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gopnic – :
I love many niche scents, but after wearing the best, I wear this and think, damn, this is fine, what an amazing blend, like the original Opium it’s a perfect recipe. Ok, so the EDT has been messed about, but I’ve just shifted over to the EDP now, and it’s still magnificent. This was the scent I was wearing when I started this journey. It’s like coming home after travelling the world, there are some exotic and wonderful places, but home is home. You know what I mean
😉 xx
zverykov – :
Coco, my favourite Chanel.
This was my signature scent for several years. Elegant but not stuffy.
I still own the originals, yes the ones made in France.
A story, I hope it doesn’t bore you!
My boyfriend of many years despised perfume, it made him sneeze. Yet every birthday he would buy my Coco. That is love.
akshapada – :
At a very young age of 17(I’m 19 now),when my perfume obsession started or probably,have woserned,I had and still have a mature taste when it comes to perfumes.I’ve been exposed to this legend and the notorious nuclear bomb Opium by YSL at a very young age.Even before starting kindergarten.
This is the second hand me down that I got and I have no idea how old this bottle of Coco is but it’s still quite full.About 85% of juice in the bottle.
Passed down treasure review #2:Coco by Chanel
My god.Is this how it smells like back in the day?When life for me was ok and I didn’t have to decide for myself and I can as careless as I can be and just crayon up the walls and play in the dirt and be given a piggy-back ride up the stairs by my mom.That amazing 4 seasons of Libya?The falling lilac bell-like flowers from the tree and the flamboyant tree blooming it’s fiery red-orange flowers and bearing hard-shelled-sword like seeds?The espressos and cappucinos from the cafe near the post office with the smell of Marlboro being smoked by the office workers on break?When my family was still intact?
It is that smell that bludgeons up your memory road all so sudden of what I did realize how things was back then.When everything was fine.
It is my mom’s perfume.Oh that other bottle with the black lid which is also the EDP of Coco that was given to her by a pilot from France during the time when she and dad haven’t met.Late 1980’s it was.
I remember smelling this one during my kindergarten graduation.My mom wore this long dark navy blue formal coat,a dark top,black pants and heels with her chin length bob and dark makeup and a lipstick that blends in with her natural lip color.
It’s strong,it was sweet,it was smokey,it smelled like apple and vinegar at first but goodness.It was heaven.It must the amber that smells like someone’s sneeze (strange I know).I get that on most perfumes with amber which i strangely like.The initial spray smells like Trifed cough syrup.It’s bitter,its dark with a bit of powder in it. (Imagine Imari body power from avon).After an hour or so,it slowly transitions to a spicy sweet aroma.The syrupy is still there but it short of thins out.Then you get the smell of that smoky incense in there.The rock incense not the stick ones.As it develops further,you get this nice smoke and spice smell which lingers on me for the rest of the wear still with a bit of citrusy sourness like a bitter rind of an orange but mostly the smoke and spice.
It holds nice memories but it’s painful to recall it now that lots of things have changed.But still,I love love love this perfume.
gagIgnotogJoups – :
I second every flattering review of Coco . It is perfume perfection .
It will never be old fashioned or dated . It is supremely rich smelling and sophisticated , and long lasting . For me, it is worth the splurge because of the quality and because it projects well and lasts a long time.
Suppose a person drove a reliable Chevrolet that was pleasant and functional for many years. Then , for a day , he drove a Lexus . Do you think he would notice the difference ?
Coco is crafted far better than almost any other perfumes . One sniff of the EDP , and you will agree the richness is unparalleled .
Final remark, personally I do not think there could be another perfume more likely to arouse the passions of a man than COCO . It is intensely sexy .
Gendysh – :
@ annxyz Dear annxyz, how would you expect people who love yummy fresh shampooish frags to at least appreciate real grown up fragrances like Coco or Shalimar… Fragrantica should be sorted into “adults”, “millenials” sections. And this is written with both humour and respect, have a nice day, all.
zoom_zoom555 – :
I am writing this review, not to be mean to the folk that love this iconic scent, but to represent the likes of me who do not enjoy it. It seems to me that with these classic scents, the fanbase is extremely loyal. There is nothing wrong with that per se, but it does give a biased overall view of said perfume. It’s the same with Shalimar. If anyone eloquently writes how and why they don’t enjoy the scent – which might be helpful to people who share the same olfactory tastes as them – then the review is swiftly removed. Glowing reviews stay up, even if it’s just a few lines stating ‘I love this perfume’.
