Chanel No. 22

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No. 22
Fragrance by Ernest Beaux
Released1922 or 1928
LabelChanel

Chanel No. 22 is one of several well-known fragrances from Parisian couturier, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.

History[edit]

Coco Chanel had worked with Ernest Beaux on her original perfume, Chanel No. 5, which debuted in 1921. The following year, they released Chanel No. 22.[1]

In 1924, Pierre Wertheimer became a partner to Coco Chanel in her perfume business. He owned 70 percent; Chanel owned 10 percent, and a friend of Chanel's owned the remaining portion. Chanel agreed to owning such a small amount in exchange for having complete control over the product.[citation needed]

Ralph Barton, the eminent cartoonist for The New Yorker and who was said to have been somewhat of a dandy, reportedly wore the scent. "In lieu of a scarfpin, a scarab seal ring encircles his cravat, and when indoors he is partial to Chinese slippers. . . . Chanel No. 22 is his customary perfume. His favored dressing gown is of a gallant jade hue."[2]

Notes[edit]

Chanel No. 22 is classified as a floral-aldehyde with notes of white flowers, including roses, jasmine, tuberoses. Its top note is aldehyde with middle notes of jasmine, tuberose, ylang-ylang, and rose. Base notes include vetiver, vanilla, and incense.[3] It has been called an old-fashioned floral and is said to have hints of lilac.[4] Scent reviewer Chandler Burr said that "22 can be tough to appreciate immediately."[5]

Modern Scent[edit]

The Wertheimer family still runs the Chanel perfume business.

Jacques Polge, the modern Chanel perfumer, released a collection called Les Exclusifs in February 2007. This included Chanel No. 22. The 200-milliliter spray bottle of the scent was sold exclusively in Chanel boutiques and at Bergdorf Goodman with a price of US$175.[6] A "voile" - a lighter, alcohol-free version – of the scent was introduced in 1996.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Burr, Chandler. "For old-line Chanel, audacious new edge - A 10-fragrance set rocks the boat of the upscale perfumer's exclusive tradition," The Orlando Sentinel, March 23, 2007.
  2. ^ A Critic at Large: A Case of Melancholia: The New Yorker
  3. ^ No. 22 by Chanel (1922)
  4. ^ King, Elisabeth. "Old spice – Style," The Age (Melbourne, Australia), December 4, 2002.
  5. ^ Chandler Burr Archived August 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "The Genie in Every Bottle Is Coco Chanel - New York Times". Archived from the original on 2009-09-26. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
  7. ^ Washington, Roxanne. "Fragrance Finds, The (Cleveland, OH) Plain Dealer, September 19, 1996, p. 3E.