N°19, or the reflection of an extraordinary personality. Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel moved to Paris to try her luck and find a better future. Her talent and determination helped her change the course of fashion as well as the lives of women.
N°19, a timeless fragrance from Chanel. How to stand up to the brilliant, iconic N°5 by Chanel without being overshadowed by its splendor? This is precisely the challenge that Gabrielle Chanel and her new perfumer Henri Robert took on by creating a composition far removed from that iconic N°5: N°19. Original and unprecedented, N°19 Eau de Parfum met the challenge brilliantly and, in turn, became part of the legend of the great house of Chanel.
Olfastory’s review
N°19 Eau de Parfum, the last perfume Coco Chanel composed with her dedicated perfumer Henri Robert
It is clear that the international and timeless success of the house of Chanel, whether in haute couture, perfumery or jewelry, owes a great deal to the utterly whimsical and creative personality of its brilliant, late founder Gabrielle Chanel, known of course as Coco. The great lady of fashion had not only an absolute taste for the finest things but also a brilliant intuition for what might become cult products of the brand.
She sensed women's desires and understood them in order to compose better for them. This is how, in the 1970s, she asked Henri Robert, the perfumer who succeeded Ernest Beaux, to create for her a green, fresh perfume that would define itself almost in opposition to N°5, as if to better mark the wind of rebellion blowing at the time. A boldness that many saw as an impossible challenge, but they had not reckoned with the determination and talent of this duo of artists!
For this N°19, Henri Robert went so far as to use one of the most expensive raw materials in fine perfumery, iris, to craft a bold floral breeze that filled Madame Coco with joy. Unfortunately, the great lady only had time to see this great perfume born, as she passed away a few weeks after its release. Nevertheless, N°19 remains, to this day, synonymous with the wild boldness of this great lady who revolutionized fashion.
To be irreplaceable, one must be different...: N°19 marks the final dazzling gesture of this extraordinary feminine personality, bold and sun-kissed. Chanel on N°19
Green notes and precious iris for an N°19 as fresh as it is captivating
Henri Robert composed for this N°19 a bold floral-woody-green fragrance that plays with contrasts, in order to fulfill the wishes of his venerable patron. What stands out most in this N°19 is not so much that it is green, but rather that it is remarkably balanced between sharp, green notes and elegant, delicate aldehydic floral notes. This is, moreover, what distinguishes it from its main rival Vent Vert, composed around the same time.
N°19 opens with ultra dynamic, sharp notes of galbanum and bergamot, powerfully contrasted by the floral sweetness of neroli and hyacinth. Then may rose, iris pallida, lily of the valley and jasmine from Grasse open the doors to a powdery, opulent heart of delicate and elegant flowers. These flowers are counterbalanced by woody depths of sandalwood, vetiver and even leather, lending them warmth and voluptuousness. A lovely white musk envelops the whole in its cottony softness.
A bold fragrance with an assertive character. The sharp green notes of galbanum blend with the powdery notes of iris to achieve perfect balance. The last fragrance launched and worn by Gabrielle Chanel. An uncompromising composition, true to the image of its creator. Chanel on N°19 Eau de Parfum.