Well, I don’t love it. Sniffing the bottle and applied to my skin it smells like B.O. – mainly a distinct, armpit smell. This is possibly due to the cloves and civet, but maybe also because of the potent mix of Opoponax, coriander, and fleshy peach. I don’t know, and I don’t pretend to know, but what I do know is the whole thing comes together to smell like unwashed bottom and armpit, mixed in with the lingering aroma of stale clove cigarettes – the kind my granny used to smoke in the 80s.
If you’re like me, and get urine and burning rubber from Shalimar, the chances are you won’t go for this one, either. I’m only writing this to save someone from a potential disastrous blind-buy, given the extraordinary high number of glowing reviews that don’t properly reflect the dislike bar percentage.
I doubt very much this review will stay up – the reward system with the balloons here is deeply flawed.
ETA. I rest my case. (see above reviews) I meant no offense, passionate defenders of coco. It’s just what the scent smells like to me, and on me. I am allowed an opinion, please stop bullying people that don’t like the same scent as you. I have ‘lack of discretion’ because I don’t like coco? What on earth? I fell about laughing when I read that, that’s brilliant. And the implication that I am a ‘millennial’ that only likes ‘yummy, fresh, shampooish frags’ and Coco is obviously too refined for an immature girl like me. I could be 90 years old for all you know, don’t be so ageist and patronising. I don’t like coco because to me it smells like stale fags, dried-out flowers, last night’s curry thanks to the coriander and clove, and sweat. I stress, TO ME. This is MY opinion, not yours. I don’t like a perfume that you happen to like, that doesn’t make me immature or intellectually stunted in some way. I could be rude to you here, but I won’t. I’ll leave the rudeness, judgement, and condescending personal attacks to you guys, you do it so well.
I know I should ignore this, but I have to stand up to bullies. Please do not attack me on a personal level about my ‘lack of maturity’, my ‘discretion'(!) my apparent lack of ‘personality and style’ because I don’t like your favourite perfume, my inability to understand a ‘proper’ scent (I mean, who do you think you are? Who are you to say what is empirically and objectively the ‘best’?), my perceived age (I’m over 40, not that it’s any of your business.) At the end of the day, it’s just a perfume that I don’t like, I will not be bullied into silence over something so trivial. And out of the 1000s of reviews for Coco, it would be nice if just ONE negative review was allowed to stay up.
Dobryak – :
I went in a business dinner with my beloved coco and at the end of it, a very elegant guy told me that my perfume was “one of a Kind”… and he asked me if I thought he could wear it, because he found too womanly. My answer was:
“- Just do what makes you happy always…”
That´s why I love Coco! despite it is a classic created in 1984, this breaks down Paradigmas still…an eternal avant-garde Perfume, and for sure one of the most elegant ones ever made.
My Chanel no. 1!
swerkl – :
My most favorable of The Chanel House. Cloves amber and rose. Perfect blend in my opinion. Warm, clean, feminine and sexy. Lasts forever on my skin and silage is impressive. This one is worn to make an impression. Love the Rich, classy and sophisticated scent. Wear it a s often as possible.
titan74 – :
Been wearing it since 1998. I don’t write many reviews because it’s so hard to describe and be analytical to something so dear to me, very difficult to put it in words.
I sighed and gasped when I first met Coco… I still do.
