Monday, April 18, 2011

Chanel 5, Chanel and Joy, Patou

Two perfumes: Chanel 5 and Joy. Two women: the lover and the wife.

Myths surround perfumes. The recent comments of a friend prompted me to think about it. For long and before learning a bit more about perfumes I knew that Marilyn Monroe was wearing in bed these few drops of Chanel 5. And that Jackie Kennedy wore Joy, said to be the most expensive perfume in the world at that time. How much it's true it doesn't really matter, the myths have their beauty.
Taking that I didn't know too much about perfumes, years ago I was a bit puzzled about the story. For me Chanel 5 was the classic type, conservative, going with white pearls necklace and formal attires. I could see the thousand and millions of old men reaching for Chanel 5 in the airports dutyfree shops to bring them exactly to their wives. Joy, on the other hand, sounded more sophisticated and the fact that it contained the tones of jasmine and roses sounded like the one going for total seduction. Once again, I didn't know too much about perfumes. And on my mind it should have been the other way around, Marilyn wearing Joy and Mrs Kennedy wearing Chanel 5. So I took it as a strange part of the story, which made it even more interesting.
Let's make it clear. Marilyn didn't wear only Chanel 5 and Jackie Kennedy not only Joy. It seems both of them wore both. See here . But with saying so Marilyn Monroe made for Chanel 5 more than any advertisement ever and generations of men will be dreaming that image. And Mrs Kennedy did for Joy enormous, somebody on makeupalley.com said half of the women on Wall Street smell of Joy.
Once I was able to understand a perfume, I tried both of them again. And as I already mentioned, in fact Chanel 5 makes me always blush. That's the smell of a mistress, of an available woman, it's not only about love, it's about carnal love, it says 'I want you and you want me'. It's more then seductiveness. By the way, that's a very expensive woman. It will take you all your money and your heart, too. The genius of Coco Chanel was to chose exactly this perfume, she got it. The women will want to smell like it and the men will get crazy about it. Recently I saw a poll about the most effective perfume for a first date, that's Chanel 5.
Joy, on the other hand, though an explosion of lush flowers, has a background coldness. It has something restrained in it, like a lady who will always wear gloves to shake your hand. If you want more, you will have to marry her and make her a lady. It will also take all your money but she doesn't care about you heart or she is too well educated to show it. Joy has warmth, but the warmth of a beautiful statue in sun.
In a way I am disappointed that the myth stands the reality. Marilyn is to wear Chanel 5 and Mrs Kennedy to wear Joy. Which woman are you, the Chanel 5 or Joy?

Personally I am neither. I just love both of them. They are timeless perfumes, they are as classic as actual. Anybody any age could wear them and they will make you smell like they are suppose to, attractive and expensive.

2 comments:

  1. Me too, I just love the both of them. Great read in here on perfumes.

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