Chanel No 5

Chanel No . 5 is the first perfume launched by Parisian couritier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. The chemical formula for the fragrance was compounded by Russian - French Chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux.

     Hoboken - wow. Home of Frank Sinatra. The perfume Chanel N°5 is based on Rallet No.1 (formerly known as Bouquet de Catherine) by Ernest Beaux. Beaux, the in-house Chanel perfumer who created No.5, came from a Russian perfume family. According to Wikipedia, "he celebrated his first commercial success with the Bouquet de Napoleon, a floral Eau de Cologne created to mark the centennial of the Battle of Borodino. A female pendant was to follow, the Bouquet de Catherine, an hommage to Catherine the Great marking the tercentenary of the House of Romanov. Since Catherine the Great was however of German descendent, the scent, which was inspired by Quelques Fleur (Houbigant, 1912) with a pronounced aldehydic top note, was renamed Rallet N°1 with the outbreak of Word War I in 1914."

The excerpt continues: "Most off-putting, though, is the news that the perfume's creator—who would see Chanel No. 5 turned into a cultural totem in the U.S. by G.I.'s who brought it home from Paris as a fancy gift for their wives and girlfriends—spent the Occupation holed up at the Paris Ritz with a German officer as her lover."

German, of course meaning Nazi officer. This is Coco Chanel we're talking about. The article goes on:

"Working with Chanel, Beaux used his Catherine the Great formula to capture the qualities that Chanel was looking for in her product: It would have to be seductive and expensive, she said, and "a modern work of art and an abstraction." A perfume based on the scent of a particular flower—which at the time had the power to define its wearer as a respectable woman (rose) or a showgirl (jasmine)—would not do. "I want to give women an artificial perfume," Chanel once said. "Yes, I do mean artificial, like a dress, something that has been made. I don't want a rose or a lily of the valley, I want a perfume that is a composition."

"The composition she and Beaux arrived at had strong notes of rose and jasmine, balanced by what was, in the 1920s, a new fragrance technology: aldehydes."

How fascinating to read about rose being marketed as a proper scent and jasmine an improper one. Whoever had decided on this distinction, I wonder what the reasoning was based on: geographical location where these flowers came from, or some political reason, would be one guess, but I would have to research this. It could also simply be that a heavy (Oriental) scent was considered taboo, as Guerlain Jicky with its vanillic notes had caused quite a stir among ladies back in the day.

It wouldn't be far off to theorize that Chanel N°5 is a perfume that could allow royalty to get away with smelling sexy like a showgirl, without anyone suspecting her of wearing that carnal jasmine. Is it fair to say (albeit crudely) that vilifying jasmine in the story makes No.5 a secretly Pimped Out Rose? I still prefer to think of No.5 as Russian Leather inspired by Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov, but a more feminized, Quelques Fleurs-inspired version. Chanel N°5 has always smelled powdery to me, but I had recently discovered that it is more base note-heavy (woody and dry with a patchouli base) than most perfumes marketed as Floral (such as Jean Patou Joy or its predecessor smell-alike Caron Acaciosa, and Houbigant Quelques Fleurs), giving it a more traditionally masculine, or androgynous, feel.

Even if the formula contains copious amounts of rose and Grasse jasmine, those aldehydes would make the whole composition hazy enough that most people wouldn't know what they were smelling at all. Such is the abstract perfume Coco Chanel had desired, a unified composition capturing the desired effect of allowing one to possess the sex appeal of a showgirl, that is - you know, like Marilyn Monroe - while still managing to smell freshly scrubbed and proper. Isn't technology grand?

The author is correct in pointing out that there were other Aldehydic perfumes besides No.5. As for Aldehydic Floral perfumes born in 1912, Caron L'Infini was born in the same year as Quelques Fleurs, but it is not given credit for being the breakthrough perfume for the Aldehydic Floral family. That crown always goes to Chanel No.5 born in 1921. I can't tell you what L'Infini used to smell like, but the current 1970 version is just as aldehydic-smelling as No.5, only greener, mossier, a whiter floral. If you've ever smelled an aldehydic accord on its own, you might say it smells sour and fizzy-powdery (weirdly reminds me of both Alka Seltzer and Ramune but not as sweet) - not quite lemony but high-pitched (also synthetic and long lasting, of course, or it wouldn't make No.5 the scientific technological breakthrough perfume it's known to be).