My 2001 old juice: This is rapture, always leaves me speechless, devastatingly beautiful!
ywf569elipseskism – :
I’m a perfume lover in general and I can’t imagine having only one bottle on my shelf, but… If I had to pick only one scent for the rest of my life, I would pick this beauty. I don’t even know, how to describe Coco using human words. She smells soooo good. Sophisticated, elegant, gentle, but strong, feminine and seductive. I really love many scents, but this one, Lord, this one is the love of my life. Coco is a masterpiece of perfume art. I won’t say anything about the notes, there’s been said enough. I’m just going to say, that this is the best perfume ever and if I could, I would marry this little bottle full of magic.
dimon293 – :
Coco you are perfection in a bottle. Classy, elegant, sensual and worth every cent. I love the aroma of you and will forever have you in my collection. An excellent 10/10.
voitesergei – :
Oh how I love this beauty…since my very early 20s…It is so complex, nuanced, rich and after all well balanced. It is pure elegance in a bottle. It is for special ocasions, for whenever I “crave” this scent, or want to feel more elegant…It is not dated or for older age women…it is like fine art, a master piece.
jedi23 – :
Oh how I love this beauty…since my very early 20s…It is so complex, nuanced, rich and after all well balanced. It is pure elegance in a bottle. It is for special ocasions, for whenever I “crave” this scent, or want to feel more elegant…It is not dated or for older age women…it is like fine art, a master piece.
NVS2807 – :
Oh how I love this beauty…since my very early 20s…It is so complex, nuanced, rich and after all well balanced. It is pure elegance in a bottle. It is for special ocasions, for whenever I “crave” this scent, or want to feel more elegant…or any time.
It is not dated or for older age women…it is like fine art, a master piece.
andrey241075 – :
Wearing this again, today, after a long break (oldish, 2003 bottle) and it just smells totally of Christmas.
Only one spray, but it’s so intense.
Orange (lots of it!), peach, vanilla, roses and festive spices.
Not gourmand, as such, but like you’re smelling an entire Christmas meal, all at once, plus the table decorations!
Delicious.
roms77777 – :
One of the best Chanel’s. Classic but not dated. Definitely a perfume for special occasions. Spicy notes make this crisp. Very long lasting so if you wear it for daytime wear go easy on the spray and use the companion lotion which is scented enough to wear alone. Elegant and quite memorable. A favorite for me.
anton.curileh – :
I just purchased Coco EDP. My first ever Chanel!
Rose and jasmine surrounded by warm spices and leathery, powdery amber. It’s so elegant, luxurious, opulent, and sensual. There’s really not enough words to describe how beautiful this is. Love it!
maslenok.b – :
I’m a guy and I love oriental (spicy, rose, vanilla, incense, amber) scents and coco has it all without being a floral bomb and now a days how the fragrance world is anyone can wear coco now, I’ll put it this way if you can wear black orchid you can wear coco a lot easier
Coco is well blended to me a spicy vanilla rose with hints of tonka bean & Woods… a comforting aroma
It’s a mature fragrance even being released in the 80’s it really isn’t a dated aroma still pretty modern coco is timeless
Official Notes from the Chanel Website:
Top Notes: Sicilian Mandarin Orange
Heart: Jasmine Absolute, Comoros Ylang Ylang, Tunisian Orange Blossom
Base Notes: Indonesian Patchouli, Tonka Bean, Benzoin
egorov1979 – :
Remember wearing this as a teenager having stolen a spray from my oldest sis but this one leaves its glorious trail of unde iable evidence, so she gifted me the bottle. It transformed that girl to woman. Still wearing this precious nectar today. The first hit is the strongest so spray and be prepared for its olfactory art to perform and transform across the day and continue its sensual game plan into the evening. This is film noir, this is woman
This will make you feel like Marlene Dietrich in a tuxedo, cigarette holder and smouldering…even on a bad day at work
I promise
This is the ART in perfumery.
valsraesv – :
My love affair with this perfume has had its ups and downs. And whilst I do love this perfume, I don’t think I’ll repurchase it after my bottle is empty.
I have written two reviews about this perfume and the experience I had buying it. When i first tested it, I tested what was clearly an older formulation of the perfume. It was spicy and clove-heavy, dark, long lasting and very strong.
However, what I bought was the new formulation. The cloves don’t exist that much and the spices are milder, and on me, there was quite an in-your-face rose-jasmine note. And whilst I did and do love the new formulation, it falls short of the older formulation’s first impression.
