The Secret of Chanel No. 5
Page 23
origins of, 32–33, 68–72, 96–97, 213
quality and quantity of materials in, 43, 78–79, 142, 145
as revolutionary, xvi, 22, 60, 62, 66, 67, 68, 71, 78–79
rose in, 60, 61, 66, 71, 76, 79, 124, 141–46
World War II acquisition of raw materials for, 141–46
Chanel No. 7 (perfume), 109, 112
Chanel No. 9 (perfume), 112
Chanel No. 11 (perfume), 109, 112
Chanel No. 14 (perfume), 109
Chanel No. 18 (perfume), 202
Chanel No. 19 (perfume), 202
Chanel No. 20 (perfume), 109
Chanel No. 21 (perfume), 109
Chanel No. 22 (perfume), 109, 112, 118, 168, 174, 202, 212
Chanel No. 27 (perfume), 109
Chanel No. 46 (perfume), 212 offered as post-War No. 5, 174–75
Chaplin, Charlie, xv
Charabot, 97
Charles-Roux, Edmonde, 6, 68–69, 184
Charlie (perfume), 43
Charvet, 102
Château Crémat, 107
Chemische Fabrik Flora, 168
Chiris:
Coty’s loyalty to, 117
distillery process developed by, 144–45
Rallet as part of, 54, 96, 105
taken over by Coty, 69–70
Chiris, Louis, 144
Choix (Iribe), 127
Churchill, Winston, 160, 161
Chypre (Chanel perfume), 109
Chypre de Coty (perfume), 42–43
Chypre de Limassol (perfume), 42
Chypre de Paris (perfume), 42
chypre perfumes, 40, 42–43
accords in, 43
as oldest perfume family, 42
cinnamaldehyde, 64
Cistercian orders, 5, 6, 8–9
civet cats, musk from, 80, 208
Claude, Queen of France, 107
cleanliness, as Coco’s preferred scent, 8, 21, 37, 46
Cleopatra, 40
Coco (perfume), 202
Coco Avant Chanel (film), 201
Coco Mademoiselle (perfume), 202
Cocteau, Jean, 127
Collier’s, 126, 156
concretes, production of floral, 143–45
Cool Water (perfume), 41
cosmetics industry, advertising in, 188–89
Côte d’Azur, 143
Coty, Christiane, 157–58
Coty, Elizabeth, 33
Coty, François, 25, 29–30, 32, 44, 54, 94, 157, 158
Chypre introduced by, 42–43
Coco’s competition with, 70, 106, 117–18
as inspiration for Coco, 30, 81, 92
and origins of Chanel No. 5, 68–69
strategy for challenging Chanel No. 5, 117–18
Coty, Henri, 157–58
Coty, Inc., 29–30, 114, 147, 174
Chiris takeover by, 69–70
as perfume powerhouse, 103–4
perfumes from, see specific perfumes
Coty, Yvonne, 30, 32, 69
coumarin, 41, 115
couturiers and designers:
perfumes launched by, 25–27, 59, 92, 122–23
see also specific couturiers and designers
Crawford, Joan, 126
Cristal Baccarat, 101
cuir de Russie, 42
Cuir de Russie (perfume), 167, 202
d’Alençon, Émilienne, 18
scent used by, 18, 20–21, 37
Darzens, Georges, 62, 67
Davidoff, perfume house of, 41
Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster
(Thomas), 193–94, 200
de Medici, Catherine, 31, 107–8
de Medici, Marie:
manuscript of, 31, 32, 33, 53
and roots of French perfume industry, 31–32
demi-monde:
Coco as part of, 16–18, 33–34, 88–90, 184
divide between respectability and, 18, 33–34
as note in Chanel marketing, 201
Deneuve, Catherine, 198–99, 200, 208
department stores:
marketing driven by, 123
see also specific stores
de Villemessant, Henri, 81
Diaghilev, Sergei, 127
Dior, perfume house of, 42, 43
Dirys, Jeanne, 127
Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, Grand Duke, 49–53, 126
childhood scents recalled by, 52, 55, 71, 72, 215
in exile, 50–51, 52
in Rasputin murder plot, 49–50
d’Obazine, Étienne, Saint, 5, 7, 10, 17
Donne, John, 79
D’Orsay, perfume house of, 114
Dumas, Alexandre, 10
Eau Première (perfume), as update of Chanel No. 5, 203
economy, U.S., during Roaring Twenties, xiv-xv
Einstein, Albert, xiv
Elizabeth Arden, 147
Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, Grand Duchess, 49, 51
Emeraude (perfume), 84
enfleurage, 144
esters, 78
Eternity (perfume), xiii
Fabergé, 54
Fahrenheit (perfume), 42
fashion:
Coco as arbiter of, 45–46, 86, 116, 126, 137, 182
Coco’s millinery beginning in, 23–25, 127, 185
during Great Depression, 120
personal style as factor in, 93
of Roaring Twenties, 22, 45–46
see also couturiers
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, 48, 109, 156
floral-aldehydric, Chanel No. 5 as first, 67
floral perfumes, 40
considered less respectable, 18, 20, 44
considered respectable, 20, 34, 44
quality materials needed for, 43
re-imagined by Coco, 43–45
soliflore style, 43–44
floral scents:
balance of aldehydes with, 66, 71
in Chanel No. 5, see Chanel No. 5 formula
as head notes, 78
Floramye (perfume), aldehydes first used in, 67
flowers:
at Aubazine Abbey, 7, 10
symbolism of, 10
Fontaine, Anne, 201
Forbes, 175
Forces of the French Interior, 155
fougére perfumes, 40, 41
Fougére Royale (perfume), 41
fragrance:
compounds, 78
see also perfumes; scent
France:
Depression-era economy of, 120
luxury industry in, 113–16, 120
Nazi occupation of, 139–40, 151–55, 166, 185
frankincense, 79
in oriental perfumes, 40
French Resistance, 140, 155, 157
fruits verts, 21–22, 137
see also garçonnes style
Galeries Lafayette, 92, 123, 148
Garbo, Greta, 125
garçonnes style, 22, 27, 45–46, 137
see also fruits verts
gardenia, as respectable scent, 44
geraniol, 44
Germany, rise of Nazi Party in, 134
Gibbons, Cedric, 126
Givaudan, Léon, 173
Goebbels, Joseph, 166
Goldwyn, Sam, 125, 126
Goude, Jean-Paul, 200
Goursat, Georges “Sem,” 27
grande horizontales, 18, 201
see also demi-monde
Grasse, France:
floral materials from, 43, 54, 65, 141–46, 195
as fragrance capital, 31–32, 142–46
jasmine smuggled out of, 141–46, 206
Great Britain, Chanel production facilities in, 166
Great Depression, 118, 119, 154
Hollywood influence during, 125–26
luxury marketing during, 119–21, 124
Grey Flannel (perfume), 41
Groom, Nigel, 31
Guerlain, perfume house of, 141
Guerlain, Aimé, 40
Guerl
ain, Jacques, 40, 42, 114, 115, 174
Haedrich, Marcel, 175
head notes, 78
heart notes, 78
Heilbronn, Max, 135, 140, 155
heliotropine, 40
Helleu, Jacques, 102, 106
Chanel marketing vision of, 197–99
Helleu, Jean, 102, 105–6, 197
Hemingway, Ernest, 120, 156
Henry II, King of France, 31
Hermès, perfume house of, 200
Hollywood:
Chanel as designer for, 125, 126–27, 128–29, 132, 190, 199
first talkies from, 119
luxury goods pushed by, 125–26
honeysuckle, 79
Houbigant, perfume house of, 41, 55, 114
multiflores introduced by, 44–45
Imperial Porcelain Factory, 54
indole, 79
International Fragrance Association (IFRA), 205–7, 211
ionones, 44
Iribe, Maybelle, 127
Iribe, Paul:
anti-Semitism of, 134
Coco’s affair with, 127–28
as Coco’s representative at Les Parfums Chanel meetings, 134–35
death of, 136, 137
political views and activities of, 127, 128, 134
Iris Gris (perfume), 174
iris root, in Chanel No. 5, 71
Jacobson’s Organ (Watson), 78
jasmine:
absolutes of, 145, 146
Chanel agreement with Mul’s for, 210–11
in Chanel No. 5, 60, 61, 65–66, 71, 76, 79, 205–6, 208, 210–11
cross-breeding of, 211
as erotic scent, 18, 20, 44, 76
from Grasse, 43, 141–46, 166, 195, 205, 206, 210–11
IFRA regulations regarding, 205–7, 211
production decline of, 195, 210–11
as scent at Russian court, 52
Jasmophore, 71
Jay Thorpe, 118
Jellinek, Paul, 79
Jeunet, Jean-Pierre, 201
