New Perfumes For October 2021 And £25,000 For Chanel No. 5

Did you know Chanel No. 5 is 100 years old? Yes, you probably did, because the brand hasn’t exactly been quiet about it. But just in case there were still one or two people left out there who weren’t aware of this milestone anniversary for what remains one of the most important fragrances ever made, we have a few more limited edition products to see us through to Christmas. Two of them are special presentations of No. 5 edp and No. 5 L’Eau, and I featured the former in a recent episode of Love At First Scent, which also included reviews of new work from Les Indemodables, Naomi Goodsir and Burberry. Here’s a link to the video: Chanel No. 5 limited edition, Les Indemodables Ambre Supreme, Naomi Goodsir Corpus Equus, Burberry Hero reviews.

In the episode, I also mentioned a somewhat more exclusive product that Chanel have produced for the anniversary: a massive, Baccarat crystal bottle containing no less than 2021 mls of No. 5 extrait (see the image below). Price tag: £25,000. Needless to say, I’ve ordered three already.

Coming in at slightly less than the annual salary of a veterinary nurse are two noteworthy additions to the portfolios of Les Indemodables and Naomi Goodsir. From the former, we have Ambre Supreme, an Antoine Lie composition which sees the master balance an astonishing range of olfactory hues – from the most dazzling to the most nocturnal – over a 10% dosage of ambergris. This is perfumery at its most shape-shifting, presenting varying facets in the same way that the colour of the sea changes according to the conditions of the sky above it. Do seek it out and make sure you give it plenty of time to develop.

Naomi Goodsir has turned to the unflagging talents of Bertrand Duchaufour to give us Corpus Equus, a scent that achieves the seemingly impossible feat of finding something new to say about leather. The clue is in the name — one sniff, and you are rushed headlong into a mythical landscape where stallions race across arid sand, leaving a wake of dust, noise and thrusting physicality. Quite astonishing.

Finally, I ought to mention that the video also contained mini-reviews of Kilian L’Heure Verte and Apple Brandy On The Rocks, banal scents that don’t do justice to Kilian Hennessy’s indisputable knowledge of the art and heritage of perfumery.

Persolaise

[Chanel No. 5, Burberry Hero and Les Indemodables Ambre Supreme samples provided by the brands; the remainder were obtained by me.]

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