Chanel N°19 Poudre Eau de Parfum Launches

Chanel N°19 Poudre Eau de Parfum Launches

availability: Saks, $85.00/1.7 fl. oz., $115.00/3.4 fl. oz.

One day, having ordered labels with the name “Coco” on them, she realized that it didn’t work for that fragrance. And so she called it “N°19”. Why N°19? Not long before her death, Coco explained why to her friend and confi dante, Carmen Tessier.

“It is the day of my birthday, August 19. I was born under the sign of Leo – the lion. And I am just like the lion: I will bring out my claws to protect myself against being hurt. But believe me, it is harder for me to lash out at someone than to have someone lash out at me.”

“So what do you think of this fragrance?” she asked, while spraying us with more. “Believe it or not but a man once stopped me in the street because of it. As I was leaving the Ritz, I felt someone touch my shoulder. I turned around and saw a stranger. Before I could sharply brush off this intruder, he said, with an American accent: ‘Excuse me, I’m with two ladies who would like to know what perfume you are wearing.’

“I told him: ‘Why don’t you all follow me.’ And I took them to the CHANEL boutique, where – once we arrived – they realised who I was (…).”

Created in 1970 by Henri Robert, at the height of the women’s revolution, N°19 is a bold fragrance, a daring combination of crisp green notes and powdery iris. The last fragrant masterpiece from the rebellious Gabrielle Chanel, it is still aimed at women who have a taste for all things avant-garde and exceptional. With iris as the recurring theme, N°19 now has four ways to express itself. A relationship that is as subtle as it is remarkable.

“I wanted to underline the importance of iris at CHANEL, while giving a new facet to N°19,” revealed Jacques Polge. “The desire to rework the original accord with other, more contemporary, powdery notes, came naturally to me.” And so it is that the latest generation of the most sophisticated, beautifully soft and light musks has joined the world of N°19. Although clearly less green, N°19 POUDRÉ diffuses an incisive freshness on fi rst contact with a zesty sensation of Grasse neroli and mandarin. Then Iris pallida appears, clinging to the dry swirls of Haitian vetiver root, bringing hints of powder cases and lipstick wax, archetypes of noble femininity. Iris fully expresses itself, enveloped in comforting and velvety white musk. A light almond impression from tonka bean gives the musk an even cosier feel. And then there’s that irresistible sensation of a cloud of scent on the skin…

• Top Notes: Grasse Neroli, Mandarin Orange
• Middle Notes: Jasmine Absolute, Iris Pallida
• Base Notes: White Musk Notes, Haitian Vetiver, Tonka Bean

19 questions about N°19… 

The Name

• 1. N°5, N°22… N°19 What about the other numbers? Is there a logical series of numbers? This fragrance doesn’t seem to follow any order.
• 2. N°19 : Can you explain this fascination with numbers? Does it express the soul of a gambler who decides her future, fortune and happiness on a card pulled from the deck?
• 3. Some women even say “my” N°19. Is this a magic formula?
• 4. In numerology, 19 is composed of the first digit, 1, and the last digit, 9, of the series of numbers. The combination of 1, the first, and 9, the last, is a form of perfection and peace. Therefore, the fragrance lives up to its destiny: a fragrance of perfection.
• 5. In numerology, once again, 19 is 1+9 = 10, which is reduced to 1+0. Therefore, 19 is reduced to 1. 1 is associated with the Sun. This is the ultimate creative and innovative number. 19 is also the sun card in the Tarot. A happy coincidence: the astrological sign of Mademoiselle Chanel is Leo… and the sun is the dominant star of the Leo sign.

The Fragrance

• 6. The bottle is understated and extremely simple. Square and abstract, it is identical to its prestigious predecessor: the exact opposite of what is expected for a women’s fragrance.
• 7. Time passes ruthlessly. Yet, N°19 surpasses time. The passing years have not made it banal or conventional. What about N°19 Poudré?
• 8. Legendary codes: black and white. A silver trim to emphasise just how precious this fragrance is. A fragrance shimmering with green.
• 9. How did Jacques Polge master N°19 to the point of restoring a new signature while keeping the fragrance intact and adding a new powdery facet? How did he manage to dabble with the sublime?
• 10. The development of N°19 Poudré required considerable technological means: the latest generation of the most sophisticated, beautifully soft and light musks was selected. N°19 is not hampered by modernity. It takes its time.
• 11. N°19 Poudré does not fit into the register of fragrances. It cannot be compared to them and stands apart, at the center or far beyond… It leads the dance and rewrites the rules!
• 12. N°19 Poudré is both creative and daring,boldly combining crisp green notes with powdery iris… A last fragrant.
• 13. If a bottle of N°19 Poudré could release all the flowers that it contains, several tons of blossoms would burst from it. N°19 Poudré is an olfactory jewel constructed around one of the most precious materials: Iris pallida, cushioned in comforting and velvety white musk.
• 14. The iris fields are a captivating vision: In its botanical state, N°19 is present in all its glory. Nature prepares it at its own rhythm, always the same. Nature warms and waters it, protects and nourishes it, grows and coddles it. The secret of the iris lies in its rhizome. Was the iris created so that CHANEL could make N°19?

Who Wears It

• 15. A woman pulling a man closer by his tie to kiss him. She wears N°19 Poudré and draws attention to herself wherever she goes.
• 16. The woman who wears N°19 Poudré does not play a role. There is something daring about her, an insolent spontaneity that makes her irresistible. How does this come so naturally to her?
• 17. A woman who wears N°19 Poudré does exactly what she likes, no matter what! Does the secret lie in N°19?
• 18. N°19 Poudré is not a fragrance that you love and then leave! Women who wear it are loyal fans. N°19 expresses their personality and vitality – and perhaps even boosts their energy.
• 19. How long can a woman wearing N°19 Poudré walk down the street without being approached by someone?