What really lets me down is the fact that the sillage and performance of the new EDP formulation are quite weak on me, and for the price I’m paying for it, it should last much longer. So as much as I can profess my love for the beauty of the current formulation scent-wise, which is gorgeous, I can’t see myself purchasing this again.
Dima1893 – :
It’s so weird how the body chemistry works. I have tried Coco numerous times with absolutely 0 luck. I always felt like it was a clove bomb explosion. Over time I acquired the Vintage pure parfum, and a vintage EDP. The pure parfum was completely different. Beautiful with tons of peach and soft florals, although it’s presence is strong. The vintage EDP….well not so much. I felt like I couldn’t even smell it. So soft and barely there. Since I am a fan of the parfum, and a fan of noir, I decided after reading more reviews to take the plunge on the current edp. How is it that 1 year ago I couldn’t get it off my wrists quicker, and tonight I cant take my wrist away from my nose….
Has the current EDP changed over that little amount of time? Either way I am sold. The current EDP will sit next my bottle of Coco Noir and my Vintage Parfum. I have to say I completely prefer this current over the vintage EDP. Soft and spicy, feminine, mature, and sensual.
ermac004 – :
This was my signature scent in high school (80s). I haven’t smelled it in many years but, wanted a new scent for fall. I purchased the reformulated edp version. I went back and started reading the reviews here and was disappointed to read “cloves” in many posts. Then I went to the Chanel website and it listed patchouli. My heart sank. The last thing I want to smell like is a 50 year old chain smoking woman with stanky body odor (Dior Addict makes me smell like this). I received my bottle today and I am ecstatic!!!! This perfume is so perfectly blended that I don’t smell cloves or patchouli at all. It is just pure perfection!! I was afraid that it would still smell like an 80s perfume but, the heaviness is gone. What is left is a modern version of the original. It is 98 degrees in Texas today with 90% humidity outside. It is the middle of the afternoon and I am wearing it with shorts, flip flops and a tank top. You do not have to save this beauty for fall/winter or a fancy dress. It is not loud and obnoxious. It is classy and mysterious. Just like I want to feel all the time.
artur2010 – :
When I smell Coco EdP, a voice appears in my head. Well, a mental mix between a voice and a screenshot. It says “take note, this is what a REAL woman smells like” in the self-assured tone of a Fragrantican completely convinced that 1. there is such a thing as “real” women and 2. that the way they smell should adhere to a certain image. I’m not sure why.
wistram – :
Close your eyes and imagine the very first time you walked into a department store. All the beauty and promise of something special waiting to be sniffed and touched. There’s a certain magic I remember feeling my first time in a department store. It was a combination of joy, happiness, comfort, and even safety. It felt like an unspoken promise of something better on the horizon.
And the perfume counter to me was the heart and hub of it all. In one of these bottles you can envelop yourself in some invisible veil of mystery. A scent that will express a part of yourself, a special part of you to show the world.
This is what Coco EDP smells like to me. If I could bottle a scent of the above description this would be it. I wear it and I feel a warmth that cannot be broken down into notes. And to me a great perfume should never be understood by notes anyway. It should be the creation of a totally new scent that becomes a character and personality. Something you need to get to know and figure out. In this sense lifting you wrist to your nose and saying…”jasmine”..or”cloves” would be like looking at a famous painting and saying “pink” or “blue”. Yes those colors are there but look at what it created in harmony with all the many other colors!
This is all I can say about Coco. Its a true work of art. If elegance, class, comfort, and warmth had a smell this would be it. Don’t worry if you don’t care for it on first sniff, this is one you have to get to know and chew on for a while. And only with time will Coco begin to unravel its secrets to you.
dch746elipseskism – :
Alluring, timeless and classy!!!
If Tom Ford would work for Chanel he would call it F*ing Classy. Fortunately Tom is on his own brand now.
kontiy – :
Beautiful scent. Must buy.
Give it an hour after spraying before going where you want to go, it needs to calm down.
Leaves a wonderful sillage.
It is extremely long-lasting.