Related articles: Chanel N°5 Revisited: Russian Leather Connection? Pink Manhattan May 19, 2008

"In 1912 Beaux achieved his first great success with his Bouquet of Napoleon, created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the battle of Borodino, Napoleon's last but very bloody victory in Russia. Beaux was known to be a great admirer of Napoleon and, for the occasion, Rallet produced an entire booklet on Napoleon to go with the promotion of the perfume (...) In 1913, for the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty, Beaux created Bouquet of Catherine, a feminine counterpart for the Bouquet de Napoleon." A. Rallet & Co. - perfumeprojects.com

"Today, Bouquet de Catherine, in it's Rallet Le No.1 rebirth, can be seen as the predecessor of Chanel No.5. The overall concept of Rallet Le No.1 is followed in Chanel No.5 — the use of a "cocktail" of aldehydes — to overcome the fatty note of the jasmine absolute and rose oil. It was this fatty note that had plagued perfumery in the 19th century when all perfumes had the unwanted fatty note but this had simply been accepted as it could not be overcome. While Rallet Le No.1 stands on its own merit as a fragrance, its role in the development of Chanel No.5 gives it a special place in the history of 20th century perfumery." Le No.1 1913/1923 Rallet - perfumeprojects.com

"In 1912, the perfumer Robert Bienaimé first used 2-methylundecanal in the successful perfume Quelques Fleurs for Houbigant. Ernest Beaux imitated this breakthrough in his new perfume Rallet No. 1 (1914)." CHANEL No 5 and 2-Methylundecanal - University of Bristol School of Chemistry chm.bris.ac.uk

"The aldehyde that Beaux chose was 2-methylundecanal, which in those days was known as methyl nonyl acetaldehyde? This was first used by the perfumer Robert Bienaime for his Quelques Fleurs, which appeared in 1912. And we now know that Beaux had previously used the aldehydes undecanal and dodecanal in his perfume Rallet No. 1 launched in 1914 because an original, sealed bottle came to light and its contents were analysed. What aldehydes offered was a 'cleaner' less cloying fragrance blend. Beaux described the effect like 'lemon juice on strawberries'. " Whiff of Success: Chanel No.5 has been one of the classic Christimas gifts since it was launched - by John Emsley, Chemistry and Industry, Dec 22, 2008 Bnet CBS Business Network

Added on Nov. 23, 2010: Jazz and Jasmine: The Scent of a Brothel vs the High Class Rose - PINK MANHATTAN

                    

Jimmy Choo's new shoes are out!

Did you see the new Jimmy Choo Snakeskin Pump. The fuchsia is just oooooh.
If someone can make shoes its Jimmy Choo. Just makes me crave for a night in the city.

Made in Italy, this shoe endorses a painted water snake and an adjustable slingback.
Cost is $800.

Also new on the block is the Jimmy Choo X Hunter Wellington boots,

Designer Jimmy Choo and heritage brand Hunter collaborated on the Wellington boot and its priced at $455.

Time to buy some boots!

Hermes Enters Indian Luxury Market With A Line Of Really Expensive Saris

Storied French luxury label Hermès–they of the $350 plain white t-shirts, Kim Kardashian-approved flatware and (of course) $10,000 handbags–entered the Indian luxury market on Friday with a line of really, really fancy saris. The traditional Indian womenswear pieces start at $6100 and cap out around $8200. They’ll be made in France, from luxe materials like cashmere and twill silk, and the prints come straight from the house’s beloved silk scarves.
Says Bertrand Michaud, president of Hermès India:

“This is part of our effort to connect to India’s culture and to the tradition of elegance of Indian women. We’ve put all our skills into making them to pay homage to the Indian tradition,” he said, adding there were no plans yet to make the collection a permanent addition to the company’s offerings.

The launch of the sari collection comes after Hermès enjoyed great success in the Asian market with the launch of Shang Xia, a luxury Chinese brand. As for the saris, the reception so far sounds positive:

The sunny outlook for Hermès’ new saris also comes from an initial positive industry reaction to the brand’s initiative.  Several consultants for the Indian luxury market noted that, basically, it was about time a Western brand trying to get a foothold there offered a sari.  Caroline Young, the CEO of Creative Link India, a fashion consulting firm, told the Financial Times that the move was “really smart,” and noted that all in all, she was “astonished this hasn’t been done before.”

Although the idea of a family-owned French luxury house manufacturing traditional Indian womenswear sounds a little… odd, this isn’t the West’s first foray into a (specifically) Indian market. It’s worth noting:

High-end menswear brands have already made analogous design adjustments for the Indian luxury market.  Italian labels like Ermenegildo Zegna and Etro both offer Nehru-style collars for their male Indian customers (the Nehru collar was popularized by India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and consists of a closed, rounded neck).

