Chanel: You had me at 18

Chanel is addictive.

It’s cliche to say that “once you start, you just can’t stop”.

But it truly is.

My not-so-secret love affair with Chanel started exactly 2 years back. Way before the crazy price hike. Way before women, and for that matter, men, became obsessed with the CCs.

It was quite coincidental.

I found it a pity that my sister wanted to sell her bag to a reseller and decided that I had to buy it off from her. Poor reseller who practically drooled at the bag. But thank God for the lucky save. That bag probably costs thrice its price now and no way I’m parting with it.

And since, I have babied more CC bags than nieces. I have also succumbed to CC jewellery temptation. Not to mention, how infatuated I am with Chanel’s make-up.

My deepest love for Chanel has yet to begin and lies undiscovered, tucked away at Chanel’s l’Espace.

With an open mind, my sister and I made an appointment with Jean, the perfume specialist at Chanel. We were promised an olfactory experience the Chanel way, that is set to change the way we thought about perfumes. Also, unlike the perfume bar at Ngee Ann, at l’Espace MBS, we were guaranteed an intimate experience with Les Exclusifs De Chanel parfum. It is notable that MBS perfume bar is the only fragrance boutique in whole of South-East Asia that retails Les Exclusifs.

The counter is overlaid in black and white. The chairs were made of tweet material. In an instance, I felt like a little girl in a gigantic boutique store going wow.

Before my eyes were rows of ceramic blotters. I was surprised to know that each blotter represented a Chanel perfume. I didn’t know that there were that many Chanel perfumes!

These are the 12 Les Exclusifs De Chanel parfum. Lined neatly in a row with the ceramic blotter.

Advertorial postcard that I received two months back.

Our journey started at 31 Rue Cambon where Coco Chanel looked on the media and press through the reflection of the mirror-panelled wall alongside the infamous spiral staircase. Fresh grassy spring with a thin breeze of Parisian air. The scent journey continued into the bright floral of Spring and the woodiness of the forest. Say hello to Allure and Chance. As we walked through 28 La Pausa, and waved goodbye to the flora aroma, we were led to experience the variants of No. 5.

No.5 is powerful in its own right. It marked the turning point of perfumes. No longer do women need to spot a single scent of their favourite flower, but now, they were given the rights to own a scent that was rich and womenly. It was at this point in the journey that I realise that Eau de Toilette need not necessarily be a thinner and lighter version of the Eau de Parfum. It is all about what the perfumer wants to highlight.

A coffee-break later, we were led to discover some of Coco’s favourite haunts - 18 Place Vendôme and 31 Rue Cambon- and the Gardenia. Three unique scents that will appeal to different types of people. 2 hours later, as our journey came to an end, we were greeted with whiffs of masculine scents that were darker, more mysterious and woody. As a finale, the perfume experience ended with Bois des Iles and Cuir de Russie - whiffs of leather and tobacco. An interesting ending note I have to say.

So the question is which fragrance hit all the right notes with me?

No. 18.

To Coco Chanel, this perfume was a representation of one of her favourite place. 18 Place Vendôm. The street in Paris that sold Fine Jewellery. No. 18  is essentially a fragrance that is to resemble that of a diamond. Multi-faceted, sparkly, and beautiful.

But to me, No. 18 is sweet, surprising and most importantly, it is my favourite number. It is also a scent that I have never owned - all my perfumes are flora, powdery with an underlying vanilla tone. No. 18 is also part of Les Exclusifs De Chanel parfum - only the best and most precious ingredients go into the line. A rarely used perfume ingredient, ardette seeds, went into the bottle that I bought.

As a parting gift, Jean gifted us with this pretty little ceramic charms spritzed with our favourite scent.

Maybe its time for me to explore the Chanel clothes rack.