I like many different types of fragrances, but classics like Chanel No. 19 – so polished and evergreen – hold a special place in my olfactory taste and always trigger the best memories. I instantly loved Chanel No. 19 when I tried it as a young girl and still very much do.
Over the years, I have often opened the small Eau de Toilette bottle I received around age 12 and dabbed it on my skin to inhale its incredible scent. Over time, I acquired a few more versions of Chanel No. 19 and I’m happy to show you my little vintage collection, a homage to the fragrance’s beauty and a symbol of its sentimental value for me. I always go back to the Eau de Toilette, so my impressions here are mostly based on this version.
The fragrance is noble and sophisticated with an effortless, poetic beauty that evokes calm and quietude. It has the ephemeral and aloof character typical of green chypres, which I naturally associate with classic elegance and allure. Yet, I learned that it cannot be considered a true chypre because it doesn’t include patchouli.
Painted in watercolor with strokes of shimmering green, feathery purple, and opalescent white, Chanel No. 19 brings together a glowing transparency of fine soap bubbles, delicate powders, and soft woods.
The biting green opening stars galbanum and smells like freshly cut grass with drops of dew. If you are familiar with the aroma of galbanum resin, you might have noticed a sort of culinary verdancy that reminds me of a cucumber and tomato salad with hints of garlic. However, galbanum’s vegetal magic comes alive only when expertly blended. Although aldehydes aren’t present, I still seem to get that cool and fizzy vibe that those molecules confer to so many classic fragrances. Maybe the sensation is conveyed by the combination of galbanum and citruses.
The heart features a sheer iris bouquet interspersed with hushed floral notes of rose, lily of the valley, and jasmine. The powdery quality isn’t what you might expect from a fragrance that evokes glamorous facial powders, sultry boudoirs, or cozy baby powder. Instead, Chanel No. 19’s powderiness is light and impalpable and its scent is closer to that of the actual iris flower petals – at once green, earthy, and delicately doughy.
Over time, the fragrance becomes dry and soothing with silky woods, moss, leather, and vetiver, which together create an airy and graceful base.
If you enjoy galbanum, iris, and, ethereal green floral fragrances with a chypre-like vein, you should try Chanel No. 19. The lovely green juice in my Eau de Toilette bottle nicely matches the fragrance’s luminous verdancy.
Chanel No.19 was created in 1971 by Henri Robert, the same perfumer of the sparkling green chypre Cristalle, Eau de Toilette. It is also the last fragrance Madame Chanel signed off on before her death.
Notes:
Top: galbanum, neroli, bergamot, hyacinth
Middle: jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, iris
Base: vetiver, sandalwood, leather, musk
All the versions of Chanel No. 19 featured here are from my collection and were purchased by me or received as gifts from my family. The picture was taken by me.
Do you enjoy Chanel No.19 and what versions have you tried? Let me know your thoughts!