Christmas, winter, autumn, cozy, warmth – dries down to a more vanilla-bakery type smell.
Very rich, complex, well-blended, and gives you a bit of a different journey every time you wear it.
nicel – :
Not the heady oriental sillage bomb i was hoping for but i was prepared for it to be slightly watered down after reading previous reviews, it seems like they’ve done this to all the old school Chanel fragrances.
It starts with a beautiful spicy incensy note that soon becomes slightly sweet with the peach and rose. It stays this way for a few hours then becomes, on me, a warm spicy ” my skin but much better” kind of scents.
Its one of those rare ones that i have found that sort of melts into my skin and although it softens over a few hours, seems to cling to me for what feels like forever.
I sprayed a tiny bit on my neck at about 7.30pm the other night, and the next morning at anout 8am i kept getting this really lovely fresh slightly soapy, musky smell wafting around me.
I soon realized it was remnants of Coco from the night before so it lasted a good 12 hours.
The opening is slightly reminiscent of what i remember the real vintage No5 smelling like, only for about 30 seconds.
Then it morphs into something quite magical that seems to just suite my chemistry really well.
And im glad because this stuffs not on the cheap side lol
orskweb – :
Coco Chanel is hands down my absolute favorite fragrance. It is timeless and classy…..so sophisticated and elegant yet bold and fierce. The sillage and projection are very strong….it will always work no matter what!
Kamazchik – :
I have been wearing this scent since a child and I am now 20. This is my all time favourite scent, it is classy, sexy, sophisticated and exotic. It is strong and very glamorous, I always receive compliments when I wear it. It is perfect for day or night, and makes me feel like I stand out. It is rich and just beautifully feminine. I would recommend the EDP as always, but specifically for this perfume as the toilette just does not do it justice. The best Chanel scent by far, this perfume is a timeless classic.
Viegiositwori – :
What a timeless masterpiece. I absolutely adore this perfume, both the modern and vintage formulations. Probably my favorite Chanel. I always call Coco “YSL Opium Legere”, because it truly is a prettier and cleaner version of Opium, to me at least. Ahh….
digiman87 – :
كوكو المشعّة
جميلةٌ كشعاعٍ ابيضٍ ساحر
دافئ و باردٍ .. لم يولد من شمس ولا قمر
n_komarovskiy – :
What is immediate before me is this liquored orange with a sustained salvo of cloves, almost honeyed in its composition (oppoponax) but what dignifies this sunnied and golden ambience is a skeleton of spices and fruits: the
prunol base. There is also an animalic powderiness underneath which just cuts through honey and wood, a kind of seriousness despite the jovial treatment of its components.
Vintage fills a room with just a dab, the current one sadly is only reminiscent of the trail which the vintage leaves when worn. A very luxurious and playful fragrance; a happier counterpart to its beautiful and tragic sister–Ungaro’s Diva.
monsterix – :
Does not hold a candle to the Parfum
but it’s Coco nonetheless – smells so
…festive… celebratory… fiesta time…
but the Parfum is definitely the way to
go for me. Wearing Summer nighttime
3jiuktpohuk – :
Today I was at the Walmart, I was doing some last minute shopping, I noticed that this guy was following me tbh I got a little creeped out because clearly I didn’t know him. After about 30 mins, I must have lost him inside Walmart, I had put it in the back of my mind and was looking at the clothes, and I saw that same guy following me again, I finally this time in a loud voice I asked are you following me? He smiled and said I never do this but I must know what perfume you have on, I said with a smirk on my face it’s Chanel he said but which one Chanel has a lot of perfumes. I said I have on Coco edp. I only wear 5 sprays and it was hours upon hours after applying it. So yes men love this, and so do I. Just breathtaking!! Big love for me!!!
djsega777 – :
I love it so much because it reminds me of my beloved aunt
vaseka008 – :
i bought this with my first paycheck in 1989. I used the whole lot up, but i only ever had 1 perfume and that was Coco,
i never had it since.
One day, I will again.
I love Chanel.
