Infini

L'Infini

Caron 1912

Well, freshly sprayed, Infini first startled me because the piercing note, which reminded me a bit of acetone, didn't necessarily have to be there. Maybe I was just too hasty. But that only lasted a moment, and then I had a déjà-vu. Somehow, the scent seemed familiar to me. Its soapy floral quality, its radiance, its fullness. And yet I remembered the whole thing as being more austere, more minimalist. But there was something...

And then it dawned on me. Infini is built on the foundation of Chanel No. 5. Only where No. 5 stops, Infini continues. Spicier, warmer, more powdery. And I'm not sure whether I should judge this positively or negatively. Has it been applied too thickly here, or is it even more perfect? After all, Infini was created almost 10 years before the most famous perfume in the world. Who copied from whom? Or was it simply the perfumer's art of the first decades of the last century?

Infini is certainly an elegant and feminine scent, but perhaps less would have been more. Coco Chanel was not without reason a master of omission. The fashion that was current in 1912 was exactly what Coco Chanel then so revolutionarily abolished.

When wearing Infini, it should only be paired with very simple clothing. Opulent jewelry or colorful scarves would simply be too much of a good thing.