We’ve all heard the story: Marilyn Monroe is asked what she wears to bed, and she responds, fabulous and coy as ever, “Chanel N°5 .” With Chanel’s latest N°5-inspired collection, launched just in time for gifting season, it’s easier than ever to imagine how a single scent could fulfil your every need, no matter the occasion – bed, or otherwise.

 

First developed in 1921 by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel and Russian-French perfumer Ernest Beaux, Chanel N°5 is a cultural touchstone as well as a fragrance, notable for its celebrity fans as well as its ardent imitators. It continues to represent the epitome of femininity and allure, 100 years on.

 

Now, the N°5 -inspired collection pays tribute to the fragrance's centenary of influence, by transposing its allure onto a series of products, from jewellery to beauty essentials.

 

In the N°5 Holiday Makeup Collection, the golden tones of the fragrance's recognisable bottle are translated into shimmering dustings for eyes and cheeks, bringing out a natural glow. The Les 4 Ombres eyeshadow palette is reinvented with the N°5 aesthetic, with tiny bottles stamped onto the tonal hues. In classic form, new Rouge Allure lip colours are red, but are given dimension with cool blue undertones, or fiery orange tints.

 

But deciding between all the options can be difficult: thankfully, Chanel’s advent calendar will whisk any decisions straight out of your hands. Shaped like a bottle of N°5, the calendar comprises 27 gifts numbered from five to 31: five for the perfume, and 31 for Coco Chanel’s Paris address on Rue Cambon. It also includes many of the new pieces from the N°5 holiday collection, including new shades in the Rouge Allure lipstick and Le Vernis nail polish, as well as trinkets like a snow globe, a bracelet, and a set of accessories created in homage to the iconic fragrance.

 

But if it’s a purist’s view you’re taking, look no further. In partnership with Baccarat, Chanel has also created a monumental bottle of the perfume, containing exactly 2021mls of the precious liquid. There’s a mathematical beauty to everything: not only does 2021 refer to the year in which Chanel celebrates its centenary, but the digits in the year also add up to five. The auspiciously numbered bottle is paired with a Baccarat crystal wand, for precise application to the olfactory pulse points: the earlobe, the neckline, the wrist. A fragrance of this stature only deserves the best, after all.