Chanel, her Golden Girls & Pretty Boy Max
Chanel is a leading haute couture brand, an exclusive and iconic brand that everyone aspires to and everyone wants to touch.
"IN ORDER TO BE DIFFERENT ONE MUST BE IRREPLACEABLE"
These are the words of Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel, a humble seamstress elevated to fashion creator, businesswoman, icon to many women for her resilience, ambition and great determination to succeed, a model and doyen of good taste, eternal elegance and beauty. So the superlatives go on...
CHANEL No. 5, Coco's iconic product and signature scent is being launched at de Bijenkorf's department stores in The Netherlands, along with Chanel's Le Lift anti-aging skin care line. I went to visit the Chanel beauty counters in the Hague and Rotterdam. But first, a closer look at CHANEL No. 5.
The first CHANEL No. 5 was released 95 years ago on the 5th of May 1921 in Chanel's avant garde rue Cambon boutique in Paris, to wear with her garments and hats. Chanel started off as an exceptional seamstress and a talented hat-maker. During this time, she was already busy developing accessories and later on she added bags and beauty products to her fast growing business empire. The creation of CHANEL No. 5 was born out of emptiness and absence by the passing away of Gabrielle Chanel's lover, Arthur "Boy" Capel who died in a car crash on December 22, 1919. Chanel's million dollars destiny and the financial basis of her empire would rest on this first fragrance reminding of a love that was interrupted but one that she would cherish all her life. By transforming bereavement in creation, Chanel indulged in an eternal perfume. The perfume she has fought for to be solely her own.
This autumn, CHANEL No. 5 Eau de Parfum is being launched as CHANEL No. 5 L'eau, a fifth generation of the fragrance No.5 with top notes of lemon, neroli, mandarin and orange, creating a citrus infusion. It still retains No. 5's main floral ingredient —the rich and sweet smelling May rose, hand-picked since its inception in 1921 from Grasse, a town on the French Riviera and dubbed as the cradle of perfumery. The flower blooms & harvested in May, hence its name. L'eau was created by the younger perfumer Olivier Polge whose father was Chanel's master perfumer in the 70's till his retirement in 2015. It is no coincidence that the face of its campaign is a fresh rose- 17-year old aspiring model and actress, Lily Rose Depp (actor Johnny Depp's daughter). A statement from Chanel says: "No.5 L'Eau is not a cologne. Nor is it a diluted version of the original fragrance for, at Chanel, each variation is a genuine olfactory creation. No.5 L'Eau is the No.5 of today."
It was 1920, and Gabrielle Chanel was presented with ten small glass vials containing series of sample scents created by her French-Russian perfumer, Ernest Beaux, numbered 1 to 5 and 20 to 24. She chose the fifth vial. In it is a combination of jasmine and rose as the base and several other floral scents that was more complex and mysterious than the single-scented perfumes on the market at that time. She said, "I present my dress collections on the fifth of May, the fifth month of the year and so we will let this sample number five keep the name it has already, it will bring good luck." "Number five. Yes," Chanel said later, "that is what I was waiting for. A perfume like nothing else. A woman's perfume, with the scent of a woman." For Coco Chanel, the number five was highly revered as signifying the pure embodiment of a thing, its spirit, its mystic meaning. In May 2012, Brad Pitt was its first male model chosen for CHANEL No.5 advertising campaign.
I missed Carla once again. The first time I was at Chanel's beauty counter in The Hague to see her for this blog, she was on a lunch break. The second time I was back, it was her day-off. Carla is one of my favourite Chanel girls for her youthful beauty and her love for Chanel which she flaunts it with pride. But don't they all? Yes, they do!
I met Stella who is based in The Hague. The Chanel counter is fitted with Chanel palette of black , white, and even gold for their display of the next generation of complete anti-aging skincare, Sublimage. Coco Chanel was definitely not a fan of heavy decoration, and believed that black and white, straight lines, and rectangular designs represented purity.
Stella has been with Chanel for sixteen years. That is the equivalent of the years I worked for two publishing companies and a silk fashion company. I made sure I moved every five years because they said that was healthy especially for productivity. But for Stella, Sixteen years in Chanel made her confident about herself and have embraced Chanel as a lifestyle, not a brand. She spoke with ease and knowledge about Le Lift - a new technology in firming and anti-wrinkle skincare customised to each women's needs. She spoke with such passion about all their products saying that there's a high price to pay for beauty if you want it to last. What she means is that quality cannot be compromised. What you pay for a Chanel product is a lifetime investment that delivers what it says it will do.
Chanel's beauty counter in Rotterdam splashes luxury. Black and white lacquer counter tops, a settee in leather, a glass-top round table on the floor and the interlocking C's hover above you as if to say, Coco Chanel is watching you!
Max (van Wijngaarden) is Chanel's prominent beauty consultant here. I must say, he is quite a breath of fresh air. Tall, young, poised with a beautiful smile, Max emulates a woman to be beautiful and desirable. I watched him give brief make-up demonstrations to the ladies who came to him as he passionately shares his expertise on Chanel and the products you need best for your skin. He smoothly dabs a foundation and gracefully strokes a brush of make-up on each cheek, then caters to the next customer.
