The Secret of Channel No. 5 by Tilar J. Mazzeo - Book Report/Review Example

The Secret of Channel No. 5 by Tilar J. Mazzeo Introduction In his masterpiece, The Secret of Chanel No. 5, the author Tilar J. Mazzeo exposes the suspense behind the name, “Chanel No. 5”. There are hidden secrets behind the world’s best perfume which has been penned down by Mazzeo in this book. (Catton, n.d.) The standard size of the bottle contains thirty milliliter of the perfume and comprises of aromas of the combination of jasmine flowers, May roses and aldehydes. (Jenkins, 2011) The formulation of the perfume was not a unique one but was influenced by the fragrance made in honor of Russian royalty.

(Catton, n.d.) This quintessence of French aroma was manufactured in Hoboken (Catton, n.d.). The creator of the perfume was thought to have believed that people brought the perfume home from Paris as a gift for their girlfriends and wives. (Catton, n.d.) The Secret of Chanel No.5 is a historical fiction which relates to today’s fashion trends. (Mazzeo, 2010 a) It is the 20th and 21st centuries’ obsession and is a desire of possession by each individual. (Jenkins, 2011) The Secret of Chanel No.

5: Reasons behind its Writing It was years ago when the author was greatly attracted by a typical bottle of Rallet no. 1. This was a fragrance created by Ernest Beaux and was famous amongst the Russian majestic family (Catton, n.d.). It was after the 1917 revolution which led to the birth of the world’s most popular perfume, Chanel No. 5 (Catton, n.d.). Philip Kraft, a fragrant chemist proposed to scrutinize the perfume and this led to events which eventually ended up to the invention of the perfume.

(Mazzeo, 2010 a) A plenty of emails were exchanged and also historical documents were bartered. Samples of the prepared fragrance were mailed to one another (Mazzeo, 2010 a). This fascinated the author to pen down this fictional book and the book delves into the history of the perfume, chanel no. 5 from its invention to its current status (Mazzeo, 2010 a). Her bibliography gives us a detailed account of the perfume as well as on artistic and nominal levels (Mazzeo, 2010 a) . She acknowledges Paul Poiret for linking fashion with fragrance.

The story is narrated in a detective story manner. (Mazzeo, 2010 a) The Secret of Chanel No. 5 in a Gist The book is segregated into three portions, namely, 1. “Coco before chanel no. 5”, 2. “Love and war” and 3. “The life as an icon”. (“The Secret of Chanel No. 5”, 2010) The story begins with a melancholy note tat Gabrielle Chanel is nurtured at the Aubazine orphanage. She was cast off by her father. “What she lived with always, however, were Aubazine’s smells. They were the bracing scents of order and severity.

It was the scent of everything that was clean.” (Mazzeo, 2010 b: 8) The story delves into the eventual rise of Chanel to stardom in fashion and her relationship with men such as Etienne Balsan and Dmitri Pavlovich Romanov (Mazzeo, 2010 a). Romanov introduced her to the inventor of the perfume, Rallet no. 1 (Mazzeo, 2010 a). The suspense in the story is resolved anticlimactically (Mazzeo, 2010 a) She has mentioned minor uncertainties in the form of attention-grabbing information about the perfume, chanel no. 5. (Mazzeo, 2010 a) Conclusion While all perfumes move out of trend over time, the chanel no.

5 perfume has always been in trend since its time of invention. This is the major question dealt with in the book by Tilar J. Mazzeo, “the secret of chanel no. 5: the intimate history of the world’s most famous perfume”. She chases away certain mythology and substitutes them with particulars. (“The Secret of Chanel No. 5”, 2010) She concludes that the true secret behind the success of the perfume is its indescribable quality. It acquired an existence in the minds of those who cherished and esteemed it.

(“The Secret of Chanel No. 5”, 2010) The most attracting and interesting part of the book was that the perfume was distributed amongst the middle class people during the Second World War. It was in an epoch of allowance and making do that the perfume, “chanel no. 5” became the critical pictogram of opulence. (“The Secret of Chanel No. 5”, 2010) References Catton, Pia. (n.d.). “Sweet Smell of Success.” The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704312504575618581112340888.

html accessed on 1st Apr, 2011. Jenkins, Jessica. (2011). “Following the Scent”. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/books/review/Jenkins-t.html accessed on 1st Apr, 2011. Mazzeo, Tilar. (2010 a). :The Secret of Chanel No 5 by Tialr J. Mazzeo: Book Review: Secret No.5”. Bois de Jasmin. http://boisdejasmin.typepad.com/_/2010/11/the-secret-of-chanel-no-5-by-tilar-j-mazzeo-book-review.html accessed on 30th Mar, 2011. Mazzeo, Tilar. (2010 b). The Secret of Chanel No. 5: The Intimate History of the World’s Most Famous Perfume.

New York: HarperCollins, pg-8. “The Secret of Chanel No. 5 by Tilar J. Mazzeo (Book Review)”. (2010). Yesterday’s Perfume. http://yesterdaysperfume.typepad.com/yesterdays_perfume/2010/12/the-secret-of-chanel-no-5-by-tilar-j-mazzeo-book-review.html accessed on 30th Mar, 2011