One-way ticket
A trio of new fragrances from Chanel evokes a sense of travel and of glorious getaways on the continent. By Remy Rippon.
In 1913, armed with a modest sum of cash borrowed from her then boyfriend, a young Gabrielle Chanel opened an eponymous store in the French seaside town of Deauville. It’s where she brought her signature sense of ease and practical comfort (think sailor stripes, borrowed-from-the-boys jersey fabrics and décolletage- exposing blouses in place of stuffy corsets) to well-to-do Parisians on coastal weekenders. So disruptive and radical was her approach that despite Chanel shuttering the store on rue Gontaut-Biron 12 years later, the picturesque town and the storied house still have a mutual affection.
Inspired by this narrative, the brand’s in-house perfumer Olivier Polge chose Deauville as one of three destinations, along with Biarritz and Venice, for the brand’s latest fragrance offering, a trio of juices, Paris-Deauville, Paris-Biarritz and Paris-Venise, collectively dubbed Les Eaux de Chanel. Far from a literal interpretation of the locales – a trend (or trap) for many perfumers – Polge instead relied on deep memories to interpret them, not once revisiting the destinations to jog his olfactive recollections. “There is a strange link between fragrance and memory. When people ask me about my job and how I learn, I say it’s not a matter of having a very precise nose or being able to smell something that nobody else can smell, but it’s more about animating the link between your nose, your brain, and your memory,” he says.
The landmarks themselves were an obvious choice, says Polge, who cherry-picked Biarritz, Venice and Deauville for their significance in Gabrielle’s life and in the brand’s rich history. “I like the fact that often scents, in your memory, are related to places or to people, and I think that there’s an evocation from the cities, which easily makes your mind elaborate.” Venice, for instance, was where Gabrielle retreated after the untimely death of her lover Boy Capel (he who funded the opening of the Deauville store, a loan which she paid back in full). Here, she befriended Venetian artists and aristocrats who reignited her creative spark; the delicate mosaics and historic architecture informed Chanel’s very first jewellery collection.
Meanwhile, in Biarritz, a lively city just a stone’s throw from the Spanish border, Gabrielle opened another boutique and quickly found favour among Spanish royalty (Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain was a fan). Picnics, ocean swims and parties filled her days and allowed a sense of ease and comfort to permeate her designs.
It’s little wonder then, that all three scents in Les Eaux de Chanel are uncharacteristically light and airy. “The first year I came to Chanel, I spent a lot of time researching and trying to understand more deeply the history of the fragrances. But now I know: I integrate certain aspects of the brand, but then follow it in my own way,” says Polge, who since taking the reins from his perfumer father in 2013 has seamlessly added a contemporary edge to the house. “One of our specificities is to create quite opulent, complex fragrances, and it was interesting to create fragrances that are a little more simple, which I think is something that people might want today.”
It’s a clever move. While Chanel’s modus operandi with scents has long been punchy bouquets of white florals, like those found in blockbuster fragrances Chanel No 5 and Allure, Polge says the latest
“I wasn’t striving to capture the Normandy countryside as it stands today, but rather the promise of a stroll through the tall grass … fragrance makes you travel”
trio has a luminosity and lightness which may appeal to those with “a more casual relationship with fragrance”.
For Paris-Biarritz, Polge chose perhaps life’s simplest luxury, a dip in the ocean, as the heart of the scent. But that’s not to suggest it’s diluted: zesty grapefruit and mandarin spring into action on application. The dry-down is subtle, thanks to the clever fusion of lily-of-the-valley, vetiver and white musk notes. The juice is ‘fresh’ in the most sophisticated sense, multi-dimensional and luminous. “There is something about the luxury of simple things,” remarks Polge.
Travel, escapism and adventure were also woven into the scents. ParisVenise drew as much inspiration from the Italian city as the means of arrival: the lengthy journey from Paris to Venice via the famous Orient Express train. It’s the most urban of the collection, thanks to the alchemy of citrus notes, neroli and red berry with cedar and amber. The clever addition of vanilla brings an air of warmth and subtlety.
Likewise, for Paris-Deauville Polge is appealing to our imagination. “I wasn’t striving to capture the Normandy countryside as it stands today, but rather the promise of a stroll through the tall grass,” says Polge. “Fragrance makes you travel.” The actual juice is green and as crisp as morning dew on freshly cut grass, with the addition of orange rind and basil leaf. Florals, like essence of rose and jasmine, mellow it out, while the restrained mix of patchouli feels earthy without overpowering the scent.
The bottles too mark a departure from the delicate, dresser-worthy flacons made famous by the house. The cologne-style bottle feels substantial, and while they are nearly identical (and sold individually), the juice of each bears a varied watercolour tint. “The bottle is larger than usual, because it refers to the lightness of the scent. I don’t like the word splash, but when you speak about these kind of scents, it refers to a larger, more generous way for applying. It’s very simple, yet I think it breathes Chanel, no?” We couldn’t agree more.