Coco Chanel on The Warpath

I love Chanel, I mean how can you not, it’s Chanel! I love so many of their perfumes but so far I have found no love for Les Exclusifs de Chanel. This is partly due to the fact that I haven’t spent much time investigating them, but each time I dive in and test them my general impression is that they’re nice and obviously very high quality but they don’t draw me in, and I’m yet to find the one for me.

The somewhat awkwardly named Jersey was released last year and is the latest addition to the Les Exclusifs line and it takes it’s awkward name from the fabric that Chanel “daringly appropriated from menswear by Coco Chanel for women’s fashions.” [1] That may be so, but I can’t get over just how dreadful the name is, it doesn’t befit the style and class that I expect from Chanel, but then again they did name one of the other Les Exclusifs ‘Beige’, so perhaps they don’t have a 100% brilliant track record when it comes to names.

Chanel describes Jersey as being “As light and liberating as the modern fabric for which it was named…An inspired composition, Jersey is evocative of a meadow lush with lavender – an essence previously worn only by men. A tender trail of Vanilla and Musk brings femininity to the forefront, and a rare, sophisticated new scent is born.” [2] I would describe it as ‘a granny lavender on the warpath’.

The Notes

Top: Lavender
Heart: Rose and Jasmine
Base: Vanilla, Tonka Bean and White Musks [3]

How Does it Smell?

Jersey is a lavender, but it’s not the good kind of lavender, it is what I would call a ‘granny lavender’, as in the kind of lavender that smells of old ladies. The lavender in Jersey starts out fresh, zingy and herbal, but it very quickly becomes sweet and powdery. Make that VERY sweet and powdery. Now, I never shy away from a bit of powder, but I have learned that powder and lavender = old lady, and not the cool kind, you wouldn’t catch my Grandma in this.

One of the best things about lavender is it’s burned, caramel like facet. A facet which is emphasised wonderfully in perfumes such as Vero Kern’s Kiki, By Kilian’s A Taste of Heaven, Dior’s Eau Noire and Hermès’ Brin de Reglisse. In Jersey this caramel-like aspect is pushed to an uncomfortable level of cloying sweetness that makes for a rather unwelcome heavy quality that seems at odds with the concept of a “light and liberating” [4] perfume.

The cloying sweetness is amplified by vanilla, benzoin and musk, It feels a bit like Prada Candy, but without the fun. This blend is oddly suffocating and I find it difficult to detect anything other than the lavender, vanilla, benzoin and musk. The other florals are completely squashed into submission and Jersey feels fairly linear, and dare i say ‘fairly dull’.

Jersey isn’t a dreadful perfume, it’s just not good enough to be a Chanel. I expect a certain degree of artistry with a Chanel perfume, they never scrimp on quality but their recent launches (Bleu de Chanel & N°19 Poudré) have lacked that artisanal touch we are so used to. I think is why I found Jersey so disappointing, it feels muddled and it doesn’t have the usual crystalline focus that the best Chanel’s have. Go granny go? More like go away granny, go away.

Availability

Jersey is part of Les Exclusifs de Chanel and is available in 75ml and 200ml Eau de Toilette. Prices range from £100-£180.

Disclaimer

This review is based on a sample of Jersey generously donated by Tara of Olfactoria’s Travels.

[1] [2] & [4] chanel.com
[3] osmoz.com

Image 1 cestjoile.blogspot.com
Image 2 elle.ru