The Lady and the Legend Behind Gabrielle Chanel
2017 is undoubted the year of Gabrielle as the house of Chanel pays tribute to its inimitable founder, Coco Chanel. From the Gabrielle bag to the Mademoiselle Privé exhibition in Seoul, the incredible influence of Gabrielle Chanel is ever-present; and now, even more so as she is immortalised in the new Gabrielle Chanel fragrance.
A new Chanel fragrance is a once-in-a-decade phenomenon. This one, in particular, is a celebration of women everywhere – embodying everything that resonates with Mademoiselle Chanel herself: passion, ambition, courage, independence, and above all else, rebellion.
Below, we bring you the myth, magic, and mystery behind Gabrielle Chanel.
Each Chanel fragrance created tells a part of the story of Gabrielle Chanel.
Beginning with Chanel N°5 that brought the rebellious spirit of Coco with the daring nature of Gabrielle, we now come full circle to witness the birth of the Gabrielle Chanel fragrance – a perfume made to reflect all that is her, the scent conveys the full personality of Mademoiselle Chanel: from her public to private facets to her temperament and romantic, loving soul.
The use of her true name Gabrielle for the fragrance, reflects a "bare-all" mindset – showing the authencity of Chanel in its purest form, stripped of all artifice – as most call her Mademoiselle, while friends refer to her as Coco.
For this new scent of epic proportions, perfumer Olivier Polge explored the idea of composing a dream flower, an explosive corolla of white flowers comprising of ylang-ylang, jasmine, tuberose and orange blossom.
These white florals stand at the core of Chanel's olfactory experience, but Polge took the concept much further by increasing the intensity of jasmine, mixing ylang-ylang with white musk notes for a velvet touche, boosting orange blossom with mandarin peel, grapefruit and blackcurrant, and adding sandalwood to tuberose for extra milkiness.
The result is a olfactory vibration on the skin that diffuses its power like a floral halo.
For such an exceptional scent, an equally exceptional design is needed.
Bringing the 'bare-all' aesthetic to play, the glass for the bottle has been refined to its thinnest possible to allow the hue of the liquid radiate fully. Its square silhouette evokes the clean, singular lines of other iconic Chanel fragrances bottles, while the marloquette (the slightly curved bottom inside the bottle) has now been pushed outward and polished to perfection.
And finally, to cap the bottle, a matte lamé stopper is directly inspired by the Haute Couture fabrics preserved in the Chanel Heritage department – a way of celebrating true luxury of the fragrance.
So who is the lady chosen to embody the fragrance?
In Chanel's words, "Gabrielle Chanel is a fragrance for a woman who chooses her own path."
A daring new scent that radiates with power, it is the perfect companion to those with a rebellious spirit, daring soul and confident personality, just like Mademoiselle herself.
In our way of reinterpreting it, this is a fragrance made for those who are confident that they can carry the scent, no matter who you are, what you do and where you come from.
And for its inaugural campaign, launching 1 September 2017, Chanel has appointed one of its favourite girls Kristen Stewart to be the face of the fragrance.
Gabrielle Chanel will be available from 19 August in Chanel boutiques and from 1 September islandwide.
