Chanel has launched Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere:
A decidedly lighter, fresher, softer interpretation of N°5. . . a silky-smooth harmony of notes that reveals the delicate facet of the world-renowned fragrance.
The new fragrance was adapted from the original Chanel No. 5 scent by Chanel perfumer Jacques Polge, and includes "all of No. 5's original ingredients - including rose absolute, jasmine, neroli and ylang-ylang".
Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere is $125 for 150 ml. It is available now at Saks and other Chanel retailers. (first quote via chanel, second via Women's Wear Daily)
Update: Chanel No. 5 Eau Première is "a fresher, rounder, more delicate version intended to be used every day", and "tweaks the original's top notes just a bit, adding ylang-ylang from the Comoro Islands and jasmine sourced from Chanel-owned fields in Grasse". (via Women's Wear Daily)
Update: see a review of Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere.
More 2007 releases from Chanel: Les Exclusifs de Chanel, Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche, Allure Homme Sport Cologne Sport.
Crabtree & Eveyln has launched Uncharted, a new fragrance for men:
Our modern, spirited fragrance is for the man who chooses his own course...Crisp notes of ozone and juniper, pale woods and fresh green mosses.
Crabtree & Evelyn Uncharted is available in 100 ml Cologne for $40 on the Crabtree & Evelyn website.
Other recent releases from Crabtree & Eveyln: Jilt, Folly & India Hicks Island Living Spider Lily, West Indian Lime.
Maybe this will be the version of No 5 that will finally make me love it…
What's with Chanel and the mega-bottles? (or was 500 ml a typo?) I'm all for huge bottles, but 500 ml for what is essentially a flanker? Another thing: for some reason I always figured Chanel would add flankers to No. 5 – like it was too holy a thing to mess with. When that gel version came out, I made allowances that it was just a different form, like oil or lotion, not necessarily changing the scent. Now that eau premiere is being launched, I'm sort of sad, even though I could never wear No 5.
oop s- that was meant to be '…*NOT* add flankers to No.5'
So at last…the final untouchable masterpiece gets a flanker. My guess is that Eau Premiere is the original scent with the real perfume oils from Grasse. There's been much gnashing of teeth on the boards about changes to No 5 EdT.
HUGE typo, so sorry — it is 5 oz or 150 ml. Still a larger bottle than I'd like, but 500 ml would be ludicrous!!
I suppose I should be ashamed to admit that I like Shalimar Light better than Shalimar, and will probably like this one better than the original too 🙂
I guessed that was what you meant, and have to agree — some scents seem too iconic to take on flankers. But don't think any of the brands can resist the lure…
I didn't even know that about the EdT. The parfum is so much nicer, although of course it costs more, and I don't think it has changed much. But seriously doubt that this one uses the same kind of quality materials as the parfum — it isn't priced high enough for that.
150 ml. is still a very large bottle. Aren't Les Exclusifs really big, too? I wish more perfumers in general would offer 30ml bottles or even smaller. You'd think they would get it that they would sell more overall, but I guess that would indeed make it all less *exclusif*.
Speaking of flankers: I tried a dept store sample recently of what was either “Allure Homme Sport” or “Allure Homme Sport Cologne Sport.” I liked it a lot, but now I need to check to make sure which it was. This all gets a bit confusing if you asked me. I can imagine arguing with a salesclerk: “No, NOT 'Homme Sport'… 'Homme Sport COLOGNE SPORT'”
As for Uncharted, at first glance it's that “blah blah blah… ozone, pale woods and fresh green mosses”. Just what the world needed in another men's fragrance, right? Fortunately, I'm a sucker for pale woods and fresh green mosses, so it makes me curious.
Les Exclusifs are 200 ml, even worse! Join you in wishing for 30 ml…
Allure Homme Sport Cologne Sport was a really strange choice, wasn't it? You know somebody will end up buying the wrong version eventually.
Will see about this new No. 5. I'm guessing the reason they're offering this in a whopping 150 ml bottle is because it's so light (watered down?) and you probably have to re-apply frequently. Which I actually don't mind doing in the summer, as with the heat and humidity I couldn't wear anything that's not light and fresh, but still, it is big, even considering that. (our temps here this week are hovering slightly above 100, so what I'm wearing during the day has to be either light and refreshing or citrusy).
I'm sort of curious about it because I owned a bottle of No. 5 (EdP) in the late 70's and it was much, much better than today's (at least IMHO).
I'm sure you're right. I couldn't find the “official” concentration on the Chanel site at all, but it is probably an Eau Fraiche sort of thing.
Whatever Chanel…
They make me sick with these uber bottles of Eau de Cologne (because we all know that EdT is stronger than those “exclusifs” they released back in February!).
