Gabrielle is the House of Chanel’s first original perfume in over 15 years, succeeding Coco (1984) and Chance (2002)—Vogue Arabia first broke the news in the July/August summer issue—and doubles as an objet d’art for your dressing room. Launched shortly after Chanel’s Haute Couture show this July at the celeb-filled Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the fragrance comes in a minimalistic, clear bottle beholding a scent of floral notes: ylang ylang, orange blossom, jasmine, neroli, tuberose accentuated with white musk, mandarin peel, blackcurrant, and grapefruit. Clean and discreet, it bears the words “Gabrielle” followed by “Chanel” and “Paris.”
Unlike the round Chanel Chance bottle, Gabrielle, with its square shape and label, bares a striking resemblance to the classic No5, Mademoiselle Chanel’s debut fragrance in 1921. However, Chanel enthusiasts will be quick to note that No5’s signature neck ribbon is noticeably absent from this flacon. Gabrielle, which was created by the brand’s in-house perfumer Olivier Polge, is the French maison’s thinnest perfume bottle to date (it took years to perfect).
Gabrielle Chanel, photographed by Willy Rizzo, 1960.
Speaking to Vogue Arabia’s Caterina Minthe, Sylvie Legastelois, head of packaging and graphic design creation at Chanel explains that the bottle is made with practically no glass. “I wanted the bottle to almost disappear to showcase what is inside. At Chanel, the inside has always been just as important—sometimes more important—as the outside. For example, the detail of lining hemlines with chains to settle the fall of a jacket.”
Polge adds, “Mademoiselle Chanel always said that perfume should be constructed like a dress. Every time we make a perfume for Chanel, it’s not enough to have flower notes— we have to look deep within these signature flower scents to make something new.”
In the clip ahead, watch how the Gabrielle perfume bottle is made, from the interlocking-C embossed cap to the couture-inspired packaging.
