Thursday, September 9, 2010

SOTD: Chanel #19 extrait

Confession: I have what I would consider an extravagant amount of Chanel #19 in extrait. And for someone with an already ridiculous collection, that's saying something. Before getting such things was as obscenely expensive as it now is on the flea bay, I bought two (why on earth did I think I'd need two???) 1-oz flacons of extrait. It was early in my perfume obsession, is the only way I can account for such silliness. Now I know better: if I have a half ounce of something I absolutely love in extrait, I'm pretty much set for life on that one. When I have a lot of something, I feel the need to wear it frequently in proportion. With #19 this is difficult, because it just doesn't go that well with sunny weather, and, um, well, I live in Texas, of all places. Not to mention the buttoned-up quality of the scent, which has often been described as having a bitch-on-wheels kind of severity. I only wear it to work, because it just doesn't fit with my weekend life in laid-back Austin. But today! In overcast, post-Hermine, muggy weather, I biked to work in #19, and it was perfect. So for today at least, I'm a bitch on wheels, wearing #19 to kick some editorial ass.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

You know, Ihaven't tried that, besides a quick snigg of the EdT in the department store. i should get a decant. I'll have plenty of overcast weather for the next few months up here in Canada.

Martha said...

Yes yes yes! The Best Perfume. At least, No. 19 extrait is _always_ in my top five, while all other members of the top five come and go.

I think that I have just about one ounce total myself, in four different containers. (Half ounce, quarter ounce, bitty holiday bottle, and decant.) No matter how much I love it, I don't wear it enough and wear enough of it per wearing to justify owning any more, though the urge to hoard is very strong for this one.

Aimée L'Ondée said...

@kjanicki, yes! I think slightly severe perfumes are at their most excellent when there's some humidity in the air. And that Chanel iris just glows in extrait! The edt is more about the galbanum.

@ChickenFreak,the urge to hoard is very strong, indeed!

Unknown said...

Aimee,

I'm amazed at what the Austin heat does to perfume...I recently moved from San Francisco, and I'm having to reacquaint myself with my own collection! Just curious -- are there any perfume events in Austin?

Aimée L'Ondée said...

Hi Gillian, welcome to Austin! Yeah, the city heat makes a lot of perfumes that are on the dry or spicy side feel kinda skinny and weedy, I think.

I wish there were perfume events here. Not that I've heard of. Any other Austin perfumistas who knows of any, feel free to pipe up!

ScentScelf said...

Way late to the party, we'll see if you find me on your doorstep...

...but when No. 19 comes up, I have to chime in. Not only because I love it, but because the extrait is, IMHO, a smooth operator. So many of the sharp bits from the edp or edt get embedded in a smooth finish...it's like the bitch is just a face that can be seen in a beautiful terrazzo floor from certain angles. I do, do love it so.

But then, a spritz of vintage edp is killah, what with both the terrazzo and the knives in play. :)