Chanel’s new perfume is an ode to optimism
When Coco Chanel said, “I want to cover women in constellations”, the founder of the eponymous fashion label was talking about jewellery. Specifically, her debut bijoux collection, which was unveiled in 1932, and featured the dazzling Comète necklace. The best part of a century later, the brand’s in-house perfumer, Olivier Polge, is bottling that stardust with the Comète perfume, giving a new meaning to having, as Chanel put it herself, “stars on the chest”.
The nineteenth scent in the Les Exclusifs de Chanel collection — each of which symbolises one of Coco Chanel’s character traits — Comète reflects the French designer’s unwavering optimism. Having built a fashion empire on the suturing skills she learnt from a French orphanage following her mother’s death, it’s no surprise that the iconic designer had a penchant for the positive.
To materialise Chanel’s optimism, Polge has blended the fresh and delicate scent of cherry blossom with luminous notes of iris extract and musk accord. It’s floral yet rich, and sophisticated yet powdery. Essentially, it’s a truly unique amalgamation of scents, and it makes perfect sense for the eau de parfum to be named after one of the rarest components of the universe.
While the Les Exclusifs de Chanel collection is all about pairing things back — each bottle is streamlined with a classic, monogrammed black lid — Comète has an aptly-added bit of sparkle. The monogram is layered with silver ink, accompanied by an embossed representation of the Comète necklace. It’s a true ode to Chanel’s sparkling optimism.
