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The Mul farm in Grasse has been growing roses and jasmine for Chanel for generations, and these precious essences are used in No 5 parfum. ELLE takes a look at the fields and interviews Chanel in-house perfumer, Christopher Sheldrake. Did you know that jasmine and strawberries share many similar components?

You can watch the video over at ELLE’s exclusive look at the creation of No 5. Sheldrake narrates the video.

Chanel claims that each 30ml bottle of No 5 parfum contains 1,000 jasmine flowers and 12 roses from Grasse. Since 1 kg of jasmine absolute and rose oil require 6 000 0000 jasmine blossoms and 1 600 000 rose blossoms, respectively, you can work out for yourself how much essence No 5 contains. On the other hand, what makes No 5 special is not just the rare materials, but their balance and harmony. Since the flower fields in Grasse have been steadily disappearing, the Mul farm is especially precious.

Photo by Bois de Jasmin

As I mentioned last week, Guerlain is relaunching La Petite Robe Noire 2 as Mademoiselle Guerlain in its Les Parisiennes collection. The orange blossom based fragrance was originally created in 2011 by Thierry Wasser. It features notes of bergamot, lemon, galbanum, iris, orange blossom, marshmallow, white leather, and white musk.

Mademoiselle Guerlain retains the fragrance of the original La Petite Robe Noire 2, but it will be repackaged in the bee bottles. 200€/125ml. Via Guerlain boutique

Guerlain has launched a new fragrance in its  l’Art & la Matière collection, called Eau de Cashmere. It’s designed to be sprayed on cashmere or wool for a soft, cocooning effect, although it can be worn on skin, like any other perfume. Eau de Cashmere is unisex and is based around powdery notes. It’s also meant to be layered with any other fragrance in the l’Art & la Matière collection, which includes perfumes like Angélique Noire, Cruel Gardénia, Myrrhe et Délires, and Bois d’Arménie.

“Fresh notes of bergamot and mandarin are mixed with soft and powdery notes of iris and lavender . Then comes the elegant sillage of woody notes of cedar , vetiver and musk.”

Available at Guerlain boutiques and counters. 125ml/72 €

On Saturday my husband and I walked around Ypres, a town in West Flanders, which was the center for the intense battles during World War I. In Belgium, the memories of 14-18 are still vivid, and walking along the meadows that once were the war zone but are now pale green and ready to burst into spring blooms was a poignant experience. Later that day I heard the news that the Russian Parliament granted Vladimir Putin broad authority to use military force in Ukraine; it all seemed like a bad dream, or a scene from a film.

Except that we have seen this film before and know that it doesn’t end well. The justification of invading Ukraine to protect its Russian population is absurd. The Ukrainian conflict that started in November 2013 is not between Russians and Ukrainians; it’s a struggle among Ukrainians for an accountable, responsible government.  Turning it into an ethnic conflict is dangerous, callous and irresponsible. Once such rifts are opened, they don’t mend easily. History gives us plenty of warnings from the 20th century, from the Partition of India in 1947 to the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s. For someone who’s half-Ukrainian and half-Russian with family still in Ukraine, the current events are a personal tragedy.

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Classical perfumes smell of another era and are the best way to time travel, but if you’re new to this style of fragrance, it can be challenging. In my fragrance  column, Picking an iconic scent for a perfume wardrobe, I explore classics that would be best suited for beginners. In addition, I mention some interesting modern fragrances that have a classical character.

“I have no luck with classic perfumes,” confessed a friend. “My grandmother wore Jean Patou’s Joy, my mother loved Chanel No 5, but when I wear these fragrances, I feel as if I’m playing dress up.” She wondered why she completely missed the allure of fragrances that are widely considered to be iconic. It is easy to attribute it to personal tastes and associations, but I decided to embark on a classics challenge. Please read the rest by clicking here.

What beginner friendly classical perfumes would you recommend?

Image via FT/HTSPI