Friday, October 16, 2009

My Mother's scent

~Classic Chanel No. 5 Perfume Bottle~



My late Mother always wore Chanel No. 5 perfume. She used it sparingly, not wanting to draw too much attention. I loved getting close to her and catching the faintest scent of her perfume. As a young girl I asked on several special occasions when I could have my own bottle of Chanel. Her answer was always the same- 'you are far too young to wear perfume'.



~Ali MacGraw for Chanel No. 5~

Fast forward to the early 70's. I had just seen Love Story for the first time. I was very taken with Ali MacGraw's character. I started wearing knitted caps just like the ones she wore in the movie. I wore cute plaid skirts with black tights and found a great vintage pea coat in the Army surplus shop.


Then... I saw Ali in a Chanel ad. That's it! I had to have my own Chanel. After all, if Ali had it, certainly I could dab a touch on from time to time. I was mature for my age and would wear it cautiously.



~Chanel No. 5 Eau de Toilette~



My first bottle arrived in the form of the lighter scent of eau de toilette. It also arrived with explicit instructions on it's use... Just a tiny amount right behind my ears- "that's it Debra~ no more".


I still have that empty bottle tucked away. There were a few more of those before I was given my first gorgeous and much sought-after, highly coveted bottle of Chanel No. 5 Perfume.



It was a small bottle and I remember looking at it longingly in the department stores...and it was expensive back then. I had to make this last, as I may not receive such a gift again. I kept it in the refrigerator unless I was having girlfriends in and we were spending any time in my bedroom. Then it came upstairs to my bedroom to it's place of honor where anyone entering couldn't miss it.




~Classic Chanel No. 5 Bottle~

Then several years later my parents gave me this, the stunning, large,classic bottle with stopper. I was elated~ in Chanel Heaven

~*~

I also have that bottle tucked away.



It's been many years since that first bottle. I still love the delicate scent of just a touch of the perfume behind my ears... 'that's it Debra...no more'. Overdone, it can be nauseating {and I do loathe using that word in a post such as this}.




~Chanel No. 5~
~*~

I would love to hear of special memories around a favorite fragrance of yours.

The lovely blog Mimi Charmante is having a fabulous give-away.
If you haven't visited ~ you must. Kimberly's sense of style, gorgeous photography and her love of home and family will have her as part of your morning coffee.



Images:
Google search
My personal file

11 comments:

  1. I keep going back to Chanel 5 when ever I buy a new fragance, but I think I'm still not ready to wear that scent. The one I wore during summer from Chanel, was Chanel Mademoiselle. The other day I was on a search for more an autumn/winter fragance , tried number 5 again, but came home with Juicy Couture...(??)...I'll keep trying though ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. You sure know how to "open the proverbial can of worms"- I worked in college in Atlanta in the hosiery department next to the fragrance "Tea Rose" and let me tell you just the thought makes me nauseous, so there is a thing such as "you pay for what you get" and expensive perfume or fragrance should be dabbed behind the ears.
    My new love is "van clef and arpels" -gardenia petale no.10015AA
    (collection extraordinaire)
    Just a dab and no more~
    pve

    ReplyDelete
  3. My Mother wears Calvin Klein's "Obsession" ever so gently behind her ears. When I hug her (which is alot), I always smell that soft powdery scent which I associate with my Mom.

    As for me, I generally wear Imperio Armani "Mania for women". It is warm w/alittle bit of soft spice. I've had both women and men ask me what scent it is. I guess it's well liked. Personally, I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. A very sweet post, filled with fond memories. I like scents that are light with a hint of sweet scent. Have a golden weekend my friend. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your post took my mind back to my early 20s when I too thought Chanel was the last word in class. I love the look of those bottles and just a dab behind the ear was the right amount!

    My quest for Chanel back in the day led me to Saks 5th Avenue and at my young age it was way too expensive but, being Ina, of course I splurged. Then I found my next quest item..... the Louis Vuitton handbag... another story for another day....

    Thanks for the memory Debra dear, this was a gorgeous post. Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a beautiful post. I love a classic scent. I have a bottle of Jot on my dresser that I just can't part with.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I loved this post...I always remember my mom's perfume and how I loved to smell it on her when I was little. She wears somethign different now, but it will always remind me of her. Have a wonderful weekend, Debra! xo

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a lovely post - your dear Mum was obviously a woman of great style & excellent taste Debra. I'm a perfume gal, & yes less is more. But if a pass one more young girl who almost bowls me over with that chocolately 'aroma' of Angel by Thierry Mugler I'll well & truly spit the dummy!
    Millie ^_^

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Followers