In a time when women were made to conform, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel was a rule breaker. She was the first designer to put her name to a fragrance. She made bronzing stylish at a time when pale skin was a sign of wealth. She made trousers fashionable for women outside of factories. It was her rebellious spirit that drove her to huge success, beating all the odds that were stacked against her: extreme poverty, growing up an orphan and being – at a time when women had no rights – female.
This September, the House of Chanel is paying tribute to the young woman who sewed her way out of obscurity, with a new fragrance called Gabrielle. It’s been 15 years since the launch of Chanel Chance, so this new addition to the house’s fragrance lineup is a significant one. It took six years to formulate and the results are true to the brand – luxurious, elegant and timeless.
In creating the fragrance, perfumer Olivier Polge was inspired by Coco’s love of white flowers (a theme that runs through all Chanel scents) but this time he toiled with the molecules that compose them. The results? Heady jasmine, creamy tuberose and velvety ylang-ylang, all more intense and powerful than ever before. Imagine the combination of these scents settling on your skin like silk after an energising burst of orange blossom, grapefruit and blackcurrant are released. It’s an effect that’s addictive.
The bottle is a masterpiece too. With the finest glass edges, it appears as if the fluid is suspended in a square shape, with the lid the colour of the silver-gold thread that runs through Chanel tweed fabric.
You’ll have to wait until the global launch of the fragrance on 1 September to try it for yourself – but trust us, the wait will be worth it.
Gabrielle Chanel EDP will be available in 50ml (R1 745) and 100ml (R2 465).
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