Jakar00777 – :
This is such a smooth and exotic scent. Coco smells mysterious and distinctly vintage, with a heavy undertone of cloves and amber. The cloves make it almost sting in your nose when you smell it at first, but it soon becomes a very warm, overpowering scent. It lasts for ages on me. I bought a bottle around 2009, when I was far too young to pull off such a sophisticated powerhouse of a perfume. Even now a 25 I am often hesitant to use it because it is so noticeable. I keep it for special occasions and events, for when I have to appear put together and “grown-up”. My daily outfit of cable knits and chino’s are not really suited for this scent. This is for a woman in a black tux, or a long dress with an open back. It is for slick, shiny hair, gold jewelry and deep smokey eyes. It would suit Eva Green in James Bond. It would suit Coco Chanel in the 1930’s.
petru80 – :
Having been really disappointed by the reformulated Coco, which I bought for myself a short while ago, I decided to try to locate a vintage bottle.
After much research and checking for potential fakes (the market seems to be flooded with fake Chanel – how do people get away with it?) I found an almost full 50ml splash bottle with box for sale for £50GBP on eBay, which – I think from the bottle, coding and address details etc on the box – dates to 1991. The seller is registered as a business rather than private, they have excellent feedback and the provenance of the perfume seemed genuine.
I thought about it, hummed, hawed, thought about it some more…And then I bought it, on the basis that eBay offers excellent buyer protection. It arrived earlier today with enough protective packaging for ten bottles of perfume. Better safe than sorry, though!
I tentatively sniffed the bottle, and dabbed a small amount onto my right wrist. I am sure this is the original formulation – it smells exactly as I remember it.
I hate splash bottles because of the danger of contamination from skin etc., so I am going to decant some into a small atomiser bottle. Spraying seems to increase the sillage of perfumes as well – not sure why, but I’m sure someone can explain this phenomenon.
I am sitting here with a dazed and goofy smile on my face, bathed in rich and spicy wafts of joy. THIS is the Coco I remember. I am beyond delighted.
LATRIGA – :
Opium dripped in honey.. where Opium is all jagged edges for me, Coco is smooth and sumptuous. I could never wear Coco every day, for me this is like a decadent gourmet meal.. meant to be savored in small amounts so as not to be overwhelmed by the richness of it.
There is just something about Chanel perfumes, a quality that cannot be defined, only felt. The impeccable blends, the uniquely unmistakable scents, the elegant minimalist bottles, and of course the price…to wear Chanel means you are someone who loves and pampers themselves. It commands and exudes self-confidence.
Coco is a spicy-smooth-sweet powerhouse of a scent, the queen of orientals, in my humble opinion. Where I can find little flaws in other orientals, (too sharp, too strong, too heavy, too whatever) Coco is perfection! So much beauty in that little bottle.
maxim2188 – :
This is Glorious! I mean,,,seriously beautiful. I scored an almost full vintage off the bay,,,and oh my word…just so good. Not cloves on me,but rich and warm! Some cloves and spices but also there’s a elegant clean warm smell too! Not dirty or skanky! Hard to put into words it’s that good! Vintage probably has spoiled me,but I will still one day give the modern a shot.
Betty bounce has an excellent review!
Decided to go out shopping and spritzed some Coco on,,went into Ross to browse,a lady came meandering up to me,she said,what cologne are you wearing it smells so good? Coco! I said with a smile and graciously thanked her! ❤️❤️
Andrey2010 – :
I just got a vintage bottle from a flea market for $2.00 – 25% full.
The civet in this can be scary to some people .
This is “not for everyone”. It’s old fashioned.
СС – :
I can attest what corkscrewcurly said is true. I read the thread started by the originale of that “entourage” talking about using the review section to practice her writing skills. We reported this to the forum but no action was taken. They even took down the thread.
mirel037 – :
The leaves turn brown in autumn and sometimes the flowers won’t bloom
But in the coldest days of winter you’re like a rose that grows in June
You’re always warm as the sunshine when I hold you tenderly
And because it’s you with your love so true you’ll never grow old to me.
