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.
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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.
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Mary Cosby Unpacks Her Entire Chanel Handbag Collection
Buckle up and prepare yourself to take a deep dive into the depths of Mary Cosby’s closet. And if you’ve seen even an itty-bitty glimpse into her home on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, it’s pretty clear that the reality star has couture hidden in every corner.
And lucky for Us, Cosby gave fans a peek inside her overwhelmingly large handbag collection in a Bravo Insider video on Tuesday, September 21.
While she took the opportunity to show off her fringe-embellished Louboutin stilettos, calf-leather Louis Vuitton purse and “favorite” Balmain blazer, it was the pastor’s insanely large, rare and unique collection of Chanel handbags, boots and ski-caps that stole the show.
Because with more Double Flap bags that we could count, combat boots that deserve a spot in a museum and hidden gems left and right, her personal archive of bags is enough to start a self-run store.
The breakdown of it all kicks off with the Chanel Lifesaver bag, a buoy-shaped design with crystal embellishments. “They only had a number of these. They had a sailor themed fashion show in Paris and life saving was their theme,” she recalled. While the bag is not available for purchase any more, it is available on a resale site for a whopping $26,943.
Next up? “The last Chanel bag that Karl Lagerfeld did,” the Bravo star casually quipped, showing off the black and gold crocodile clutch. “He hired a bunch of street kids to do the graffiti on the bags, so every bag is different. Every bag is painted by a different kid.”
Cosby also has a “fierce” Chanel collection of evening bags. Her Chanel Sand Bag, which has actual sand inside, is “made for the beach.” “It’s made for water and it can get wet,” she said. The bag, while no longer sold, has a resale value around $6,495.
She also had two Chanel menu bags, which have a folded menu shape at the bottom and a flap up top. “It’s like you’ve been around the world and got menus. I only have two, but I like them,” she said.
One of the most unique pieces in her collection however is a box bag from the time that Coco Chanel stood at the helm of the fashion house. “This one is Chanel because this was Coco Chanel, like the real Chanel lady. The real girl,” Cosby explained.
Toward the end of the closet tour, the pastor whips out a Chanel bag inspired by a Cuban cigar box, calling it her “favorite.” “I don’t know why, it’s just a feeling to it. It’s literally a handbag, but it’s literally a material from a real Cuba cigar. I’m sure guys would like this one,” she joked.
Coco Austin’s Daughter Chanel, 5, Gets ‘Mini’ Nail Tips for School Photo: ‘My Little Doll Baby’
Coco Austin let her 5-year-old daughter do “mini tips” on her nails as school picture day was a “special occasion”
Coco Austin’s Daughter Chanel, 5, Gets ‘Mini’ Nail Tips for School Photo: ‘My Little Doll Baby’
Coco Austin is making sure her daughter is ready for picture day.
On Thursday, the model, 42, shared a photo of her 5-year-old daughter, Chanel Nicole, after the little girl was treated to a French manicure with “mini” nail tips.
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Austin, who shares Chanel with husband Ice-T, said on Instagram that she let her daughter get the tips on her nails as it was for a “special occasion.”
In the photo, Chanel shows off her new nails while wearing a red cardigan over a white shirt. Her hair is up in two pigtails with matching red bows to complete the look.
“School Picture day!! For the special occasion I let Chanel do mini tips to her nails. I love doing her hair.. my little doll baby is what I call her….” Austin wrote.
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Austin was met with backlash on the photo as several of her followers criticized the mom of one for letting her daughter get nail tips at a young age.
“To [sic] young for nails!!!!!” one user wrote, while another added, “I’m sorry but no to tips and makeup at her age.”
This isn’t the first time Austin has been criticized on social media for her parenting choices.
After she recently shared that she continues to breastfeed her daughter, telling Us Weekly that “Chanel still likes my boobs,” Austin received backlash on Twitter from users questioning her decision.
Ice-T, 63, addressed commenters last month, tweeting in response, “News Flash! We feed Chanel FOOD… She just likes to suck moms boob every now and then… Me Too!!!”