Une Fleur de Chanel (1998)
by Chanel

I remember this one - I managed to get hold of one of the last few bottles from the Chanel boutique on Bond Street. It was not so much a floral as a walk though a garden - I could smell rose and jasmine and something green, with a gentle woody note somewhere in the drydown - but nothing overwhelming.

As I said I was walking through this garden, smelling the flowers on each side as I passed, but _not_ burying my nose in a boquet. This was quite gentle; beautifully constructed and (if only Chanel would re-issue it, perhaps as part of their boutique range) I would want to have it back in my wardrobe.

What does anyone want from a fragrance? Il doit, avant tout, sentir bon - that's the first thing. It must be interesting, well-constructed, have something to say from headnote to drydown, all that, but beyond that point there are no rules. Anyone can have in their wardrobe fragrances that are light, rich, citrussy, floral, chypre, incense - any of those (preferably not all at once). It is, dare I say, a bit boring to stick to just one fragrance and the fragrance that you will wear at any one time will depend upon how you feel, what you will be doing, the weather - loads of different things. When I wore Une Fleur I felt beautiful: it provided uplift to my spirit. I could do with more of that.

11th August, 2010.

I wanted to be impressed with Une Fleur de Chanel afterall, it is Chanel and besides, what could go wrong with a bouquet of flowers?

Indeed, it does smell like a well crafted unidentifiable flower as if the House of Chanel has totally recreated in the minds, a flower we've never seen before. It does have an issue of being on the synthetic side and strong aldehydes which is a Chanel signature.

The issue? Well, I had the comment, "Did you just spray the ABC air-freshener in the room?" Unfortunately, when I did a comparison check. Yes. it did smelt like I sprayed ABC in the room. Ouch. I did very much want to like this.

19th August, 2009.

Despite the name 'Une Fleur', this fragrance is a bouquet of flowers. I get quite a bit of Gardenia, and in many ways this fragrance is a derivative of Chanel's own Gardenia, but I also get a number of other white florals as well in the mix. My skill at identifying single floral notes from a bouquet is limited, but I believe I sense ylang, jasmine, and lilac along with the gardenia. This was a limited edition from nearly 10 years ago, but bottles are around. Worth getting for Chanel fans.

30th April, 2009.

This fragrance is very different for the house of Chanel. By the name, I excpected to sample a soliflore ~ which was not the case. Actually, this juice is light and green in composition...notes beautifully blended, not sweet at all. The name Une Fleur is fitting because it is mild...unlike many other florals out there that sort of 'throw the whole garden into the mix'! When sampling this scent, it was as though I was sniffing a single nameless bloom ~ soft & demure. The scent itself is reminiscent of Anais Anais. If you don't typically choose florals this one might please you!

13rd January, 2007. (Last Edited: 17th April, 2008.)

Une Fleur is a limited-edition green floral launched in 1998. An interesting story behind this one...Karl Lagerfield commissioned nose Jacques Polge to create a perfume based on the camellia flower (Coco Chanel's favorite). "Based on.." because the camellia flower has no smell! As a result, Une Fleur is an abstract creation, taking visual cues from the flower (which looks pretty enough) and previous attempts at its 'scent' to come up with a familiar yet unique take on this 'ghost flower'.

The opening is a sweet, radiant citrus burst immediately followed by a blooming jasmine heart. This is jasmine stripped off its indolic tones and presented with its sweet, rich floral aroma upfront. An engineering act is performed in the heart notes...a rose note is twirled with the star jasmine to give it brightness and, I think, is also responsible for stripping away any unneeded arse notes. While this jasmine-rose act is going on, a green stem-like note (is it galbanum?) helicopters over and brushes this floral dance with a verdant greenness.

Une Fleur packs a punch for the first couple of hours before settling into a woody-green base. The jasmine and rose are good quality and if you are a fan of green florals but want one presented as an easy-to-wear potion, this may be right up your alley. Does it feature earth shattering originality and ingredients? No. But for Chanel completionists who want to smell what Coco Chanels favorite ghost flower smelled like, Une Fleur could be irresistible.

Rating: 7.5/10.0

2nd August, 2006. (Last Edited: 20th October, 2009.)