Chanel No. 55 by Chanel c1921

Chanel No. 55 by Chanel: launched in 1921.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? it is a floral chypre fragrance for women. It was created especially to be worn with tweeds and sports clothing. I had a very small sample of this fragrance many years ago and wrote down what notes I thought I could detect. It was similar to Lentheric's original Tweed fragrance.

When applied in the skin, I found that it had a muted citrus top, which I supposed had degraded over the years but was probably a lot brighter when new, similar to a classic cologne. The geranium, rose and lavender blend was very pronounced in my case. A bittersweet note from mixed herbs and a trace of pungency from carnation, was layered over forest-like mosses, dry grasses such as vetiver and precious woods. The deeply, warm animalic notes from civet, ambergris and leather made it ideal for men's use as well. But, a touch of sweetness from jasmine, orange blossom, and balsamic notes of benzoin and vanilla helped temper it from becoming too masculine.

• Top notes: aldehyde, bergamot, neroli, geranium, lemon, herbs
• Middle notes: honey, rose, jasmine, carnation, orris, lavender, orange blossom
• Base notes: cedar, sandalwood, ambergris, musk, oakmoss, labdanum, tonka bean, civet, styrax, leather, vetiver, vanilla, benzoin, patchouli

Bottles:

Chanel No. 55 was housed in the standard Chanel crystal flacon used for other fragrances. The 1929 ad below states that Chanel No.55 was available in five sizes and the other ad below mentioned that Chane. No. 55 may also be had in lipstick, face powder, rouge, toilet water or cream, but I have never seen them in this scent.

"All Paris has a passion for the lucky numbers, whether it's 21 on the Roulette wheel, or No. 5 Rue de la Paix, a smart cafe, or No. 55, the latest couturiere [sic] perfume. It's always the popular winning number that draws the smartest following. So, when the first woman smart played Chanel No. 55 with her swagger tweed costume, lunching at the Ritz in Paris, she received these amazing complimentary returns:

"What a deliciously provocative perfume , for it endows you with sorcery of a wood-nymph and is just the right weight for tweeds. It must have been specially blended for you ! How very clever of you my dear!" 

And all four other women waited breathlessly for her reply: "Charming of you to think so, but it's Chanel's own perfume, which she suggests with her sports costumes." 

So, from five to fifty, soon five-hundred to five-thousand smart women were playing Chanel's No. 55 for the best complimentary returns. And Block's Perfume Shop is the Only Department Store in Indianapolis where you can buy Chanel's No. 555. It's a lucky number and a safe bet for your Spring tweeds. $3.75, $5, $9, $13.00, $18 and $33 a Bottle."

 

 

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued, date unknown. The chances of finding this long-lost perfume are very slim, when one bottle can be tracked down, unfortunately, we can expect it to be priced quite high.