Today on Coco Chanel’s birthday, Chanel is launching No 19 Poudré, a new variation on the classical Chanel No 19. The composition was orchestrated by Chanel in-house perfumers Jacques Polges and Christopher Sheldrake. It includes notes of mandarin, neroli, iris, jasmine, galbanum, vetiver, white musk and tonka bean. According to the press release, “the new interpretation of the scent is creative and daring, boldly combining crisp green notes with powdery iris. The scent ends sublimely, trailing off to a delicate finish, and in keeping with the original composition, N°19 Poudré still has that same light, velvety, floating feeling.” Available exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue and Chanel.com starting today.
Other new launches seen in stores include Tom Ford Private Collection Jasmine Rouge and Santal Blush, which have premiered at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Tom Ford boutiques. Jasmine Rouge was created by Rodrigo Flores-Roux and is a crisp fruity floral composition with notes of bergamot, mandarin, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, white pepper, broom flower, jasmine sambac, neroli, ylang ylang, clary sage, Mexican vanilla, leather, woody notes, amber, labdanum.
Santal Blush was created by Yann Vasnier and is a classical woody fragrance. It includes notes of ylang ylang, cumin, cinnamon bark, carrot seed, jasmine, rose, cedarwood, Australian sandalwood, oud, musk, benzoin.
10 Comments
Lily: As ridiculous as this sounds, I’m almost too nervous to try the 19 flanker! It happens every time one of the houses tinkers with a classic… Let’s just hope those clever, lovely Chanel-ians do as good a job as they did with Eau Premiere. August 19, 2011 at 10:16am
violetnoir: No. 19 Poudre is lovely! I don’t know if I will spring for a bottle, but I certainly enjoyed my sample.
The Tom Fords sound interesting, especially the Jasmine Rouge. Have you tested them yet, V?
Hugs! August 19, 2011 at 11:58am
dleep: I may purchase the No 19 unsniffed. It sounds so lovely. August 19, 2011 at 12:17pm
Emma: I left a while ago on Perfumeshrine’s blog a post about what I thought this No.19 Poudre would wind up being like. After reading the press release and knowing that Christopher Sheldrake who works for both Chanel and Serge Lutens, it was clear that this No. 19 Poudre flanker would be a variation on Serge Lutens Bas de Soie, another iris-based fragrance Sheldrake worked on. I just read Octavian Coifan’s review on #19 Poudre and him too believes this fragrance is nothing but a watered-down version of the original Lutens Bas de Soie! August 20, 2011 at 12:31am
Suzanna: An SA at Saks gave me her special sample of No. 19 Poudre so I could try at home. There is not an analogy between Eau Premiere and No. 19 Poudre in my opinion. It was what is idiomatically referred to as “weak sauce.” I was afraid there would be too much iris (this note doesn’t work well onme), but I found the whole composition hazy, with that distinctly synthetic musk that is making everyone’s dance card these days.
Which is not to say it was horrible. I liked it, but not enough to buy. I missed the sharpness of No. 19 and found the misty treatment a bit too ethereal and at stages not relatable to as a No. 19 flanker (unlike EP, which is clearly a sibling to No. 5). If a gauzy, slightly green-tinged iris/musk is what you’re after, by all means give it a try! August 20, 2011 at 5:16pm
sunsetsong: I have sampled No 19 Poudre a couple of times here in the UK. If someone bought me a bottle I would not be upset, but won’t spend my own cash. It’s paler than I had hoped and the musk drydown kicks in too quickly. Think I’d rather score a bottle of No 19 body lotion, as No 19 itself is too much. August 20, 2011 at 5:33pm
Carrie Meredith: Oh, lord. Gutted that Santal Blush has cumin, that’s my dealbreaker. However, the notes in Jasmine Rouge have me somewhat interested now. August 20, 2011 at 2:51pm
YellowLantern: I tested the Jasmine Rouge today at Neiman Marcus and I must say my initial impression is that it is really nice. A medium weight jasmine with slightly fruity undertones that smells great in the heat. I’d eventually like to get an actual sample so I can test it more extensively. August 21, 2011 at 3:16am
k-amber: I had a chance to sniff new No.19, which gave me a disappointment a bit. It is pleasant but seems to be headed for the wrong direction as a my favorite iris fragrance, loosing a good accent. Without the name of No. 19, I would accept it happily.
Kaori August 21, 2011 at 9:52pm
Lynn Morgan: Do you sometimes get the feeling that some perfume and fragrance houses simply produce too much product? They flood the market with disposable scents that are gone before they can attract a following (I am still wondering what the hell happened to Ralph Lauren’s “Notorious” which was out of stores before I finsihed my first bottle. And I wear a lot of perfume!) It’s gotten to be a lot like the movie business: if it’s not a blockbuster the opening weekend, it’s gone; there’s no time to build any word of mouth. If you are cranking out new perfumes every 90 days, you don’t have a lot of time to develop them thoughtfully; it’s like an assembly line. August 23, 2011 at 6:41pm