Launched in 2018, the Les Eaux de Chanel collection opened a whole new realm of olfactory sensations in the world of Chanel fragrances: one of freshness and elegance in any situation. Woven with Sicilian and Calabrian citrus, these eaux de toilette invite you to travel, to escape without reason and sail away. With Les Eaux de Chanel, there is no need to go anywhere to savor the scent of faraway places on the skin. Inspired by destinations dear to Gabrielle Chanel, and created by Olivier Polge in cooperation with the Chanel Laboratory of Fragrance Creation and Development, Les Eaux de Chanel are pleased to welcome a new destination: Paris-Riviera. Rare and exclusive, the new motionless escape will be available for a year.
The mere mention of its name conjures up images of a coastline winding its way between the Alps and the Mediterranean. Bringing the promise of azure blue and dancing sunlight, the Riviera evokes an enveloping softness and the lazy days of summer. From the far south bordering Italy and Monte Carlo to the Var, artists and creators from around the world were drawn to this Mediterranean coast as early as the 1920s. Thanks to her friend Misia Sert who introduced her to Venice, the gateway to the Orient, Gabrielle Chanel began sojourning on the Riviera in 1920.
She loved driving to Monaco with the Grand Duke Dimitri or travelling south on the Train Bleu, a means of transport made famous by Serge de Diaghilev who wrote a ballet by the same name and entrusted the costume design to Mademoiselle Chanel. She could often be found on the Côte d’Azur during the Roaring Twenties, one day on the Duke of Westminster’s yacht in Monte Carlo, another at her regular haunt, the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco, or at the Société des Bains de Mer resort known for its legendary parties. Gabrielle Chanel also frequented Cannes, where she opened a boutique, and joined the painters and writers who flocked to Saint-Tropez, which was but a fishing port at the time.
But a little to the East, on the heights of Roquebrune, is where she chose to point her compass and have her villa “ La Pausa ” built. Mademoiselle oversaw every last architectural detail, and had olive groves and fields of lavender planted. She made it her permanent vacation home, where she entertained a number of celebrities such as Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dalí. There in her beloved southern France, Gabrielle Chanel wove a tapestry of moments suspended in time and joyful memories.
The fantasy-filled world of the Riviera inspired perfumer-creator Olivier Polge to compose a luminous and elegant fragrance. “ The dream Côte d’Azur of the 1920s is what guided the development of this new fragrance ”, explains Olivier Polge. “ A sun-filled Eden that was a magnet for artists. The flawless architecture of the villas in those days. The bright and happy atmosphere of party nights… ” Olivier Polge noticed a remarkable lightheartedness in the pictures of Gabrielle Chanel surrounded by friends, her face upturned to the sun, and incarnated it with a fragrance of Mediterranean flowers bathed in fresh citrus.
He teamed jasmine with a unique quality of neroli from the orange blossoms found in the South of France. “ For years, we have worked with a cooperative in Vallauris that distills orange blossoms grown in the region’s private gardens ”, recounts Olivier Polge. “ The owners of bitter orange groves bring the petals picked from their trees to this cooperative to be processed on location. The local climate yields an extremely pure essence. ” The airy signature scent of the Les Eaux de Chanel collection is instantly recognizable on the skin: a refreshing veil of orange peel and petit grain. Then emerges the pairing of jasmine and neroli with enveloping fullness. Over time, an irresistible softness fuses with the floral impression : it is the work of benzoin balm and sandalwood. The Paris-Riviera eau de toilette creates a snapshot of summer with a single spray. A promise of azure blue and sun on the skin. A one-way trip to a legendary Mediterranean coast.
Paris-Riviera shares the same sensual, streamlined bottle as the other Les Eaux de Chanel fragrances. The rounded shape of the bottle recalls the flasks of alcohol people used to carry in their waistcoat on long journeys. It is topped with a black thermoset cap engraved with a double C and wrapped in a corrugated cardboard case that evokes the rippling of the sea water as it recedes from the beach and leaves its mark in the sand. Its special pump encourages generous perfuming with an enveloping mist that has the effect of a soft and delicate cloud.