Do I sound cynical, lol?
Hugs and love!
I just went on a sniffing mission to Saks at lunch to sample this Chanel and Pucci Vivara. Eau Premier will appeal to the same audience that wears Chance (in either variation). It's a much lighter, more powdery version of No. 5 and so far, I'm liking it a lot. I like my fragrances light, crisp and clean and this satisfies on all levels.
As for the Pucci, it is also light, crisp and clean and thankfully not a fruity floral. It hasn't officially launched yet, but I managed to secure a bottle anyway.
Drat, light crisp & clean isn't what I was hoping for from the Pucci. It is green at all, or chypre-ish? And is the bottle as gorgeous in person as it is in pictures?
R, a little cynicism is deserved with anything regarding the fragrance world these days! Hugs to you 🙂
An article in the september issue of Vanity Fair explains that for the Eau Premiere version the perfumers (Polge and Shaldrake) replaced the original “honey-like” Rose de Mai notes from Grasse in favour of a fresher and greener Morrocan type of rose.
I understand there must be a reason to this other than to make the composion “younger”…
I suppose there can be only enough Rose de Mai harvested for the orginal N°5 formula. As farmers in Grasse prefered sell their lands for more lucrative tourism developement than continue labour intensive flower harvests and distillation. Therefore Rose de Mai has become very expensive and rare (I think, not sure tho, that even Jean Patou stopped using it for Joy years ago). The Morrocan rose Chanel is now using for Eau Premiere must be much cheaper.
Interesting, thanks! Is there much more about the scent in that issue — should I look for a copy?
I had the same experience! I tried one of the Homme Sports simply because the salespeople were pushing it. Well I thought it was absolutely gorgeous! I would be tempted to wear it myself even though I'm a woman. But I cannot for the life of me figure out which one of the “Homme” fragrances it was. So frustrating!
If SAs were pushing, would guess it was the new one, but who knows? Did not yet smell it myself but I guess I should.
The article is only one page and the largest part is made out of pictures, ironicly mostly views of the rose de mai fields. If you are interested in fashion there are long articles about Ralph Lauren, Hermes and Isabella Blow.
I have a link to a Dutch blogger, who was very lucky to receive a beautiful box from Chanel featuring a special presentation of Eau Première.
Link: http://www.styletoday.nl/2007/07/18/chanel-eau-premiere-surprise-in-a-box/
Though I criticised the way Chanel made the Eau Première version cheaper, I'm as curious to sample this new scent as everyone…
Thanks so much for the description, and for the link — seriously great packaging!
I was lucky enough to interview Christopher Sheldrake late last year and he swore les Exclusifs fragrances were etd concentrations. I reckon most are but I'm with you on the Cologne – if it smells, feels and lasts like a cologne then it's probably a cologne. As it's called Cologne maybe they count water in the ingredients LOL. It's very lovely in the heat though and the big bottle makes some kind of statement in the bathroom.
Oh, I am sure the Exclusifs are EdTs, but not sure Eau Premiere is an EdT. How nice that you got to interview Sheldrake!
R, He was great. Such a gentleman and though the interview had to stick to Chanel – he met me to talk about Les Excluifs – I just sat there thinking of Serge Lutens and what a master was there in my midst. I told him I liked 31 Rue Cambon the most and he told me he sprays it in the interior of his car. He likes the idea of that certain sillage wafting out the door whenever he gets in or out.
I'm dying to try this new fragrance from Chanel to see what influence he's having – we don't even have press samples here yet. But I just found him so charming and kind and giving of his time. We chatted for at least a couple of hours. He's all you would expect and more.
How lovely! It must have been very hard not to ask about his work with SL. And now I'm tempted to go spray some 31RC in my car…but don't have enough of it to waste, unfortunately 🙂
R, Let me tell you I did ask! How could anyone not, but he politely deflected. SL himself is on my must-interview-before-I-die list but unfortunately he doesn't do many interviews and I don't get to Paris very often and then it's usually only for a day or two because it takes so long to get there from Australia. However on my last trip I did get a peak at Madame's apartment at Rue Cambon and it was fantastic. All her paintings and scupltures were there, her curios such as the little bird in the cage which I think inspired the original Coco ads, those famous sofas with the cross-hatched stitching on the leather, the coromandel screens and the most incredible chandeliers, one made almost entirely of polished quartz and amethyst. I also went into the couture salon where customers have their fittings (you have to go through it to get to her apartment) and just as when Madame Chanel was alive, the room smells of no5.
Needless to say, tomorrow I'm ringing Chanel to find out when Eau Prem is coming down under.
That is too bad! For some reason, I have it in mind that you'd find out more of interest about the SL line from Sheldrake than Lutens.
And how nice that you got to see CC's apt!