History in a bottle

Chanel №5

Photo: Unsplash, Laura Chouette

Every three seconds, a bottle of Chanel №5 is sold worldwide. This legendary fragrance debuted on May 5, 1921 – the number five being the lucky number of Mademoiselle Chanel. Created by renowned perfumer Ernest Beaux in his laboratory on the French Riviera, Coco Chanel chose the fifth composition he offered

Early 20th-century perfumes were floral compositions in intricately decorated bottles, but Chanel №5 introduced aldehydes – synthetic ingredients – for the first time. Its design was also revolutionary: a clear, rectangular bottle with a simple white label and a numerical name, reflecting Chanel’s minimalist style. Instead of selling the fragrance directly, Coco Chanel gifted several bottles to friends and clients of the House, sparking curiosity among high society. The elegant and slightly aloof scent became a classic, enjoying enduring popularity for over 100 years.

Miss Dior

Photo: Unsplash, Annie Le

Winter 1947. Post-war Paris, cold and melancholic, suddenly awakened from a long, heavy slumber. On Avenue Montaigne, a young and relatively unknown couturier named Christian Dior presented his first collection of dresses. Femininity and luxury, which were long absent from the fashion capital, made a grand return. And then there were flowers. Dior spent his childhood in Granville, surrounded by his grandmother’s garden. Later, as a renowned couturier, he had his own castle with a blooming garden. Guests, coming in from the cold, inhaled an unfamiliar fragrance and admired the floral-inspired dresses. 

To emphasize the rebirth of femininity, Dior entrusted his long-time friend Serge Heftler-Louiche with creating a new fragrance, featuring chypre and floral notes. Chypre added a bitterness to the composition. The fragrance was dedicated to Dior’s sister, Catherine, a member of the French Resistance who faced numerous hardships during the war including the loss of her lover. 

Despite multiple reformulations, Miss Dior has retained its floral essence and love as its main ingredient, with actress Natalie Portman as its face.

Givenchy L’Interdit

Photo: Unsplash, Laura Chouette

“I forbid you to be sad!” – Hubert de Givenchy, the famous French couturier, decided to support his friend and muse Audrey Hepburn with a fragrance bearing this intriguing name, understood only by friends.

Givenchy’s aristocratic background and dedication (having started his career assisting Jacques Fath, Christian Dior, Robert Piguet, and Elsa Schiaparelli) quickly made him famous. Opening his own atelier in 1952, he immediately gained the recognition of Parisian high society.

1953 was a crucial year for both the company and Givenchy, marking his acquaintance with American actress Audrey Hepburn. Her filmography is practically a history of Givenchy’s fashion house, with unique outfits created for her. Givenchy also dressed other celebrities like Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the Duchess of Windsor, and Baroness Rothschild, but his friendship with Audrey was special. The floral-powdery scent he created for her, to support her during a difficult time, became her signature and was later beloved by millions of women.