Chanel No. 5, invented in 1920, was the ultimate symbol of Chanel.
Unlike the flowery or romantic perfume names then in vogue, the very name of Chanel No. 5 was ultra modern and abstract. The No. 5 was mysterious and futuristic.
The square bottle and the stark, blank label were totally new-looking at the time: generic and simple. Until then, perfumes were flower scents in ornate flasks carved with cupids, lace, curves and curlicues with poetic, romantic names.
No. 5 made perfume history by mixing 80 natural and artificial scents: It was an "abstract" perfume, because you could not identify what it was. Like abstract art, it was a modern creation.
Chanel No. 5 was the best-selling perfume in the world, and made Chanel one of the richest women in the world.
