Bleu de Chanel
The wait is over. Chanel’s new fragrance for men, Bleu de Chanel – the first since Allure back in 1999 – will be launched this summer.
The anticipation built with the receipt of an enigmatic invitation and the following text message, advising us to expect the unexpected. We weren’t allowed to be told where the event was to be held (despite many attempts to find out) … just that they would send a chauffeur to collect us…
The black limo arrived and we were taken to Art Sawa in Al Quoz; Rolling Stones played on the stereo. A black carpet replaced the usual red and led us in to a blacked out room before being invited into the “cinema”.
The movie? The new advert for Bleu de Chanel, a woody aromatic by Chanel’s master perfumer Jacques Polge.
The director? None other than Martin Scorsese.
Shot in New York, the 60 second film stars french actor Gaspard Ulliel. The story is centered on Gaspard’s character Hector, who sees a beautiful blonde through a window – Sophie – and asks to make a film of her. Their liaison is shown through brief glimpses and flashbacks and ends with Hector saying “I’m not going to be the person I’m expected to be anymore”.
Insider info: Gaspard has a scar on his cheek as a result of a dog’s scratch from when he attempted to ride it like a horse when he was six years old. He says it increases his emotional acting abilities because it looks like a dimple. Worked for us. And we confess, so did the fragrance, with its notes of pink peppercorn, citrus, peppermint, nutmeg, vetiver, grapefruit, cedar, labdanum, jasmine, incense, patchouli, ginger and sandalwood. Expect the unexpected.
We were intrigued by Hector’s final question in the advert and it got us thinking. Are you the person you’re expected to be? Is anyone?
Posted: June 1st, 2010 under Fragrance & Cosmetics, Movies, News.
Tags: Bleu de Chanel, Chanel, Fragrance for men, Gaspard Ulliel, Jacques Polge, Martin Scorsese
Comments
Comment from admin
Time 02/06/2010 at 2:25 pm
Hello Coco, thank you so much!
First, the bottle. It is sleek and beautiful – too blue to be black and too black to be blue. A stormy sky mirrored in the water. A block of glass, with a magic cap. To ensure that the famous CCs are never angled incorrectly on the bottle… snap! The unmistakable click of the magnetized cap pulls the logo in to the correct position. Nice touch.
Now, the smell. Delivered in 3 “acts”. Pink pepper, a delightful citrus accord and the surprising vetiver, that we’ve never known in the first accord. Then still fruity with grapefruit, but in comes the dry notes of the cedar with labdanum. What stays with you (and it is a stayer!) is the frankincense, a few notes of patchouli with ginger and sandal wood.
We think it will become one of those distinct identities – an icon of the future.
Comment from Coco
Time 02/06/2010 at 1:12 pm
I think we’re a 1000 different people from one day to the next, as the song goes.
You’re the only blog that I can find that’s not just churning out the press release. What was the bottle like and did you like the smell?