No. 19 Parfum
Chanel (1971)

~HEAVEN~ in a bottle, iris, neroli, narcissus & galbanum on steroids... I was gifted a parfum/extrait tester from a friend who happened to have owned a parfumerie in Brisbane Australia back in the early to late seventies, the juice was the colour of a deep brassy golden verdant green and quite oily to the touch also extremely concentrated (1st formula), that 59ml.bottle lasted for about 5 years, not the lime green thin fizzy lolly water on offer now. I was 20 back then and remember visiting the boutique often, sadly my friend relocated back to Sweden, so many bargains to be had, all of those Guerlain extraits with their beige silk sealing cords and plenty of No.22 parfum as well, those were the days to be sure & never to pass this way again. "une telle tragedie"
The original formula was much richer, darker & not as cold hearted and much sharper than the more modern iterations... overall my favorite CHANEL in extrait/parfum, absolute perfection... I just luv narcissus absolute, here in No.19 it keeps the bitterness in check while rounding out all of the other woods & florals, sheer magic, I always have this gorgeous, pure extract in my naturals collection.

A few weeks back, a wonderful BN friend (thank you, Maggie!), sent me samples of vintage No. 19, and one evening while watching The Third Man for the umpteenth time, I absently sprayed on a bit of the extrait. As Joseph Cotten proceeded to fall ever deeper for the mysterious Anna, I became subliminally aware of the most bewitching, mossy-green scent--a mysterious and haunting fragrance that felt utterly a part of the whispery, rain-shadowed streets and alleyways of vintage Vienna. The only question was whether Anna would ever forget Harry, and how had I lived for so long without this intriguing and extraordinary scent.

In the past I had never considered myself a 'green scent' person, even though I love anything that reminds me of the natural world. Most of my feeling stemmed (sorry!) from the fact that green chypres are often painfully sharp and/or stabbingly bitter (looking at you, Mito and Le Sillage Blanc). Here though, No 19's pure parfum adds in just enough florals--orris, rose, l.o.v., narcissus, jasmine, ylang-ylang--to create a slightly softer nose-feel. Yes, this scent is still definitely austere, and it still smells as sappy as a newly snapped stem, but it is also just floral enough to feel plush and (almost) romantic. it is this push-pull tension between the languid and rooty iris and the tangy green galbanum that keeps me intrigued and enamored for the hours and hours that it lasts. Plus (and this is a *big* plus for me), there is a distinct element of smokey leather in the base notes that makes the whole thing about as sophisticated as a perfume can be.

And since I haven't seen it posted much anywhere, I just have to repeat Luca Turin's summation of No. 19 here: "Chanel's mastery of raw materials and orchestration shines through. Starting with a tremendous leafy-peppery green as of the earthy breath of a lush jungle after a storm, the genius of 19 lies in maintaining this unripe greenness like a tense unresolved musical chord to the very end, without succumbing to sweetness. The rigor of intellectual elegance and restraint. An absolute masterpiece."

For once, I agree with LT unequivocally.