3
Helpful Review
I'm a bitch and a boss, Imma shine like gloss
This is everything to me.
Bitter, cold, green galbanum in the opening, with that classic Chanel floral and aldehydic elevation, before settling into a buttery, earthy iris and vetiver.
I first tried this a few months ago and I was completely blown away. I'd never smelled anything like this, and to this day I still haven't. It's everything I've been looking for in a perfume!
I love how full of character this is. Rumour has it that this was Coco Chanel's personal perfume and I can definitely see her wearing it. It's cold, uptight, sophisticated - the wearer is the most important person in the room, and they know it. It's not loud, they don't need to broadcast their importance - they simply are. And yet, this is elevated enough to not be so cold or bitchy it's off-putting.
This is easily worn year-round. The florals provide enough lightness to make this suitable in all but the warmest weather, and of course the buttery iris is lovely when the mercury drops.
Interestingly, I picked up a bottle of this stuff that dates back to some time in the 80s (I'm not sure when) - and the current stuff couldn't be more different. The greenness of the older bottle is colder and more complex, the earthiness of the entire composition more rounded. It also has a sweetness and a dryness that aren't present in it today. In its current state, #19 is much more about the iris than the older bottle, but still recognisably #19 and I love it to bits all the same.
This is one of my favourite perfumes of all time and I hope Chanel keeps making it for many years to come.
Bitter, cold, green galbanum in the opening, with that classic Chanel floral and aldehydic elevation, before settling into a buttery, earthy iris and vetiver.
I first tried this a few months ago and I was completely blown away. I'd never smelled anything like this, and to this day I still haven't. It's everything I've been looking for in a perfume!
I love how full of character this is. Rumour has it that this was Coco Chanel's personal perfume and I can definitely see her wearing it. It's cold, uptight, sophisticated - the wearer is the most important person in the room, and they know it. It's not loud, they don't need to broadcast their importance - they simply are. And yet, this is elevated enough to not be so cold or bitchy it's off-putting.
This is easily worn year-round. The florals provide enough lightness to make this suitable in all but the warmest weather, and of course the buttery iris is lovely when the mercury drops.
Interestingly, I picked up a bottle of this stuff that dates back to some time in the 80s (I'm not sure when) - and the current stuff couldn't be more different. The greenness of the older bottle is colder and more complex, the earthiness of the entire composition more rounded. It also has a sweetness and a dryness that aren't present in it today. In its current state, #19 is much more about the iris than the older bottle, but still recognisably #19 and I love it to bits all the same.
This is one of my favourite perfumes of all time and I hope Chanel keeps making it for many years to come.
1 Comment
Oriane 2 years ago
I have never smelt a vintage. I have a sample of the current formulation from Chanel. I was not impressed at all. I found it very generic, almost nondescript, and certainly not worth Chanel prices.