|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A drop is all you need—especially when Chanel No. 5 is concerned. An age-old statement that was once murmured by bonafide beauty Marilyn Monroe and has now manifested itself in a bottle, mirroring the likeness of a single drop. Conceived in 2016 and touted as the fresher and more casual version of No. 5, the No.5 L’Eau needs no introduction. The formula bodes the essential components like aldehyde note, jasmine, rose and ylang-ylang, and pulsates with the addition of citrus and cedarwood. A drop of rebellion if you will; one that radiates with fluidity and reckless abandon.
Now harnessing this sprightly recipe is a second skin of glass—Chanel’s limited edition Drop bottle. A collectible that is rounded and ethereal, like a pebble that fits snugly in the palm of your hand. Clad entirely in glass, the marvel is quick to capture shafts of light—as if to mimic a drop’s fleeting nature—all while reflecting the essence of the signature floral fragrance. Beyond an eminent scent and a collector’s bottle, this freeing manifesto runs deep in the maison’s installation in Hong Kong, where any emotion can transpire through a single drop of Chanel No. 5 L’Eau.
First, a drop of mystery. Sheathed by the allure of mist, comes the first reveal of the glass bottle and fragrance, embedded within hollowed walls. Quickly, I’m lured in to peer closer at the stunning display of glassmaking. Next, a tunnel that beckons a drop of bravery. To urge seekers to take bold steps to cross a bridge surrounded by a rain wall, as sensors summon twinkling, cascading drops to fall.
At the other end of it, I come out dry and unscathed, thankfully, as I enter a light-filled mirrored room. A drop of love, that encourages one to pen down a message of love to oneself, over steamed glass that serves a perfect canvas of condensation. These notes seek to empower, enable and energise, much like the No. 5 L’Eau. ‘Get more sleep’, I eagerly scribbled, while recalling the scant hours of shuteye I had just the night before. Next to my script, encouraging messages by the hands of other guests soon filled the room.
In contrast, the next room is clothed in darkness. As a huge LED screen stood before me, the question was what emotion this room would evoke. Feet firmly above a prompted circle on the floor, the answer eventually came. Activated by sensors, the expansive screen shuffles between fleeting stunning visuals as well as the Chanel No. 5 L’Eau Drop, before a steady heartbeat reverberates off the walls. Not just any heartbeat, but my own. Turns out, the room reflects a drop of desire; evoking the hedonistic emotion of the signature fragrance.
The end had to inevitably fall on a high. A drop of joy, transpiring in an interactive room peppered with illuminating visuals. Activated by my palm to the walls, small gleaming drops that mimic the signature fragrance on screen quickly form a bigger formation, eliciting childlike wonder and play. To immortalise the blithe moment, the journey concludes with a few snaps in the photo booth. Lest we ever forget what a few drops of Chanel No. 5 L’Eau can do.
In stores and online from 14 June. Be one of the first to shop the Chanel No. 5 L’eau Drop here.
