Traditionally fragrance worn by women had adhered to two basic categories. “Respectable” women favored the pure essence of a single garden flower. Sexually provocative perfumes heavy with animal musk or jasmine were associated with women of the demi-monde, prostitutes or courtesans.[2] Chanel felt the time was right for the debut of a scent that would epitomize the boyish, modern flapper that would speak to the liberated spirit of the 1920s.
Chanel’s initial marketing strategy was to generate a buzz around her new fragrance by hosting what was essentially a promotional event. She invited a group of elite friends to dine with her in an elegant restaurant in Grasse where she surprised and delighted her guests by spraying them with Chanel No. 5. The official launch place and date of Chanel No. 5 was in her rue Cambon boutique in the fifth month of the year, on the fifth day of the month: May 5, 1921. Chanel’s mystical obsession with the number five again proved to be her lucky charm. She infused the shop’s dressing rooms with the scent, and gifted a select few of her high society friends with bottles. The success of Chanel No. 5 was immediate and phenomenal.
In the 1950s the glamour of Chanel No. 5 was reignited by the celebrity of Marilyn Monroe. Monroe's unsolicited endorsement of the fragrance provided invaluable publicity. In a 1954 interview, when asked what she wore to bed, the movie star provocatively responded: “five drops of Chanel No. 5.”
