In 1921, Gabrielle Chanel designed what she experienced lengthy wished for: “a woman’s fragrance with the scent of a woman”. Legend has it that of the 10 samples submitted by Ernest Beaux, a previous nose to the Russian Tsars, Chanel picked the fifth as her favorite and, eschewing a florid name for her new scent, retained its label for the reason that of her belief in the number’s talismanic powers. Chanel No 5 went on to turn out to be the world’s most popular fragrance, and this 12 months marks its 100th birthday.
“I present my collections on the fifth of May possibly, the fifth thirty day period of the 12 months… the amount 5 will bring it fantastic luck,” the couturière mentioned. In the century considering that its debut, No 5 has not only develop into a world-wide bestseller – with 1 bottle reportedly sold each and every 30 seconds – but also transcends the world of scent as an icon in well known society, from movie and design and style to the visible arts. New York’s Museum of Modern-day Art admitted its sleek packaging to its long term assortment in 1959 and 26 decades later on, Andy Warhol immortalised the minimalist glass flacon, made by Gabrielle Chanel herself, in his colourful display screen-prints. Visionary image-makers, from style photographers to film administrators, together with Richard Avedon, Ridley Scott and Baz Luhrmann, have established promoting strategies for No 5 starring Hollywood legends this kind of as Lauren Hutton, Catherine Deneuve, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard and Marilyn Monroe (who famously wore “5 drops” of it to bed – and almost nothing else).
At the heart of all this glamour is, of course, the fragrance by itself – a rich blend of florals such as jasmine and May well rose, developed in Chanel’s personal fields in Grasse. No surprise that the house’s imaginative director of jewellery, Patrice Leguéreau, travelled there though planning a new assortment that pays tribute to the perfume’s centenary by reinterpreting its important features in diamonds.
“I needed to investigate the total planet of No 5 and these bouquets are at its coronary heart, so I was thrilled to look at their harvest,” he states. ‘I observed that even their geometric shapes – the moon-like rose, the starry jasmine and the sunburst of ylang-ylang – echoed the celestial themes of Chanel’s quite first precious jewelry styles, so I utilized them as a way to backlink back to an crucial component of our heritage.”
Without a doubt, one set of jasmine-formed brooches and a long pearl sautoir with a pink sapphire rose pendant would search at dwelling on Gabrielle Chanel’s art deco dressing table. Other parts are more direct depictions: a “spritz” of fragrance has been remodeled into a cascade of yellow gemstones for a pair of earrings, and the bottle stopper, carved from rock crystal, types a graphic necklace.
55.55 Necklace’ in 18K White Gold and Diamonds by CHANEL Substantial Jewellery
But the glittering star of the exhibit is definitely the 55.55 necklace: a flawless 55.55-carat diamond, the biggest in the heritage of Chanel Haute Joaillerie, in a white-gold setting modelled on the iconic bottle, from which five droplets of scent are suspended, in the type of pear-slash brilliants. “No class is possible devoid of fragrance. It is the unseen, unforgettable, supreme accent,” Chanel herself once claimed. These stunning jewels are the fantastic testament to that.
55.55 Necklace’ in 18K White Gold and Diamonds by CHANEL High Jewelry
Chanel Haute Joaillerie’s Collection No 5 (www.chanel.com) is out now
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