The key note that we have enhanced is the iris. A lot of women who love the original No 19 are not going to change to this new version. No 19 is still totally valid as a niche fragrance for today.
— Perfumer Christopher Sheldrake talks about the upcoming Chanel perfume, No. 19 Poudre. Read the rest at A nose ahead of the rest at the Sydney Morning Herald.
Mixed reaction here. I like what Sheldrake had to say about “lowest common denominator” scents, but then he describes his new take on no19 as including synthetic musks to give it what modern consumers “expect to smell”. If you give ’em what they expect, aren’t you indeed aiming at that lowest common denominator?
Still, I’ll try this. I love iris; I love powder. I love the original no 19, but will judge this on its own merits.
Yeah, the comment: ‘A new generation of synthetic musks added to the enhanced iris note produces the sort of notes women are expecting’ – seemed like a non-sequitor to me too! But, I did find his analysis of the change in tastes interesting. I love the original Coco, but I prefer the new generation number 5 (premier), and the new generation Christalle (eau de’ verte). On me the older ones are too dry, dense and opaque.
I thought that comment was odd too, but hard to tell what he meant.
Should I start twitching now, or will this actually be good? I’m taking deep breaths. I hope from what I read that No 19 will remain on the list as No 5 remains with the well done Eau Premier…. I am going to give Chanel some slack here and try to hope they will do/did a good job.
Oh, seriously doubt they’d get rid of 19.
I LOVE no. 19, and have got myself all worked up about this new version… I do hope that they have stayed true to the spirit of the original.
🙂
Me, too. No.19 is next on my list from Chanel but I want the original not the new one. However, I like most of what Christopher Sheldrake does so I will definitely try the new one, too.
I also prefer No 5 Eau Premiere to the original, and I do love me some iris. My hope is that the new formulation will be easier to wear all day. The current formulation can be overwhelming after a few hours, and I rarely wear it in the heat. Fingers crossed.
I am looking forward to trying it. I don’t know why I don’t love 19, but I don’t.
It’s odd they are calling this “No. 19 Poudre,” which seems like a deliberate reference to Frederic Malle’s Iris Poudre. Why would they do that? Weird!
I didn’t see it that way…it’s such a common word, after all.
I love No. 19 & I love iris — can’t wait to sniff this! Many thanks to Chanel for maintaining high quality ingredients in the midst of the marketers’ madness. My nose knows the difference…