Her Name Is Gabrielle

How does one bottle courage and audacity in a flacon? Joyce Cheo journeys to Paris in this BAZAAR exclusive, to discover the fragrance created as an ode to Coco Chanel’s fearless spirit

- Joyce Cheo

It’s 4pm and I’m sitting in a waiting room at Chanel’s Salon Vendôme, admiring the view of the Place Vendôme. The room is decked out in the colours of the House: A plush beige couch, black lacquer shelves and gold wallpaper. I am here to speak to Chanel Perfumer, Olivier Polge, on his latest creation—the brand’s first new feminine fragrance in 15 years. A milestone for a House that’s synonymous with scent, you could say there’s a lot riding on Polge’s latest perfume, Gabrielle.

Barely 20 minutes later and I’m ushered into another room to be warmly greeted by Polge. I catch a glimpse of a luminous flacon from the corner of my eyes: The golden eau is glistening against the afternoon sun, its distinctively-shaped bottle resembling a gem. From first impressions, it certainly looks like Chanel with the clean, graphic edges of its square bottle recalling the hallmarks of Chanel classics such as No.5 and Coco. As I settle into my seat, Polge proceeds to generously spritz a fragrance blotter before handing it to me.