LIFE BY LEXUS 22


T


he idea of creating something that could be used to hold liquid had humble beginnings – early Egyptians used containers made of wood and clay. The first glass vessels were made in about


1500BC, again in Egypt and also in Mesopotamia. From there, things got moving and became rather creative. For scented concoctions, the Babylonians preferred glass bottles made in beautiful colours. The ancient Greeks created hand-painted vases that were often shaped like animals, while the Romans used precious stones that had been hollowed out to hold their perfumes.


THE SIMPLICITY OF DESIGN Today we’re living in an era of fine-looking flaçon


design (the industry term for perfume bottles) and an overwhelming array of choices. Competition, however, breeds shrewd invention. Take Chanel’s creative approach to the lightweight, yet clean-lined Gabrielle Chanel EDP flaçon, the brainchild of Sylvie Legastelois, Director of Packaging Design & Identity for the brand. It’s almost a whisper of a bottle, in line with the


house’s desire to make the fragrance itself the hero and let the simple flaçon fade away with exceptionally fine glasswork. The stopper’s neither silver nor gold (think lamé), again to avoid making a big bottle statement. Chanel cleverly upturned the concept that a luxury fragrance must be contained in a heavy, equally opulent bottle and has instead opted for delicacy, allowing the focus to turn on the contents of the flaçon.


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“LUXURY IS WHAT YOU DON’T SEE.” – COCO CHANEL, ICONIC DESIGNER AND FOUNDER OF THE HOUSE OF CHANEL


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MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE So what’s inside the flaçon? The “juice” (another


industry term to describe the actual scent) is a luminous-toned floral. As Olivier Polge, parfumier for the House of Chanel, puts it: “White flowers are a stronger reflection of our time.” Accordingly, he created a carefully thought-through bouquet of tuberose blended with orange blossom, jasmine and ylang-ylang.


Gabrielle Chanel is a refreshingly modern fragrance and happily erases all memories of potpourri-hazed scents that cloy to the skin, even after a lengthy shower. The result is a contemporary, abstract white floral which has true classic potential.


2. Sylvie Legastelois, Director of Packaging Design & Identity for


Chanel. 3. Gabrielle Chanel EDP (R2 465 for 100ml) is available from Edgars and Woolworths outlets.


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