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Chanel 1957 ~ fragrance review

Posted by Angela on 26 August 2019 50 Comments

Yesterday afternoon, I walked a stretch of Paris’s gritty 19th arrondissement with a friend who lives here. “Every neighborhood has its own personality,” he said. “Yet it’s all Paris.” That’s a good way to describe the fragrances in Chanel’s Les Exclusifs line, including the latest, Chanel 1957. Each of the fragrances has its own personality, but each is Chanel. The difference is that 1957’s personality is enough like an aura to complement your own personality, too.

Olivier Polge composed 1957, and its notes include white musk, bergamot, iris, neroli, cedar, powdery accents and honey. In short, 1957 is all about layers of cloud-like musk with a vaguely powdery floral heart and peppery top.

First, let’s talk musk. Some of you probably cringed when you read “white musk.” I understand. 1957’s musk in no way references the Body Shop or Coty. Nor does it smell like laundry detergent. 1957 is a lesson in musk as texture. Its musk builds cumulus fluff barely touched with face-powder iris and tingly neroli, so that you almost feel the fragrance more than smell it.

Delineating the fragrance’s boundary is an assertive helping of pink pepper and bergamot that melts away after an hour, to be replaced by a quieter dose of cedar. Mostly, though, in 1957 I smell a kitten’s belly of layered musk. The fragrance stays close and wears lightly, and by noon I was wanting to spray on more.

1957's elegance and restraint brands it as a Chanel, but it's one of the subtler ones. 1957 is a true skin scent. It’s not a fragrance to wear if you want to make a statement. Instead, it’s the nude lipstick of perfume. It’s something that enhances rather than “styles” you in the name of beauty. 1957 softens your mood and adds a downy halo to whomever you are — charismatic CEO, goth biologist, retro pastry chef or buttoned-up poodle breeder.

This characteristic is exactly what might make 1957 a lousy bet for some people. Given its cost, some perfume lovers will insist on a fragrance with its own voice. They’ll want something with flash. Anyone remember the episode of I Love Lucy where Lucy agrees to buy a couture dress to get into a fashion show? She purchases a plain number meant for daily wear, with the idea that it will be less expensive than the evening dress she truly covets. It turns out they cost the same. The connoisseur appreciates the craft invested in the day suit, even though the evening gown has more splash and sparkle. 1957 might be the day suit. You notice the wearer rather than the garment she wears.

Now let’s return to Paris. I see comparisons to 1957 here, too, in the city’s neutral yet comforting overcast sky and creamy limestone buildings. The city is a background for the theater of life. In the hotel across the street, a couple is having a pillow fight and laughing. In another window, a woman eats something from a tiny bowl in front of a dozen votive candles. A man waters his balcony gardens bursting with geraniums and herbs. Meanwhile, rain splatters over the slate roofs, and the full moon stains pearl light on the clouds.

What links them all is Paris. 1957 is like that.

Chanel 1957 Eau de Parfum is $350 for 200 ml and $200 for 75 ml. See Chanel under Perfume Houses for where to buy Les Exclusifs collection.

Possibly of interest

Chanel Comete ~ new fragrance
Chanel Le Lion de Chanel ~ fragrance review
Le Lion de Chanel ~ new perfume

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: chanel, les exclusifs, musk, olivier polge

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50 Comments

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  1. lucasai says:
    26 August 2019 at 3:10 pm

    What a beautiful and dreamy review.
    I thought I would dislike 1957 because I was afraid of the white musk but finally when I got a decant I had to apologize to myself and admit that I quite like it.
    I like the multiply-layered structure of bedsheet cotton, neroli scented jersey and crispy-powdery iris.

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    • Angela says:
      26 August 2019 at 6:28 pm

      I like it, too, and don’t find it too white-musky at all. It’s all about texture, though, so it might not please some people.

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  2. littlecooling says:
    26 August 2019 at 3:25 pm

    This review is absolutely wonderful ?
    I need to see if I can get a sample somewhere ☀️

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    • Angela says:
      26 August 2019 at 6:28 pm

      It’s worth trying. Spray liberally!

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  3. flopper says:
    26 August 2019 at 3:32 pm

    Totally remember the “I Love Lucy” episode. I love your description “…it’s the nude lipstick of perfume.” The musks did keep me away, but I’m really intrigued and want to try 1957.

