A Comprehensive Guide: Les Exclusifs de CHANEL

Between 1978 and his retirement in 2013, Jacques Polge, in-house CHANEL perfumer, was charged with the daunting task of not only creating new CHANEL fragrances, but also maintaining the work of his two predecessors, Ernest Beaux and Henri Robert. In 2007, Monsieur Polge combined these duties for the first time with the launch of Les Exclsuifs de CHANEL, a collection of ten fragrances marked by the exclusivity of their materials and distribution – the pinnacle of CHANEL perfumery.

The collection grew under the watchful eye of Monsieur Polge, then his successor and son, CHANEL’s current in-house perfumer Olivier Polge. Today, the collection includes 17 fragrances, with another to be released in August 2020 – there’s a hot tip for you. Of the original ten Exclusifs, Monsieur Polge Snr. restored four heritage fragrances by Ernest Beaux: N°22, a floral-aldehydic from 1922; Cuir de Russie from 1924, a dark blend of leather, tobacco and resins; Gardénia, a white floral circa 1925; and Bois des Îles from 1926, the first woody fragrance for women, inspired by African influences.

To this quartet, Monsieur Polge Snr. added six new fragrances, each inspired by a chapter of the CHANEL story. Eau de Cologne, a peerless citrus cologne; 31 Rue Cambon, a sophisticated chypre, inspired by the famed Paris Atelier; N°18, an innovative ambrette dedicated to CHANEL’s haute joaillerie on Place Vendôme; Coromandel, a bombastic oriental to match the lacquered screens of Coco’s apartment; Bel Respiro, dedicated to her retreat on the outskirts of Paris; and finally, 28 La Pausa, echoing the irises Coco grew en masse in the extensive gardens of her riviera villa. Seven fragrances have joined the collection since, three by current perfumer Olivier Polge: Misia, Boy and 1957.

I recently spent ten days wearing nothing but Les Exclusifs. Now, with the entire collection sat before me in their monolithic 200ml glass vessels with weighty black gloss magnetic CC embossed caps, substituted with carded samples from Chanel for those I do not own, here are my thoughts on each of the fragrances:

N°22 (1922) – A glittering explosion of aldehydes that settle as a mere twinkle over that emblematic CHANEL floral bouquet of iris, ylang-ylang, rose and jasmine before turning slightly balsamic as incense weaves its sullen tendrils through parched vetiver. A generous, abstract floral in the style of N°5, but here much, much better.

Cuir de Russie (1924) – Cuir de Russie was the first CHANEL fragrance that Coco herself had a hand in crafting. Her brief to perfumer Ernest Beaux was a personal one, she wanted a fragrance that captured the essence of her short-lived romance with the Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich; the plushness of their shared Ritz Paris apartment, the lingering scent of N°5 in their tryst-rumpled sheets, and the birch tar-polished riding boots of the Grand Duke that the stood to attention at the foot of their bed. Translated by Beaux into fragrance, this became a sparkling flurry of aldehydes, a restrained floral bouquet of jasmine, iris and ylang-ylang, the darkness of smoky birch tar, styrax and leather, all shadowed by a mood of pensive longing and melancholy. Coco’s lover, my Les Exclusifs love. A seminal leather in perfumery.

Gardénia (1925) – Femininity in a bottle. An imagined olfactory comingling of the flower that most closely resembles Coco’s preferred, but odourless camelia flower, Gardénia is a decadently creamy white floral abstraction of gardenia, tuberose, fruity notes, a green accord and coconut cream at its heart. Brides-to-be visit CHANEL boutiques in droves to buy Gardénia to wear on their big day – I can absolutely see why. Pretty.

Bois des Îles (1926) – A smooth, soft, infinitely wearable replication of Mysore sandalwood with all the added glamour of CHANEL’s signature floral-aldehydic accord. A reworking of Ernest Beaux’s 1926 composition, contemporary Bois des Îles wears like a diaphanous veil of aldehydes, jasmine, ylang-ylang, and rose atop a your-skin-but-better sandalwood accord of warm, creamy sandalwood, vetiver, coriander, benzoin and tonka. The chicest woody oriental I know.

31 Rue Cambon (2007) – A “modern” chypre with prominent bergamot, aldehyde and nose-tickling pepper opening – slightly green and bitter – atop a heart of rich iris and fleshy yellow ylang-ylang under a sheer veil of CHANEL’s characteristic rose and jasmine, all the while underpinned by soft, velvety amber and herb-bitter patchouli. Whereas Coromandel and Coco are overtly baroque in style, 31RC is a little more reserved, but no less grand. A wonder.

La Pausa (2007) – Why is it that perfumers always lump iris and violet together? Earthen, pungent, chalky, and a touch woody, this could have been a glorious olfactory rendition of the iris plant in its entirety, petals to root, but the violet here takes it too much in the direction of powder compacts and lipsticks where it loses me. Could have been great, isn’t.

