Chanel; Radiates Forever

There are very few brands able to say they are not only truly global, have a seemingly endless heritage let alone a reputation for magnificence, uber luxury, or utter desirability yet one of the very few in this handful and potentially the brightest light of them all is easily Chanel. The brand Chanel radiates forever.

From the earliest days of her first hat shop to a glittering career as a couturier the name Chanel is synonymous with elegance, free spirits, breaking boundaries and challenging convention.

Interestingly her DNA is all over the brand even over 50 years after her passing. From the names of her perfumes to the designs of watches, her personal life is intertwined into many a layer across her collections.

For example, probably the most famous perfume in the world is Chanel No 5. created by the great nose Ernest Beaux this rich powdery succulent scent was her first every fragrance but the 5th version to be presented to her by the nose. This clean simple modern approach to naming the fragrance is symbolic of her approach to design and creativity.

Likewise, the signature tweed so woven into the very fabric of the brand. It was inspired by her trips to Scotland where she took to wearing men’s tweed jackets and took the heritage of that and turned it into something utterly feminine. Yet still, it encompassed the modern minimalism yet chic femininity of what she stood for.

Chanel 19 Flip bag SS20 Knit, Gold-Tone, Silver-Tone & Ruthenium-Finish Metal

The lightness of touch again rings so true from the perfume Gardenia again created by Ernest Beaux in 1922 as a celebration of her favourite flower the magnolia (which of course has no scent) this floral interpretation had a lightness and modernity unparalleled at the time.

In her early days and during her brief career as a singer, Chanel performed in clubs in Vichy and Moulins where she was called “Coco.” Now why does that name ring a bell?? Of course, the perfume Coco by Chanel a heavy sensual oriental fragrance as bold as the lady herself.

She said of fragrance:-

(It“) is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion. . . . that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure,”

Why not take the most highly recognised fragrance from those within the perfume insiders and perfume creators as another example. In 1970 Chanel produced with Chanel’s master perfumer Henri Robert the sublime No19 a green almost flowery chypre one of the most elegant fragrances ever produced and the name? 19 for the 19th of August, her birthday.

Sadly it was in 1971 that the great lady passed but here life is still so intertwined in the label she left behind.

In 1987 the brand launched watches. But even though she was not there to be a part of it, her legacy again meshes within the designs. The Premiere watch echos the shape of the bottle stopper on no 5 perfume and Place Vandome in Paris where she had her shops.

Her early beginnings are also echoed in watches. As a child, she grew up in a modest home, but tragically at age 12 after her mother died she went to the orphanage in the convent of Aubazine, and it was here where she learned the trade of sewing.

There are watches in the timepiece Privie collections that mirror the decorative windows of Aubazine buildings.

Arthur “Boy” Capel her lover and their passion together inspired The scent Boy Chanel. Inspired by the love of Coco Chanel and Boy Capel, together as one, this vibrant fragrance challenges tradition and transcends gender, creating complementary and confounding silhouettes.

And one key item of any woman’s wardrobe is of course the most important of accessories. Red Lipstick. Her choice of the Red of all Red lipsticks was called Rouge Coco created in in 1954, and let’s face it who doesn’t think of the grande lady always with red lips

Her is our ode to here magnificent red lips with the Jumbo Longwear Lip Crayon a modern interpretation of the kind of lipstick to be carried by any woman whether she goes. The colour below is wonderfully called Provocation.