/George Jones – You´ll Never Grow Old/
The words of this song describe Coco precisely. Coco is the perfume of the good old days when the world loved French, elegant & charming fragrances /and for a good reason/.
Coco will never grow old with its musky cloves & cinnamon, honey-sweet jasmine, velvety ylang-ylang, romantic roses, milky sandalwood & oriental resins. This fragrance brings you pleasure now and forever – it will never be out of date.
wishgy – :
How come i didn’t discover it sooner?
The first time i tried it, i almost couldn’t believe a perfume can be THAT good. I would call it “The Woman Absolute”. It is classy, sophisticated, deep, intense, alluring… I imagine a woman wearing it, is someone who is a high standard in every way.
This is what i would call class in a bottle!
nikkidog – :
One of my favourites. A real “Goldilocks” perfume for me. The perfect balance of spice and velvet. Not too casual or overly sophisticated. Not too challenging, not too safe. For me, it’s really an anywhere, anytime fragrance. Like a good wardrobe staple, it can be dressed up or down. I’m very happy to wear it out to an expensive dinner, or like today, hanging out on the couch with my daughter in my cosy Coco cloud. I experiment with others, but always come back to Coco.
Sergey Rakauskas – :
Coco is the drama queen among the powerful orientals of the 80’s. Moving along the spice route (Opium) towards a mellower Mellis accord, Coco is very similar to Teatro that came a year later, but where Krizia went for spices and carnations, Chanel went for plush amber and baroque orientalism.
Chanel was never one to fall for excess, but Coco, born with me on the same year, inevitably followed trends; sillage and power.
The edp I’m reviewing, a bottle from 1984, is my favorite formulation because it embodies the spirit of the fragrance perfectly.
It opens with a strong note of cloves and coriander, that lend a mellow and piquant balsamic spiciness. Subtle, with a candle light glow, along a juicy orange note that simply enhances them instead of taking over. The overripe peach is akin to Femme’s skin sensuality. Instead of fiery spices, you have the heat of the skin.
The rose and jasmine in the heart really shine and make me see why Chanel is so famed for them. Jacques Polge shows amazing dexterity.
The base further enhances the deep and mellow balsamic quality; a superb sandalwood that 100% feels like Mysore, with its suave and buttery-milky qualities, dances along the resinous labdanum, and the amber wraps itself around the opoponax. A subtle leather smell (castoreum?) dances along the civet, which in the first formulations is natural and extremely potent and sexual. For all it’s class and elegance, Coco never forgets that beneath the surface there’s desire, and Polge balances the beauty with a magnificent and feral civet; it doesn’t enhance the other notes, it shines solo.
While many orientals are famed for their spices, Coco embodies the balsamic quality of the genre. It wouldn’t feel out of place decades earlier, even though it’s excesiveness tells us that Coco comes from the mighty 80’s. If you enjoy Diva (Polge’s prototype for Coco, somewhat drier and more chypre in feel, released a year earlier), Teatro Alla Scala, Fendi, Opium and Femme, Coco is a natural progression. Dramatic, opulent, once the fur is off and the haute couture dress on the floor, manners stay out of the room. There’s only room for passion. Stunning on everyone, with a sexually ambiguous personality that refuses genre!
grusha_a – :
I remember I hated it on me at first, but now it’s growing on me, I like it a lot! Still, I think it’s better reserved for a more mature, classy woman who knows what she wants, and I’m still too young for that, it’s my mom’s signature, so maybe one day when I become like her, I’ll wear Coco as well.
mikepollson – :
Dear reader’s♥
This classic and beautiful perfume was introduced to me in my childhood by the one special lady who raised me , influenced my taste for perfumes and other finer things of life. And every holiday and birthday I buy this gorgeous perfume to my special lady, my mother.♥
This perfume is my mothers signature perfume, from my first memories of childhood before I ever knew my mother’s real name, I could recognize this scent of Coco Chanel whenever I got lost in the department stores by wandering off. The scent of my mother’s chemistry with Coco Chanel was a rich fragrant light house to my senses and I always found her by following the invisible trail. I will always have many found and comfortable memories with this perfume relating to my mother, when she picked me up from school or