From the Chance line to Bleu de Chanel, all of the maison’s perfumes and scented body products can be found at the pop-up (All photos: Chanel)
Scents have a funny way of bringing us back to certain places and occasions from the past, inducing a sense of nostalgia and yearning for bygone times and people we hold dear. The Proust effect, coined by French novelist Marcel Proust, explains how smell, more than any of the other human senses, has the ability to prompt involuntary and often emotional recollection upon exposure to external stimuli. It is why a whiff of our mother’s soap kindles up memories of early childhood, coconutty sunscreen is reminiscent of summer vacations and particular perfumes have a specific face and name attached
to them.
When mourning her lover and muse Arthur “Boy” Capel who died in 1919, style doyenne Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel is said to have reread books she discovered through him and sketched her days away in grief. One imagines that for her, these things allowed her to stir up his presence, or at least the memories of him, and find comfort. It was here that many believe she became most fascinated with immortalising and honouring loved ones and precious moments in her work.
At the time, fashion designing and crafting perfumes were separate occupations. Furthermore, it was not only uncommon for clothing labels to produce their own fragrances but the market then consisted largely of realistic but one-dimensional floral scents (known as soliflores) that had just a single note and, to Chanel, a product worthy of splashing her name on had to be nothing short of exceptional.
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As fate would have it, she was introduced to Ernest Beaux, a Russian-born French nose, by her companion Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich. Talented and daring, he was just the person the couturier needed to make her venture into the vast and exciting world of olfactory products. In her request, she famously had one primary note: to make the wearer “smell like a woman, and not a rose”.
This culminated in the birth of none other than Chanel N°5, an intoxicating blend of aldehydes, neroli, jasmine, iris and sandalwood. The square glass bottle with an octagonal stopper, so iconic that artist Andy Warhol commemorated it in a series of pop-art silk-screen prints in 1980, was aptly christened with the lucky number as mademoiselle had chosen the fifth sample vial presented by Beaux. The name is also an ode to Chanel’s childhood spent at a convent in Aubazine and the five paths that led her to the cathedral for daily prayers.
Today, designer fragrances (ones made by famous labels) take up most of the high-end perfume market and maison Chanel has always been among the most popular. Now, with the new Parfumeur Masterclass touching down at The Met Corporate Towers, KL, those who have long adored and worn the house’s offerings can be properly acquainted with the brand’s emotional connection to scent and the fine craftsmanship that goes into every release.
The eminent N°5 is, of course, the first to be discovered. An immersive exhibition, complete with an Instagram-worthy wall of glowing backlit bottles, activates the visual, auditory and olfactory senses, creating a rounded experience to reimagine the renowned formulation and appreciate its role in modern perfumery.
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The adjoining space, mimicking a moody gallery, introduces visitors to the Les Exclusifs de Chanel line, a more niche collection that tells the story of Gabrielle Chanel. Here, guests sniff their way through each display, uncovering the likes of Coromandel, an ambery frankincense enchantment referencing the Chinese folding screens in her apartment; the sensual white musks in 1957, named after the year in which she was first awarded for her work in the US; La Pausa’s radiant iris pallida profile spiced with pink pepper to memorialise her villa in Roquebrune; and Gardenia, fashioned in the image of the label’s signature camellia flower.
Think you know everything about perfume? The actual masterclass invites you to reconsider. Guided by in-house experts, the workshop presents guests with blotters of exceptional raw materials cultivated exclusively for Chanel, like sweet May rose, earthy iris root and indolic jasmine, all grown in the historic town of Grasse in Provence. Then, one is invited to blind nose several of the label’s most famous scents, learning how to recognise different fragrance families and leaving behind any preconceived notions.
Just like the clothes we choose to don every morning, how we smell is an extension of our personal style and a representation of our personality. Using visuals and sounds, the pop-up’s Le Quart d’Heure Alchimique consultation sessions help reveal which of the maison’s creations is most aligned with our unique tastes, be it a vibrant floral or deep amber. Should you prefer to leave it to fate and echo Coco’s own faith in divinity, the Le Tarot des Révélations experience uses the ancient art of tarot to determine just the one for you. Talk about a match made in heaven.
Signature spritz
Les Exclusifs de Chanel picks for the divine masculine and feminine
For Him:
Bold, ambitious and passionate are just some of the fiery descriptions typically associated with the star sign Leo, under which Coco Chanel was born. The essence of this daring and fun-loving astrological creature is conveyed in Le Lion, an ambery and assertive number that makes its presence known. While labelled unisex, its fresh citrus opening followed by a leathery labdanum heart are joined by a warm and almost carnal mix of patchouli, vanilla and sandalwood, giving the golden liquid an indomitable and powerful character that is best suited for the masculine go-getter looking to leave a strong impression.
For Her:
We often look to the stars for inspiration and sometimes pray to them for cosmic guidance. Mademoiselle Chanel herself was no different and it was these shining celestial bodies that sparked her venture in the realm of high jewellery, ultimately birthing the iconic Bijoux de Diamants collection. Sharing the same name as a glorious necklace resembling a shooting star, Comète is an airy, floral scent that evokes images of stardust, representing the founder’s desire to pluck stars from the sky and use them to make women feel beautiful. Surprisingly long-lasting for a fresher fragrance, it opens with cherry blossom and aldehydes before transforming into powdery iris and heliotrope on a cosy bed of musk.
The Chanel Parfumeur Masterclass is running until Feb 11 at Colony @ The Met, The Met Corporate Towers, Level 9, 20, Jalan Dutamas 2, KL. Book your slot here.
This article first appeared on Feb 3, 2025 in The Edge Malaysia.
