It all started in 1921 when Coco Chanel received a range of fragrances from the French perfumer Ernest Beaux and, she fell in love with the fifth lab sample. Since then, the number has become synonymous with Chanel and; the perfume itself has become a symbol of femininity and one of the most iconic fragrances ever created, with one bottle selling every 30 seconds.
This year, to mark its 100th anniversary, Chanel launched its first-ever advent calendar in the shape of the famous No.5 bottle with 27 drawers in the classic black and white design. Symbolically numbered from five to 31, the latter alluding to the street number of Coco Chanel’s Parisian apartment.
The opulent Chanel No.5 packaging has to be the main reason why this calendar is such a unique piece for every Chanel enthusiast. Inside, the 27 boxes fit perfectly like a puzzle and, it seems that the brand opted for its chic, minimalist design rather than adding any lurid details.
However, after being sold out within days, it made us wonder: is it worth the £610 price tag?
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Chanel included six full-size products along with other minis and accessories
The calendar comes with a 35ml bottle of Chanel No.5, two festive lipsticks, one nail polish, a bar of fragrant bath soap and their famous egg-shaped No.5 hand cream, all in full-size. What makes it extra special is the selection of 18 Chanel accessories, such as ornaments, bracelets, key rings, bookmarks and stickers, that come exclusively with the calendar and are not for sale.
Cindy Serra, known as @aheatedmess, is an American youtuber with over 76k subscribers and, as a luxury make-up lover and Chanel collector, wanted to get her hands on the new calendar.
“I’m a huge fan of Chanel and I wanted to share it with my subscribers. My favourite item of all is the snow globe,” Cindy said.
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Cindy unboxing her Chanel calendar
While the tiny, little ornaments were the reason why some people wanted to purchase the calendar, others were unimpressed and would have liked the brand to step a bit further and focus more on the beauty products. “We may not look at luxury advent calendars as a value set, but what you get should still be luxurious,” commented someone, while another person said the items were “childish” and “didn’t justify the price.”
Our final verdict is that this is not for everyone, hence the limited stock. We love the classic design and the attention to detail and, as someone put it, the first Chanel calendar is the “epitome of the brand’s identity.” Surely, a die-hard Chanel fan wanting to expand their collection would definitely love to have this on their vanity, but if you are new to the brand and looking for discovering the Chanel range this is something you could easily skip, considering the sheer amount of beauty items that you get and the not-so-decent price tag.
Would you spend £610 on the calendar? Tweet us @Fashion_North.