Eau de Cologne (2007) – Sparkling citrus, petitgrain and neroli perfectly treading the line between sweet and pithy, with flourishes of cedar, herbs and musk. It probably comes as a surprise to most, but Coco herself had no interest whatsoever in perfume – at least not in the early years of her atelier –  it was only at the behest of her friend and confidant, Misia Sert, that in 1919 Coco trademarked ‘Eau de Chanel’, a cologne in the style of the day – which never did eventuate. I like to think that Eau de Cologne was Jacques Polge’s nod to this obscure historical anecdote, and what a job he did of it. The very best cologne on the market. Keep it in the fridge to splash liberally anytime an olfactory pick-me-up is required.

Bel Respiro (2007) – Verdant, diaphanous, and austere. With its softly, softly, use of galbanum to contrast sparkling grassiness, pastel-hued heritage blooms of rose, hyacinth and lilac, and myrrh nuanced animalic leather – which to me seems very equestrian, très chic – Bel Respiro has a distinctly vintage feel. As N°19 used to be, Bel Respiro is subtle, graceful and forbidding.

Coromandel (2007) – Coco was quoted as saying she nearly fainted with joy when she saw a Chinese lacquered Coromandel screen for the first time. My reaction was the same when I first smelled Coromandel. One of my earliest Les Exclusif purchases way back in 2007, Coromandel’s intricately worked composition of dark patchouli, golden-hued resins, decadent white chocolate and sparkling citrus is as beautiful as any of the Coromandel screens I saw hanging in Coco’s 31 Rue Cambon apartment. A standout patchouli, quite possibly the best gourmand patchouli. A true head turner.

N°18 (2007) – I avoided N°18 for the longest time. When it did finally cross my path, I realised what a fool I had been. Unctuous vegetal ambrette (musk mallow) essence with pear and soft florals over a woody iris base. The most avantegarde, androgynous and innovative release of the collection, N°18 would be almost unrecognisable as a CHANEL fragrance if not for its quintessential elegance and understatement. Jacques Polge’s own favourite Les Exclusif.

Sycomore (2008) – Majestic vetiver. There isn’t a more fitting description of Sycomore. Smoky, green-earth-like vetiver tamed by aldehydes and sandalwood with gentle nuances of tobacco and violet; Sycomore is both fresh and satisfyingly rich. Quite possibly the most masculine of the collection. Is there a vetiver scent better than this one? I doubt it.

Beige (2008) – Jacques Polge once said that the Exclusifs were created without input from CHANEL’s marketing department. I think Beige proves this point; I can’t imagine the name “Beige” would be well received by any focus group with its pale, insipid, boring connotations. Boring, Beige is not. A lavishly assorted bouquet of frangipani, freesia, jasmine and hawthorn drizzled in sweet, animalic honey with aldehydes and orris for lift and added butteriness, respectively. A seamless, abstract floral in the typical style of CHANEL, but here more solar, more approachable for those to whom the house style might not appeal. In a single word, lovely.

Jersey (2011) – Coco redefined femininity by means of reinterpreting masculine styles and fabrics. Jacques Polge has done the same here with Jersey – crafting a soft and sophisticated floral from lavender, a note more typically reserved for men’s colognes. Lavender, vanilla and white musks – a comfort scent of sorts.

1932 (2013) – Aldehydes atop CHANEL’s signature floral heart and abstract woody base with jewellery inspiration à la N°18. I should love this, but I don’t. The inclusion of pear and grapefruit, which I suspect is meant to further lift the aldehydes and maybe lean slightly more youthful, is weird and obtrusively loud – it detracts from the composition. Pretty in a way, but soulless. Pass.

Misia (2015) – No. Nope. Non. Eschewing CHANEL’s signature floral-aldehydic accord, Misia is a candied violet/Turkish delight cum vintage cosmetic concoction of violet, orris, Turkish rose and tonka. I will say that it perfectly captures the vivacious personality of Misia Sert – an acclaimed pianist, renowned party girl, society doyen and Coco’s friend and muse – but for me, Misia is a hard no.

Boy (2016) – The precedent set by Jersey, Boy takes the androgynous lavender idea and flips it again to reflect a boyish ideal. With more of a presence here than in Jersey, Boy’s herbal lavender is bolstered by sweet rose nuanced geranium, citrus, musk and a creamy heliotrope-vanilla base. A very well-done gender bender, I wish my skin loved Boy as much as Boy seems to love others. Alas, it does not, so Boy is relegated to room spray at my house.

1957 (2019) – A bright flash of aldehydes and pink pepper that immediately surrender to the composition’s mainstays – white musk, orange blossom and honey. The honey note seems taken straight for Beige with all the same waxy-resinous characteristics, while the orange blossom is dirty and raw which makes for a staggering contrast against the scrubbed-clean white musk with its cedar and iris nuances. French elegance in the age of white musks.

Le Lion de CHANEL (2021) – A bone-dry, coppery and sensual amber oriental that is warm and inviting yet simultaneously austere and sophisticated in a manner that feels very appropriate of CHANEL, Le Lion is new for CHANEL in that it is the maison’s first ever amber oriental, but also every bit a Les Exclusifs release, every bit a CHANEL fragrance. Luxuriously refined without any of Coromandel’s woody oriental largess, this is an oriental with mass appeal. Coming January 2021.

---

Les Exclsuifs de CHANEL are available from CHANEL boutiques – beauty and fashion – and www.chanel.com internationally, from $285, 75ml.