Jicky (perfume), 40
Joy (perfume), 43
cost of, 124
scent consistency over time of, 209
scent salon for, 124
Joyce, James, 120
ketones, 78, 209
Kidman, Nicole, 201
Kitmar, textile house of, 51–52
Klein, Calvin, 40
Knights Templar, 8
Knowing (perfume), 43
"Ko Ko Ri Ko” (song), 88–89
labdanum, 19, 79
La Dame aux Camélias (Dumas), 10
La Garçonne (Margueritte), 21
L’Aimant (perfume), as reinterpretation of Chanel No. 5, 69, 118, 173
L’Air du Temps (perfume), 43
La Jolie Parfumeuse, 14–15, 18
Lalique, René:
1925 Paris Expo fountain designed by, 114
perfume bottles designed by, 103
L’Ami du Peuple, 158
Lancôme, 42
Lanoma, 148
La Piscine, 199
La Rose Jacqueminot (perfume), 44, 81, 103
La Rotonde, 14
La Star, 199
La Traviata (Verdi), 10
Lauder, Estée, 43, 141, 150
lavender, accords containing, 41
leather perfumes, 40, 41–42
Le Bouquet de Catherine (perfume), see Rallet No. 1
Le Bouquet de Napoléon (perfume), 55
Le Dix (perfume), 117
Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (Amélie), 201
Le Figaro, 158
legacy perfumes, xiii, 209
Lelong, Lucien, 122, 137
Le Minaret (perfume), 26
Le No. 9 (perfume), 117
Lenthéric, house of, 114, 122
les années folles, 48, 154
see also Roaring Twenties
lesbianism, as bohemian fashion, 21
Les Grands Magasins, 81, 92
Les Parfums Chanel:
Beaux at, 97, 100, 117, 210
bottle design ordered by, 104, 105
Coco voted off board of, 135–36
Coty’s plans to challenge, 117–18
establishment of, 91–97, 132
expansion of Chanel No. 5 product line by, 121–22, 133–34, 148–49
expansion during World War II of, 147–50
Jewish partners wartime exile from, 140, 141–46, 150, 151–54, 185
legal battles at, 133–34, 136–37, 138, 151–54, 162, 169, 170, 171–72, 176–77, 195
marketing of Chanel No. 5 by, see Chanel No. 5, marketing and advertising of
missing from 1925 Paris Exposition, 113–16
multiple Chanel perfumes of, 108–9, 112
partnership tensions at, 122, 129, 132–36, 141, 166–67, 168, 169–70, 176–77
renegotiation of Coco’s contract with, 176–77, 183–85, 195
and Wertheimers’ return to France, 167
Wertheimers’ sale to Amiot of shares in, 151–54, 185
Lewy, Claude, 176
L’Exposition Internationale des
Arts Décoratifs et Industriels
Modernes (1925), 113–16, 120, 126
economic impact on designers of, 120
marketing trends launched at, 123–24
perfume pavilion at, 114–15, 123–24
Lights of New York, The, 119
lilac, as respectable scent, 44
lilies, as respectable scent, 44
L’Illustration, 117
Lindbergh, Charles, xv, 119
L’invitation au rêve, 199
Little Red Riding Hood campaign, 200–201
Liù (perfume), 174
Lombardi, Vera, 160
London Daily Mail, xiii-xiv
Louis XV, King of France, 19
Lurhmann, Baz, 201
Mademoiselle Chanel fragrance line, creation of, 165, 167–77, 202
Mademoiselle Chanel No. 1 (perfume), 165, 168
perfumer behind, 172–74
Rallet No. 1 as basis for, 172–74
reformulated as Chanel No. 19, 202
as “super” Chanel No. 5, 169, 170, 172, 173
Mademoiselle Chanel No. 2 (perfume), 165, 168
Mademoiselle Chanel No. 31 (perfume), 165, 168, 169
Madoux, Georges, 152
Malhame, Bichara, 42
Mao Tse-Tung, 186
Marcus, Stanley, 171
Margueritte, Victor, 21
Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess, 49, 51–52
Marilyn, 200
marketing
of Chanel No. 5, see Chanel No. 5, marketing and advertising of
changes in perfume industry, 123–25
of Coty’s perfumes, 81
driven by department stores, 123
of luxury during Great Depression, 119–21, 124
mid-century shifts in, 188–91
marketing (cont.)