I wasn't able to ask Max about his favourite male scents and basic products to recommend to male customers because when he is on the floor, he hardly finds time to stop. He is much in demand. I am glad that he and Wieneke gave me the opportunity to take their photos when I visited but my only regret was, I went there forgetting my Olympus Stylus XZ-2, the one I always bring to take portraits, and I had to make do with my old Samsung S4!
But here's my take on Chanel's male cosmetics, I like everything from ALLURE Edition Blanche, especially the eau de toilette. It was created by Jacques Polge (father of Olivier Polge of the New Chanel no. 5 L'eau) and released since February 2008. Considered a "diamond fragrance", Allure edition blanche's accent is put on the fragrance itself, you would be tempted to follow the scent whoever is wearing it. It is the additional infusion of Sicilian lemon and Calabrian bergamot that gives it a clean, fresh and citrusy aroma that I love most.
Like women, men also want their skin to look and feel healthy. With regular shaving, men benefit from a tailored approach to skincare to help keep their skin at its natural best. Who best to advise them than someone who daily uses and wears Chanel's luxurious male product line.
Wieneke is one of the most senior beauty consultants that exude elegance, beauty and knowledge by heart of everything Chanel. Thirty years with Chanel is a statement as much as the lady herself- ageless! I have no doubt Chanel invested on her and she invested on Chanel. I asked her what makes Chanel different from other cosmetics brands and she said, " Its amazing history, its all-natural ingredients, quality and timeless beauty."
For Wieneke, working for the brand is love at first sight and as a true believer of the product, she mentions that there is no other product better than Chanel.
Like Stella, she has high regard for Chanel's quality products which she emphasises with conviction that with quality, you can never go wrong. With her beautiful smile she added, "to love Chanel, you must also love high fashion."
My most memorable time talking with Wieneke is when she showed me how to keep my facial skin "intact." She told me that when applying my creams, it is best to pinch lightly with my finger tips the sides of my face moving upwards towards my ears. She demonstrated it by applying Le Lift creme huile repatrice on my face. And to help exercise my neck muscles to avoid double-chin, she told me to say the syllables A-E-I-O-U several times a day.
Back in The Hague, glamorous-looking Sylvana and Harriet are the other two beauty consultants, with 29-year old Sylvana as the manager. Just like the other Chanel girls and Max, they define Chanel as a lifestyle, epitome of elegance, class and prestige. And as Harriet said, "being with Chanel is the highest achievement one can attain working in the cosmetics industry. " Her love for the product and adoration for its founder Coco, has kept her with Chanel for the last 18 years. Harriet is almost like a walking encyclopedia of Chanel. She gave me information behind the inspiration of every Chanel packaging, the pearl extract present in all Le Blanc - Chanel's brightening line; the black lacquer design of their counter tops from Chanel's passion for ornate lacquered Chinese screens, to the flower emblem of the House of Chanel - the Camellia.
Camellia, the flower that was offered to Coco by her lover and muse, Arthur "Boy" Capel, the man she loved deeply for her first perfume and whose toiletry bottles were the inspiration to the bottle design of CHANEL No. 5. The Camellia flower that formed part of Coco's private world in her apartment in Paris, scattered on Coromandel screens, chandeliers and in bouquets with rock crystal. This much treasured flower has been engraved onto buttons, woven into embroideries, fashioned out of silk to adorn dresses, headwear and jacket lapels. It became Coco Chanel's emblem, the flower that is pinned on every Chanel beauty consultant's attire at work.
As for Sylvana, she has been with Chanel for seven years and admits she has always loved Chanel as a young girl, influenced by her mum. Her first perfume and still is her signature scent is Chanel No.19. Her first eye shadow was Le Quatre ombre. "It's all about the quality", she said. "Since that first purchase of the eye shadow, I have been addicted to the brand", she added. She continued to echo the lady Coco Chanel, describing her as a pure inspiration to many women, independent with the I-don't care what-you-think-about-me mindset, but with good intention of making women stand up for themselves and be self-assuring. She talked about Coco Chanel's strengths that encourages her to stand strong as a woman, but making sure she is also an inspiration to others. I asked her about her advise to younger people who would like to start wearing cosmetics and she said, "we have quality products for every age and skin types and it is very good to start young skin with quality. Chanel may be expensive but the results are for a lifetime of satisfaction. We look after our customers with care by giving them the proper advise on their specific needs. We are here for everyone."
As I end this blog, I found an affinity with the woman named Coco. I love antiques and everything Oriental, and the colours black and gold and hues of warm red. We both have the same birth sign Leo. Too bad I never had a chance to meet this grand dame but I get to experience her daily with my own Chanel cosmetics. The next time you find yourself face-to-face with your local Chanel beauty consultants, quiz them on the story of Chanel and guaranteed that they will share you stories about the lady they are representing and her products, the iconic Coco Chanel.
Chanel is a leading haute couture brand, an exclusive and iconic brand that everyone aspires to and everyone wants to touch.