Your Monday dose of lovely
Monday, June 15, 2009
My admiration for the actress Audrey Tautou went through the roof when I laid eyes on the gorgeous new film/commercial for Chanel no 5. The only version worth watching – that is, the quality is high-resolution enough – is here on the Chanel site.
Growing up, my mother had two perfumes, and she rarely wore either. One was a classic Ralph Lauren fragrance, and the other was Chanel no 5. It sat in a glass bottle next to a large white leather jewelry box filled with old costume jewelry atop her dresser, which contained pantyhose and other womanly garments I was allowed to paw through for playing dress-up with my friends. Once in a while when my parents would go out for the evening and leave me with our favorite babysitter, Caroline, I would help my mom get dressed and she would wear a dab of the perfume.
Even though I appreciate Chanel no 5, the first fragrance from Parisian couturier Coco Chanel, for its chic and glamorous past (Marilyn Monroe once said it was the only thing she wore to bed), I never really liked the fragrance that much on its own. More than that, I could never see myself wearing it. Sniffing it from its iconic bottle, it smelled too powdery, too…old. But this lovely movie from Jean-Pierre Jeunet featuring the loveliest of actresses, as well as the discovery of a vial of the perfume in my own vanity drawer, has changed my mind.
It is sophisticated and powerfully feminine, and it warms to the skin wonderfully. In its iconic bottle, it is a beautiful honey color. And it smells incredible on a woman. This time, that woman is me. ( :
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nice post, rachel
That is one hell of a great ad. It looks straight out of the 1920s/30s (aside from that camera). That sort of train trip is absolutely my dream. Anyone know what train station that is they start at?
-rdhd
beautiful post! my mom loves that fragrance as well, but it have never really appealed to me. i may have to revisit it now though
Rachie, this was such a great post! I love Audrey Tatou, and your memories of Mom’s getting ready to go to Fancy Dress, or looking through her jewelry box, are just like mine. Thanks for the dose of nostalgia!
Rach, your post made me smile too. Coincidently, I used the Chanel #5 lotion last week in Boulder, b/c it was the only lotion in my travel kit. Wherever I went, women noticed and said how much they loved the fragrance. (I wonder how long that tube has been in the kit…)