It was a matter of being due at
Chanel:
Chanel No.19 is such a revered classic (and a very popular mature woman choice in my country) that it would be a misstep not to exploit this by rendering a new flanker, aimed at the younger audiences who might be introduced to the brand of
No.19 via that gateway.
Enter
No.19 Poudré, the latest mainstream fragrance by
Chanel, as revealed in a lengthy interview by Jacques Polge on Women's Wear Daily, which will hit the stores in the summer of 2011.
The composition, much like
Cristalle Eau Verte did for
Cristalle and
Eau Premiere did for
No.5, will highlight the lighter, more diaphanous elements in the formula, with the lately popular veil of modernised, sheer powder accord (as in
Love,Chloé and
Esprit d'Oscar). The powdery effect will be rendered through novel musks plus iris, an already major component of the classic
No.19. According to veteran perfumer
Jacques Polge who is only the third head perfumer for Chanel, since 1978:
"We've found some new musks that are very interesting, and we're working a lot at the moment on iris, which is a very important ingredient in No.19 Poudré. We have our plantations in Grasse, with rose and jasmine, and we're trying to find new qualities in those. But we're also trying to reproduce what was done 40 years ago, that nobody does anymore".
Other ingredients featured prominently in
No.19 Poudré besides iris and musk are
jasmine and
neroli. The concentration is Eau de Parfum, as shown on the bottle.
My personal view on the new flanker launch? It's dubious whether classicists will be pleased by the new
No.19 flanker, but it does sound like it will be heavy on those
"novel" musks and iris (probably boosted by synth alternatives as well) to project at a
powdery pitch. Powdery is a new trend in the market which would have fans of the older version (I'm one of them) not too mad at the new.
Who knows? A flanker usually means the continuation of a brand: I would like to see the
No.19 brand going rather than being left behind in the wake of more popular things.
As to
Jersey, it is the name of the upcoming
Chanel Les Exclusifs, joining
Beige, Sycomore, 31 Rue Cambon, 28 La Pausa, Coromandel, Eau de Cologne,
Bel Respiro, No.18, Bois des Iles, Cuir de Russie,
Gardenia and
No.22.
[links open up reviews of respective scents]. The name had been trademarked a long while ago, as we rgularly predict trends on these pages based on that, and it remains to be seen what treatment the masterminds of Jacques Polges and Chris Sheldrake are envisioning this emblematic fabric of Coco Chanel ~which made her famous (and infamous)~ will translate into. Referencing couture through fragrance is not unknown to Chanel. If we're allowed a little deliberation, a white floral is missing from the Exclusifs line. Or specifically a magnolia, one of the latest notes du jour, begging for a luxury spin.
Edit to add: Preliminary testing suggests Chanel Les Exclusifs
Jersey is a clean fragrance with notes of lavender, vanilla and white musks. We will update with a full review.
Release dates for Chanel
No.19 Poudré are 1st of June for London (on preview at Selfridges) and 15 days later for the rest of the UK and Europe, available at major department stores.
Chanes Les Exclusifs
Jersey will hit stores in autumn 2011 as part of the Chanel boutiques circuit and online at the US store.
thanks to AlbertCA for bringing this to my attention, pic via Grazia scan online
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