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    • Angela says:
      26 August 2019 at 6:29 pm

      I’m not normally a big musk fan, either, but really this one shows how musk is about so much more than Bonne Bell Musk.

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  4. Hilde says:
    26 August 2019 at 3:37 pm

    Lovely review Angela. I’ve sprayed this on several times and haven’t made up my mind about it. It’s a bit old lady to me, but also very chic Chanel. It reminds me of the lustre of pearls. Glad it’s not a limited edition, so I have time to decide…

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    • springpansy says:
      26 August 2019 at 5:56 pm

      Please be careful with the “old lady” comments. Some of us are old ladies and I think we smell wonderful.

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      • Angela says:
        26 August 2019 at 6:30 pm

        I’m ready to try to convince some perfume house to do an Eau d’Old Lady that smells like heaven.

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        • springpansy says:
          26 August 2019 at 11:52 pm

          ?

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        • annemarie says:
          27 August 2019 at 7:30 am

          To be worn to the sounds of Edith Piaf’s ‘Non, je ne regrette rien’.

          What was Piaf’s favourite perfume? Bandit, I seem to recall … ?

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          • Angela says:
            27 August 2019 at 6:06 pm

            That sounds very Piaf to me! I seem to remember a Balmain Piaf fragrance–La Some, I think–but I like Bandit better.

          • Angela says:
            27 August 2019 at 6:07 pm

            La Mome, that is (dang you autocorrect).

      • Hilde says:
        27 August 2019 at 7:20 am

        Sorry, didn’t mean to offend you! I have no other word for powdery+soft floral+dusty (which I like) yet.

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        • Angela says:
          27 August 2019 at 6:08 pm

          “Old Lady” will soon become a term of those who revere perfume, so don’t worry. You’re simply on the vanguard.

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          • Cynthia says:
            8 September 2019 at 11:47 am

            When I hear “old lady perfume” my ears perk; sounds like something up my alley! Lovely review and I was surprised I loved this one, as generally I’m not a musk fan.

          • Angela says:
            8 September 2019 at 12:01 pm

            Musk is tricky! Sometimes it’s a distinct scent, and sometimes it’s more of a “feel.”

    • hajusuuri says:
      26 August 2019 at 6:07 pm

      Did you spray on paper or skin? My first try was in paper and I dismissed it as generic department store miasma. On skin, it is quite different.

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      • Angela says:
        26 August 2019 at 6:31 pm

        I agree–this one is made for skin.

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      • Hilde says:
        27 August 2019 at 7:21 am

        Skin is best!

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    • Angela says:
      26 August 2019 at 6:29 pm

      The “lustre of pearls” is a great description!

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      • Hilde says:
        27 August 2019 at 7:22 am

        I think I read it in an interview or ad copy for 1957. This time the description was spot on for me.

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        • Angela says:
          27 August 2019 at 6:08 pm

          It works!

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  5. Gaynor says:
    26 August 2019 at 3:47 pm

    That’s a lovely review, and makes me want to try 1957 properly. I sniffed it on a card about 6 months ago, and got a lot of white musk, so didn’t spray it on my skin.

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    • hajusuuri says:
      26 August 2019 at 6:07 pm

      Yep, have to try on skin!

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      • Angela says:
        26 August 2019 at 6:33 pm

        Agreed!

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    • Angela says:
      26 August 2019 at 6:31 pm

      Must try it on skin! Not that you’ll love it, but it really is one made for skin.

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  6. austenfan says:
    26 August 2019 at 3:49 pm

    It must be the difference in the perception of musks but I remember trying this and thinking how loud I found it. Odd that because Chanels are mostly the opposite of loud. I will try this again, just to see whether my perception of this scent has altered.
    Ah, Paris. I’ll be heading there in about 10 days time. I’ll be staying outside of Paris itself but I plan to spend a couple of days there and do some serious sniffing.
    I do love me some second skin scents like Mythique, Musc Nomade and Cuir d’Ange.

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    • Angela says:
      26 August 2019 at 6:32 pm

      I really didn’t find this one loud at all! Are you in Paris now? I’m in the south of France at the moment but will be back this weekend. Maybe we’ll run into each other!

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      • austenfan says:
        27 August 2019 at 4:09 am

        No I travel to a village near Fontainebleau next Saturday (the 7th), will spend a week there (with trips to Paris) and will then move on towards Evian. I think we will miss each other, unfortunately.

