Tailored to perfection

In the center of the hall surrounded by curtains made of Chanel fabric lies the work table used by Lagerfeld at 31 rue Cambon. Sketches and signage offer visitors additional insight into the creative process of the design studio.

The second staircase leads to the house of Chanel N°5, home to one of the world's most famous perfumes.

The exhibition hall is designed like a garden, where flowers bloom and plants greet the visitor with a flutter of their leaves. The space is laced with the fragrance of the latest interpretation of the perfume, Chanel N°5 L'eau, which is vaporized from a giant bottle in the center of the hall.

When Coco Chanel and perfumer Ernest Beaux created N°5 in 1921, they broke from the tradition of "soliflores"－perfumes associated with a single scent. Chanel asked Beaux for "a perfume that is artificial like a dress, in other words fabricated ... I don't want rose or lily of the valley, I want a perfume that is composed."

Named after the designer's lucky number, the result is an abstract fragrance with a sense of "something indescribable and mysterious," says Olivier Polge, Chanel's in-house perfume creator.

Polge developed N°5 L'eau in 2017: "It was interesting to re-express our identity in a contemporary and futuristic way, while keeping the structure and key ingredients from N°5."