Oh, the glamour of it all!

Chanel is producing another soul-crushingly gorgeous commercial for its No. 5 fragrance; Audrey Tautou, from Amelie, will star.  Below are publicity stills from the two-minute-and-25-second ad, which will debut on May 5–88 years, to the day, after Coco Chanel introduced Chanel No. 5.  Audrey stars alongside Travis Davenport, and the two play strangers on the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul.  WWD says:

…the ad evokes the seductive power of a woman’s fragrance. Tautou, who first charmed moviegoers in Jeunet’s 2001 hit “Amélie,” first crosses Davenport aboard the train. Later, both unable to sleep, he lingers outside her cabin. In Istanbul, Tautou misses a riverboat, only to photograph it later from another ship, revealing Davenport on its deck. The ad, which recalls the vibrant colors of “Amélie,” plays out to Billie Holiday’s lilting track “I’m a Fool to Want You” and closes with a shot of the couple embracing, standing atop Chanel’s logo formed in a mosaic.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I cannot stand Chanel No. 5.  I think it smells like the worst kind of musty, mothball, out-of-fashion, great-grandmother smell…and this is from a woman who loves Guerlain Shalimar, the Queen of granny perfumes!  When Coco Chanel created the scent, she famously wanted to invent something synthetic and, quite literally, artificial, so that the wearer’s delicate beauty would be enhanced by contrast.  It relies heavily on synthetic floral aldehydes as top notes, which gives it that distinctive tinny (to my nose, gross) smell.  Fragrance is a super personal thing, however, so Jolie’s trash is another gal’s…well…Chanel No. 5.  But while I dislike the scent, even I must admit the bottles and, of course, the advertisements are to die for!

Photos by Courtesy Photo

Tags: Audrey Tautou, beauty commercials, Chanel, Chanel No. 5, Guerlain Shalimar

This entry was posted on Friday, March 20th, 2009 at 4:17 pm and is filed under BEAUTY BRANDS, FRAGRANCE. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

7 Responses to “Chanel No. 5’s new commercial with Audrey Tautou”

1. Jennifer Says:
   March 20th, 2009 at 6:11 pm

   I am dying with excitement over this! LOVE Audrey Tautou…

   And as a side note I just finished reading Confessions of a Beauty Addict and loved that too Well done!

2. Claire Says:
   March 20th, 2009 at 7:33 pm

   Odd. That’s exactly what I was going to say. I love Audrey Tautou in everything I’ve seen her in, hate Chanel No. 5 and just finished (and loved) your book. What a fun read!

3. April Says:
   March 23rd, 2009 at 8:00 am

   My mom wears Chanel No. 5, and I love it on her, but I don’t like it on myself at all.

   Coco Mademoiselle, on the other hand, I adore.

4. April Says:
   March 23rd, 2009 at 8:05 am

   Also, I have a major crush on Audrey, and I LOVE that they left her hair curly/wavy!

5. Deanna Says:
   May 5th, 2009 at 9:17 am

   Just watched the commercial. A bit over the top…but isn’t romance supposed to be. Audrey Tautou is as stunning as the cinematography. I also dislike the Chanel No 5 scent, but do wear Coco Mademoiselle. I am pretty much a “tomboy” so when I wear it I feel very girly.

6. carl Says:
   September 25th, 2009 at 12:28 am

   LOVE IT SO MUCH

7. uggs Says:
   October 23rd, 2009 at 11:42 pm

   And as a side note I just finished reading Confessions of a Beauty Addict and loved that too Well done!

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