GOLD IN A BOTTLE
Some time ago, May-Britt and I cozied up next to Arthur Stippel on the couch. Arthur is an incredibly friendly guy and the fragrance expert of Chanel. He knows everything, and I mean really everything about every scent and the story behind it, and he can tell it in such a way that you hang on his every word for hours. Not for nothing, because he had particularly good news. Namely, that Chanel is coming out with three Extraits from the already so fine Exclusifs de Chanel.
Les Exclusifs de Chanel is a collection of eau de toilettes that are also referred to as ‘haute parfumerie’. The finest ingredients together in too beautiful bottles. Three of those jewels are now available as Extrait. A smaller bottle, but with a more intense scent. And not the least scents have been chosen to serve as the flagship, namely 1932, Beige, and Jersey. They are the absolute ingredients of hand-picked jasmine, absolute of rose petals, absolute of 36-month dried iris roots. You understand, this is gold in a bottle.
Chanel 1932 is inspired by the first jewelry collection that Gabriëlle Chanel presented in November 1932. Chanel's perfumer Jacques Polge created a fragrance that has as many facets as the diamond. The result; a clear scent where jasmine plays the leading role. In L’Extrait, the jasmine is combined with pear and grapefruit and a hefty scoop of iris butter, making it a fresh yet exotic scent. A touch on your neck, and it is truly extreme luxury and sensuality.
Okay, here it is. I do switch fragrances quite often, but this is really my new favorite. The love was mutual right away, because it suited me. Really. Just like Gabriëlle Chanel's saying: ‘I wrap myself in beige because that color is natural.“ Beautiful. Like black and white, they are colors that remain chic under all circumstances. How that translates into a scent? You smell the powdery and honey-sweet jasmine and ylang ylang together with the scent of anise and almond notes from the may rose. It is a very concentrated scent but remains very fresh.
From a fabric that was just good enough for workers and chilly city dwellers, Chanel made the most important material for new elegance. Jersey. And what Chanel had with Jersey, Jacques Polge had with lavender. Not feminine, not masculine, but a lot of refinement. With a hint of vanilla, tonka bean, and musk, it is a warm, creamy, and soft scent. Just as smooth as the fabric it was inspired by. And even warmer.
