Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle gets ready for bed with the latest fragrance offering from the French fashion house, Coco Mademoiselle L’Eau Priveé.
Almost twenty years since the creation of the original Coco Mademoiselle, L’Eau Priveé offers a warmer, subtler interpretation of the classic fragrance, particularly formulated for nighttime wear. Below we share an interview with L’Eau Priveé's creator and Chanel in-house perfumer, Oliver Polge. You can find out more about the new fragrance in the September 2020 issue of Wallpaper.
Coco Mademoiselle L’Eau Priveé photographed by Adam Barclay. As featured in the September 2020 issue of Wallpaper*
W* How would you describe Coco Mademoiselle?
It is an extraordinary fragrance, youthful yet elegant, that has influenced the world of perfumery for years. Thanks to a fractionated patchouli* specific to Chanel, it enjoys all of the raw material's qualities but is divested of its flaws and particularly its rather dull facets. It is a bareheaded patchouli that retains all of the recognizable chic notes but in a more vibrant, modern and colorful interpretation.
*Fractionated patchouli: 20 years ago, CHANEL came up with the idea of redistilling patchouli to obtain a fraction that supported new opportunities for use and is now widespread in the perfume industry.
W* Has the character of the fragrance changed with each new interpretation?
The formulas are all intentionally composed in the same spirit. I am not a fan of interpretations that contradict the original theme. Each new version reaffirms the same idea as the initial fragrance, so you can love your fragrance in a variety of ways while remaining true to the signature scent.
Olivier Polge, Chanel's in-house perfumer and creator of Coco Mademoiselle L’Eau Priveé
W* How did L’Eau Priveé come to be?
I started with the idea of a new way to wear fragrance, a new concept of time. Coco Mademoiselle is dedicated to the night, but in a delicate and subtle expression, something confidential and personal, to perfume the skin as well as the sheets.
This intimate interpretation is almost the opposite of Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Intense. It is a soft and hazy fragrance, like a watercolor. While it has a slightly weaker diffusion, its trail leaves a true imprint, particularly on clothing. I love the idea of a fragrant touch left on a pillow or scarf, rekindling a memory the next day...
W* How was it composed from an olfactory point of view?
A bit like a watercolor of Coco Mademoiselle, it has the freshness of an eau de toilette, but the woody notes are softened to gently release the top notes of citrus and particularly the joyful bitterness of a more sparkling mandarin, and to exalt the musky facet. Its expression is true to the original, but less extroverted. It is more delicate and intimate.
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