of perfumes during World War II, 147–50
of Poiret’s signature scents, 26–27
Matisse, Henri, 13
memory, scent linked to, 52, 90–91, 102, 210
Meyer, Raoul, 135, 140
Miss Dior (perfume), 43
Mitsouko (perfume), 182
Modern Dancing (Castle and Castle), 27
Molyneux, Edward, 83–85, 86, 114
Monoprix, 148
Mon Parfum (perfume), 93
Monroe, Marilyn, xiv, xvi, 186, 190, 198, 200
Monument, 199
Morand, Paul, 57
Moulin Rouge, 201
Moulins sur Allier, France, 13–17
Mudyug Island, 56
multiflores, 55, 70–71
Chanel No. 5 as standout, 65–66
introduction of, 44–45
Mumm, Theodore, 159–60
Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), xvi-xvii, 187
musk ketone, 209
musks:
as bottom notes, 78
as erotic scent, 18,
20, 79–80
in oriental perfumes, 40
origin of, 80
synthetic, 208–9
used in Chanel No. 5, 71, 76
myrrh, 79
Napoléon, Emperor of France, 2, 10, 44
Neiman Marcus, 171
New York, N.Y.:
perfume market in, 111–12
during Roaring Twenties, xiv
New York Times, xvii, 112, 132, 171
Chanel’s obituary in, 196
Nicholas II, Czar of Russia, 49, 50, 51
Nips, 187
Nuit Persane (perfume), 26, 123
number five, as Coco’s talisman, 9–10, 11, 60–61, 82, 84
numbers, as symbolic, 8–10, 60–61
Numéro Cinq (perfume), 84–85
oakmoss, in fougére accord, 41
Obsession (perfume), 40
Offenbach, Jacques, 15
Old Spice Cologne, 40
Opium (perfume), 40
orange blossom, 79
oriental perfumes, 40–41
Our Dancing Daughters, 126
Pantin, France, Chanel production facilities in, 166
Parfum Delettrez, 114
Parfums d’Orsay, 42, 114
Parfums de Rosine, 26, 30, 114
Paris, France:
as bohemian, 13
Chanel No. 5 as symbol of, 216–17
collaborators sought and charged in, 157–62
as fashion capital, 113
liberation of, 155–61
perfume sales to soldiers in, 24, 29, 139–40
perfume as souvenir of, 29, 34, 111, 139–40, 149, 216–17
during Roaring Twenties, xiv
during World War II, 137–40, 151–57
Parma violet, as respectable scent, 44
Parquet, Paul, 41
patchouli:
as erotic scent, 18, 76
in oriental perfumes, 40
Patou, Jean, 43
scent salon created by, 124–25
Paul Alexandrovich of Russia, Grand Duke, 49, 51
perfume industry:
at 1925 Paris exhibition, 114–15
during Great Depression, 120, 121
duty free business model of, 167
innovations and changes in, 39, 40, 41, 44–45, 54–55, 93, 115, 144–45, 208–9
Late–20th century glamour of, 201–3
Marie de Medici and roots of, 31–32
marketing changes in, 123–25
secrecy within, 97
perfume(s):
accords as building blocks of, 39
aldehydes in, see aldehydes
American market for, 29, 30, 100, 111–12, 120, 124, 197
in ancient world, 19
categories of, 39–45
on couture scene, 25–27, 59
as feat of engineering and inspiration, 47
”golden age” of, xvi, 33, 45, 144, 214