Perfume. One of the classiest, traditionally “feminine” things you could do is have a signature scent. It presents you with a certain high-end image. Especially if your scent is something iconic and brand-named. You’re both someone who cares about how they smell, and someone willing to spend a pretty penny on it. In my childhood, it was so important to my mom, that she’d spritz perfume on me any time we had an event to go to (even if my mouth was open, yum).

You probably have at least heard of Chanel No. 5, and if you haven’t, you know Chanel. Originally a mistress, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel carved a home for herself in the fashion world. Cemented in its place as one of the most high-end fashion brands, Chanel can almost be synonymous with luxury. 

What makes No.5 Different?

The fragrance itself is pretty recognizable as far as perfume goes. Regardless of brand name and notoriety, its bottle has a peculiar shape to it. The types of bottles that existed during the 20’s were mimicking the smell they carried. Flowery, girlish, ornate. No.5’s bottle design is closer to a whiskey flask than anything else (that was supposedly the inspiration behind it). It’s simple, it’s straight to the point. It didn’t need to tell you that it was femme, it just was. 

The Name is Fancy, But I Don’t Get it?

So why was it even called Chanel No. 5? It’s a pretty peculiar name choice, but it’s actually not as deep as expected. Madame Chanel had wanted to jump into fragrance production after her fashion brand really got rolling. She had a mission to create “A woman’s perfume, with the scent of a woman,” rather than something that smelled “like a rose.”

The perfumer Ernest Beaux was the one to take on the challenge. Over the course of many months, he came up with 10 samples and presented them to Chanel. She picked sample 5, and that was that. 

Chanel is her own name, and No.5 is just the sample number she chose. It’s said that she believed 5 to be a lucky number, which might have played into it, but it’s still a pretty silly name choice for such an elevated product. 

Minimal Marketing, Maximum Sales

The marketing during the ’20s was minimalistic. The adverts matched the bottle in their simple presentation. It was usually just a photo of a beautiful woman, with the perfume bottle somewhere on the corners of the page. The taglines were pretty bold and straight to the point. Featuring phrases like:

“Every Woman Alive Loves Chanel No. 5”

Some of the best publicity the perfume received wasn’t even a campaign, it was celebrity endorsement. Marilyn Monroe, the icon of womanly beauty and sexuality, has a recording of her saying this:

“You know they ask you questions like, ‘What do you wear to bed? A pajama top? The bottom of pajamas? Or the nightgown?’ So I said Chanel No. 5, because it’s the truth,”

Now, the perfume is more than just a scent. It’s sexy. Marilyn wears it to bed, and she’s one of the most attractive figures of the time. Why wouldn’t you want to smell like her? Why wouldn’t you want to copy her? If anyone knows how to be beautiful, surely it’s Ms. Monroe. 

Presently, Chanel No.5 is still a pretty successful perfume. The brand recently rebooted the scent, releasing Chanel No.5 L’Eau, which is a modern take on its 100-year-old predecessor. Time seems to be no obstacle for this little bottle. Honestly, I can’t imagine anything taking its place. I’ve never smelled it before, actually, so I’d like to one day 

Hoping I won’t have it sprayed in my mouth anytime soon though.

References:

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/a37531347/chanel-no-5-history-story/
https://fashionista.com/2016/11/chanel-perfume-no-5-history
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-13565155

Images Retrieved From:

https://www.chanel.com/us/fragrance/p/125530/n5-eau-de-parfum-spray/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Coco-Chanel
https://fashionista.com/2016/11/chanel-perfume-no-5-history
https://www.sephora.com/search?keyword=productnotcarried