August 29, 2019 |
If you had a fragrance named after you, what would it smell like? Blood, sweat and tears? Depression and anxiety? Or just McDonalds on a Sunday at 3am? Whatever it is, a namesake fragrance should always reflect the taste and personality of the person it’s representing. Luckily, Mademoiselle Chanel was a classy lady who loved a lot of flowers – jasmine, tuberose, ylang-ylang, orange blossom… That’s why in 2017, master perfumer Olivier Polge, created a completely new fragranced called Gabrielle, inspired by the designer’s life before she became the world-known Coco. Tender and subtle, but developing into a complex symphony of notes – it was Chanel’s first major truly floral fragrance. Today, the brand is launching a follow-up to the perfume in the form of Gabrielle Chanel Essence.
Continuing the storyline of enriched notes of white flowers from the original (zing from orange blossom, depth from jasmine), the new eau de parfum develops a more intense, creamy base as its focus shifts on the tuberose. And just because this is Chanel, the tuberose used in the scent is exclusive to the brand. Coming from the French Riviera and the town of Grasse, it’s sourced in collaboration with the Mul family in a technique unique to them. By picking it in the morning and with a method that cleanly captures the scent of the flower’s petal, the notes reflect the way tuberose smells in an open field, deprived of its waxy, animal, leather and green facets.
Describing the Gabrielle Chanel Essence in five words, Polge uses: “Floral. Solar. Voluptuous. Velvety. Sensual.” We would also like to add opulent to that list. If the original fragrance was the elegant woman with a great hairdo, freshly done manicure and a chic power suit, this new one is her daring, naughtier older sister who still likes to flirt with the restaurant staff during her lunch meetings. And who doesn’t wanna be that person?
The Gabriel Chanel Essence is available to shop online and in selected stores.
