in the snow, doing winter sports. I really like how snow just makes you feel. Wearing these clothes makes me feel like I’m ready to ski tomorrow.”
The Coco Neige 2021/2022 collection will be available in select Chanel stores beginning on October 19th.
Mary Cosby’s Closet Tour: Chanel Handbag Collection
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast member shows some of her most cherished designer bags, and each piece is more fabulous than the last.
Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
Mary Cobsy’s closet is already the stuff of Bravo legends. But, just wait until you see all the Chanel that’s inside of it.
In the exclusive Bravo Insider video above, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast member spills the details on her designer handbag collection. Be warned: When it comes to purses, Mary doesn’t play around.
In the clip, Mary gives a closeup look at some of her favorite accessories. To start, she picks up a Chanel clutch that’s shaped like a miniature lifesaver. “They had a sailor fashion show in Paris, and life-saving was their theme,” she explains, holding the nautical bit of designer fashion.
Mary also has a crocodile bag splattered with golden graffiti, which is part of the last bag collection that Karl Lagerfeld did for Chanel. And that’s just the warmup.
The pastor also reveals her “fierce” collection of Chanel evening bags. One bag contains real sand, two are shaped like menus, and one clutch has the number of Coco Chanel’s favorite suite at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. And to cap it all off, Mary shows off her favorite handbag of all time. It’s a stunner!
Watch the clip above to see Mary’s double-C-logo’ed pièce de résistance.
Want more The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City? Catch up on every episode ever through the Bravo app.