        Are you having a good time?

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        • Angela says:
          27 August 2019 at 6:09 pm

          I am having a good time, thank you!

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  7. apsara says:
    26 August 2019 at 5:21 pm

    Lovely review.

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    • Angela says:
      26 August 2019 at 6:32 pm

      Thank you!

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  8. cazaubon says:
    26 August 2019 at 5:37 pm

    Lovely review, even though I didn’t like 1957. It does indeed smell of laundry musk on me. More money saved!

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    • Angela says:
      26 August 2019 at 6:33 pm

      Ugh, laundry musk. I’m so glad it didn’t come off like that on me.

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  9. ringthing says:
    27 August 2019 at 8:17 am

    What a lovely watercolor of a review! Alas, it will be ages before I go anywhere that I can smell 1957, it does sound dreamy.

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    • Angela says:
      27 August 2019 at 6:10 pm

      It’s a rare opportunity that I can smell it, so I feel your pain.

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  10. LizzieB says:
    27 August 2019 at 10:10 am

    Thanks for this. I had wanted to smell this when I first heard about it, but it wasn’t yet available. Then I promptly forgot. It’s my birth year (yes, I’m THAT old…) so I’ve wanted to try it.

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    • springpansy says:
      27 August 2019 at 10:51 am

      I’m intrigued as well. Only a year later and it would have been my birth year. Yay for us LizzieB!

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    • Angela says:
      27 August 2019 at 6:11 pm

      I adore 1957 for its fashion and style, so the year attracted me immediately. I’d be interested to know what you think of it!

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  11. sugarvenom says:
    1 September 2019 at 7:39 pm

    Lovely, dreamy, yet honest review. 1957 has become one of my favorite Chanels, along with Sycomore and Paris Riviera. I find most Chanels wear me. I tried so much to wear Cuir de Russie, I can’t but I appreciate it. The three I adore I find to be elegant yet wearable without being uninteresting.

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    • Angela says:
      4 September 2019 at 7:49 am

      I’m glad you found the review on point! I know what you mean about Cuir de Russie–it sounds a particular way on paper, very alluring, but it doesn’t welcome the wearer with open arms. (I do love it, though.) It’s a good fragrance for when you’re feeling kind of “I don’t care what you think.”

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  12. rayleighblue says:
    2 September 2019 at 1:09 am

    Another to add to the must try list! The notes didn’t grab my attention, but I’m curious about the texture you’re describing Angela.

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    • Angela says:
      4 September 2019 at 7:44 am

      For me, 1957 really was more about texture and “feel” than smell.

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  13. ElleBe says:
    9 January 2020 at 2:19 pm

    Late to the party here, but have important sampling news:

    Chanel is offering 1957 as one of the two samples they’ll send with any order.

    So, order yourself one of those gorgeous No. 19 soaps for 26 bucks and get a sample of 1957 with it. I sent a #19 soap to my sister for her birthday tomorrow and included a sample of 1957 – – her birth year!

    (Angela, as always, your review is fantastic – – a dream of charming prose…)

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    • Angela says:
      9 January 2020 at 2:26 pm

      Thank you! And a very important sampling alert!

      More and more I’m feeling like I need some of this one on hand.

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      • ElleBe says:
        14 January 2020 at 7:51 pm

        Thank you for your kindness, Angela, even though the comments were closed ?
        Just got some Chanel Rouge Allure Ink Fusion lip color in “Berry” (a perfect blue-red lippie??) & I’m sampling the 1957 they slipped in with it right now, reading your review again as I sniff. Very interesting, but I doubt anything can lure me away from my preciouses: Deauville & Cristalle. I’ll let it try, however…???‍♀️??‍♀️?‍♀️?

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        • Angela says:
          29 January 2020 at 10:51 pm

          I can understand why!

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  14. Ana says:
    2 February 2021 at 1:53 am

    I took advantage of the free sample of 1957 Chanel was offering with a purchase. I was very surprised to find it is almost a replica of Serge Lutens Fleurs de Citronnier, except honestly, I think Lutens’ is the superior fragrance. It’s also half the price. Try it for yourself and see.

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    • Angela says:
      2 February 2021 at 9:57 am

      Thank you for the recommendation!

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