Does this seem a little odd to you or just good business?

The Hermes showroom in Mumbai. Photo: Danish Siddiqui / REUTERS

(via The Sunday Times, The High Low)

Read more: http://www.thegloss.com/2011/10/11/fashion/hermes-enters-indian-luxury-market-with-a-line-of-high-end-saris-972/#ixzz2MV4Tlgwy

Luxury Yachts

                 The terms luxury yacht refer to very expensive, privately owned yachts which are professionally crewed. A luxury yacht may be either a sailing or motor yacht. This term popped up in early 20th Century where the stinking rich had enough money to adopt a new hobby and constructed yachts privately.
     Popular flag state registrars for large yachts are Cayman Islands, Marshall Islands, Isle of Man, British Virgin Islands among others. (Many times the yacht will have never been to these ports.) They are particularly bountiful in the Mediterranean in summer and the Caribbean Sea in winter. Many can be chartered (rented) for sums of up to 1 million Euro for a week. There may be up to 1500 Large yachts available to Charter in a season in the Mediterranean. The arrival of large commercial ships that have been specially outfitted to take multiple Large yachts across the Atlantic ocean have created a much larger Charter market in the Caribbean than ever before.
            Giga yachts is a hyperbolic term that first emerged in reference to megayachts, a.k.a. superyachts, in the mid-2000s. Power & Motoryacht magazine's popular Megayachts forum, which was online from the early 1990s to 2012 (now offline), had an ongoing discussion about the term, since luxury yachts at that time were getting larger and larger, exceeding 300 feet in length (about 100 meters). The words megayacht and superyacht mean the same thing, despite the term superyacht being more prevalent in Europe and non-U.S. countries these days. In fact, the word megayacht was coined first, ascribed to famed yacht broker George Nicholson by Power & Motoryacht in one of its first issues in 1985 as well as subsequent media reports elsewhere. As of 2012 yachts above 100 metres (328 feet) are still rare but increasingly more common, with an estimated 24 on the water.They typically have five decks above the water line and one below. They incorporate many of the same features that smaller megayachts do, such as helicopter landing areas and swimming pools, though given their extra length, they also feature helicopter hangars and miniature submarines.

Health and Fitness

     Fitness has become such an essential part of our lifestyle that not having fitness program is like not having a dental plan.

          There are a lot of diets , health plans , gyms that guide you and help you in maintaining your fitness level. One ground rule never ever crash diet unless you want to crush your health.
        Simple strides like
Counting calories which help you in realizing the amount of calories you  intake and the amount you utilize. It helps me. The week I count calories it makes me look a little lean.
Eat less carbs  . Improve your knowledge on diet and nutrition.
Know that rice quantity reduction in your daily also helps you maintain fitness.
Drink loads of water. Minimum 8 glasses a day. I keep a bottle of water around me always so I keep sipping every half hour and that makes me gulp 3 -4 lts a days . Kudos
Whenever you are hungry in between meals you can count on fruits .
Just a little workout paired with it makes you lose weigh definitely .
Alternate between cardio exercises and weight training every day.
Your cardio and weights . I am not slimmest of all but I am very active and energetic.
           Small things make a difference over the years

      

My love with Das Auto Beetle

                   

   Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug is a beautiful epitome of German Engineering. Its the longest running and most manufactured car with single design platform.
               Although designed in the 1930s, the Beetle was only produced in significant numbers from 1945 on, when the model was internally designated the Volkswagen Type 1, and marketed simply as the "Volkswagen". Later models were designated VW 1200, 1300, 1500, 1302 or 1303, the former three indicating engine displacement and the latter two being derived from the type number and not indicative of engine capacity.It is known as Kafer in its hometown and beetle around rest of the world.

                   

  The Good:The Volkswagen Beetle is reasonable to drive and there are some fine engines to pick from. There’s plenty of head and elbow space up front and those large side windows flood the cabin with light.

  The Bad:The rear seats are cramped and some of the interior materials feel disappointingly cheap. The low-speed ride is firm, too.

               
Reviewers also said the New Beetle’s interior is big on quality, but small on space. There isn’t much room in the rear seats, but the front ones have enough legroom for most people. The base New Beetle has decent cargo room, but the convertible has a tiny 5 cubic feet of cargo space.
The New Beetle does better when it comes to standard features. Air conditioning, a six-speaker stereo, satellite radio, an auxiliary jack and even heated front seats are standard. It also has more safety features than its competitors, though its crash test scores are below-average. Reliability ratings for the New Beetle are average for the class.