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Selfridges’ New Fragrance Boutique By Chanel

Boutique By Chanel
Written by Aksel Ritenis
Boutique By ChanelChanel No. 5 is an age-old tradition: a timeless secret passed down from stylist woman to stylish woman through the generations. It’s one of those perfumes that your mother would have worn, and her mother, and your daughter will also one day enjoy in her prime. It was created 1921, and according to the fashion house, a bottle is sold every 55 seconds. Arguably the number one best selling perfume of all time, No. 5 is style and sensuality bottled.

From the 26th to the 28th of November this year Chanel hosted a Baudrachage event at their new fragrance boutique in luxury London department store Selfridges. The event allowed customers to meet the artisans behind and experience the art of Baudrachage. To you and me, Baudrachage is the art form of tightly sealing a perfume bottle and branding it with the iconic double “C” seal. The highly skilled craft is realized by the artisan of Metier d’Art and is a technique exclusive to Chanel No. 5. Using two rows of black pearl cotton and wax the bottle is sealed which helps to preserve the scent longer and guarantees buyers the quality of the brand. To master this technique, a skilled artisan must train for seven months—only the best comes from the fragrance havens of Coco’s ateliers. Rumour also has it that there are only eight women skilled enough in the craft to merit the right to apply the double C’s. Between them, they produce about 100 bottles per hour, which amounts to a staggering average of 2,400 bottles a day—hand sealed. Couture house is as couture house does, after all.

Chanel fragranceIf Chanel No. 5 is the ultimate in luxury women’s fragrances, then Selfridges, which celebrated its centenary in 2009, is surely one of London’s most iconic luxury shopping experiences. Hence, Chanel’s new fragrance boutique nestled on Selfridges’ sprawling ground floor is the perfect way to dive into No. 5. Here, as well as experiencing its heritage, the luscious fragrance space will also allow customers to discover the brands on-going dynamism. Les Exclusifs de Chanel by Jacques Polge, Master perfumer, will also be on display, including Beige, the latest addition to the collection of twelve fragrances. These twelve identical bottles contain rare fragrances and are a way of re-inventing time and celebrating the spirit of Chanel. Beige is part of the floral family and this fragrance pays tribute to one of the Mademoiselle’s favourite colours—she loved how the neutral tone evoked the natural elegance and grace so characteristic of the Chanel brand.

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Aksel Ritenis

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