Chanel No. 19
Encyclopedia
Chanel No. 19 perfume was first marketed in 1971. The number 19 was chosen to commemorate Coco Chanel
's birthday, 19 August. The perfume was launched a year before she died. The scent was created by Henri Robert
.
No. 19 is a balsamic-green scent, quite different to the aldehydic Chanel No. 5
, the floral Chanel No. 22 and ambrette-green Chanel No. 18. The pure perfume and eau de parfum have a slight greenish tint, and the eau de toilette is pale green. (In many vintage adverts for No. 19 (and in old factice bottles), it appears that No. 19 was originally a much deeper green colour than it is now). Many describe it as a refreshing, gentle, floral fragrance. The No. 19 refillable sprays are silver-grey in colour (originally brushed stainless-steel), in contrast to the black No. 5 and white No. 22. No. 19 was made as an evening fragrance.
In a recent (c.2000) revamp of No. 19, Chanel has drastically reduced the products available: in the UK the original splash bottles and refillable sprays of Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum have been discontinued, as have the two sizes of refillable Parfum spray. The Parfum is now only available in 7.5ml and 15ml size bottles (the Parfum has been discontinued in the US altogether). The range of bath and body products, which was previously identical to the range available in No. 5, is now reduced to Body Lotion and Bath and Shower Gel.
In Lisi Harrison's book series The Clique
, Massie Block wears Chanel No. 19 every day. On special occasions, she wears No. 5.
In a number of reviews, Bel Respiro (a 2006 Eau de Toilette from Chanel's Les Exclusifs range) is described having a certain similarity to No. 19, especially in its top notes.
Coco Chanel
Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist thought, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. She was the founder of one of the most famous fashion brands, Chanel...
's birthday, 19 August. The perfume was launched a year before she died. The scent was created by Henri Robert
Henri Robert
Henri Robert is the second Chanel in-house perfumer after the departure of Ernest Beaux, famed creator of Chanel No. 5. Robert was born in 1899 in Grasse and began his career as a perfumer at with Chiris. Following that he joined Parfums d'Orsay and subsequently Coty...
.
No. 19 is a balsamic-green scent, quite different to the aldehydic Chanel No. 5
Chanel No. 5
Chanel No. 5 is the first perfume launched by Parisian couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. The French government reports that a bottle of Chanel No. 5 is sold every thirty seconds and generates sales of $100 million a year. It was developed by Russian-French chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux...
, the floral Chanel No. 22 and ambrette-green Chanel No. 18. The pure perfume and eau de parfum have a slight greenish tint, and the eau de toilette is pale green. (In many vintage adverts for No. 19 (and in old factice bottles), it appears that No. 19 was originally a much deeper green colour than it is now). Many describe it as a refreshing, gentle, floral fragrance. The No. 19 refillable sprays are silver-grey in colour (originally brushed stainless-steel), in contrast to the black No. 5 and white No. 22. No. 19 was made as an evening fragrance.
In a recent (c.2000) revamp of No. 19, Chanel has drastically reduced the products available: in the UK the original splash bottles and refillable sprays of Eau de Toilette and Eau de Parfum have been discontinued, as have the two sizes of refillable Parfum spray. The Parfum is now only available in 7.5ml and 15ml size bottles (the Parfum has been discontinued in the US altogether). The range of bath and body products, which was previously identical to the range available in No. 5, is now reduced to Body Lotion and Bath and Shower Gel.
In Lisi Harrison's book series The Clique
The Clique
The Clique was a group of English artists formed by Richard Dadd in the late 1830s. Other members were Augustus Egg, Alfred Elmore, William Powell Frith, Henry Nelson O'Neil, John Phillip and Edward Matthew Ward....
, Massie Block wears Chanel No. 19 every day. On special occasions, she wears No. 5.
In a number of reviews, Bel Respiro (a 2006 Eau de Toilette from Chanel's Les Exclusifs range) is described having a certain similarity to No. 19, especially in its top notes.