At this Chanel event, discover perfumes inspired by Gabrielle Chanel and maybe even find your signature scent

Many of us might be already familiar with the life of Gabrielle Chanel, but have you ever wondered what it's like if her story was told through perfume smells?

At the ongoing Chanel Parfumeur Masterclass: A Fragrance Experience located at CQ @ Clarke Quay, visitors can enter a "maze" to explore milestone moments in her illustrious career and intriguing life by way of 19 unique fragrances created by master perfumers – and by the end of their visit, get a chance to discover which perfume suits them.

The event, which runs until Jun 2, is the first and only stop in Southeast Asia. Aside from the showcase that's open to the public, there's also a by-invite-only perfume masterclass. 

THE LES EXCLUSIFS MAZE

The public exhibition space, which I checked out, features the Chanel's Les Exclusifs de Chanel collection of perfumes, all of which reference different aspects of the French house's founder. 

Take, for example, the Comete. The newest addition to the collection was inspired by Gabrielle’s iconic Comete necklace from her legendary 1932 Bijoux de Diamante High Jewellery collection.

So what exactly does a comet smell like? "Like stardust," Chanel's head nose Olivier Polge cheekily said when it was first launched. The ethereal scent had a floral aura of cherry blossom, iris and heliotrope.

Walking through the maze, I was instinctively drawn to the Coromandel showcase. I’ve seen countless photos of Gabrielle's ornately decorated apartment on the ritzy Rue Cambon. Famously, the rooms are lined with elaborate Chinois coromandel screens.

What's her apartment supposed to smell like? Taking a whiff of the ceramic blotter, I detected woody patchouli, swirls of frankincense and a sweet vanilla note.

Elsewhere, Boy Chanel was a nod to Arthur “Boy” Capel, who Gabrielle proclaimed to be the “love of her life”. But could their love story be bottled? The botanical and woody accents of the scent seemed to transcend gender. I couldn’t decide whether its masculine-feminine nature was designed for Gabrielle or Arthur. Or maybe both, a sign of their inseparable bond?

WHAT’S MY FRAGRANCE PERSONALITY?

After walking through the Les Exclusifs de Chanel exhibit, I found myself at the Les Caracteres Bar, where a Chanel fragrance expert took me through a tarot reading-styled personality test of sorts.

“How big is your fragrance wardrobe?” she enquired gently. “Do you prefer light or strong scents?” What she was really trying to do was casually find out about my tangible and intangible traits.

I candidly admitted that I struggled to find scent profiles and notes I like on my skin. For as long as I can remember, I had always imagined that I enjoyed zesty notes best, but in the past year, I found myself turning to warm woody profiles that feel like a warm hug on a cold day.

She explained that it is common for our olfactory senses to evolve every three years or so. Our lifestyles are constantly evolving so why wouldn’t our senses? And that our connection to fragrances is impacted by our thoughts and emotions more often than we care to admit.

The idea of a gleaming, floral-scented comet from earlier spoke to the wannabe-astrologer in me, which explains why I immediately took to the Comete. As I took another whiff of it, I involuntarily visualised a sparkling stardust trail. Seems like the fanciful description worked.

I was also presented with a deck of cards and asked to pick two. Each one bore a specific character trait, such as Depth, Spirituality, Optimism and Confidence. I chose Ease (because I wanted my scent to always put me at ease) and Spirit (I reckoned that a perfume should speak to one’s inner self).

Up next, I was to select a picture card. “Pick the visual that appeals to you, don’t overthink,” guided my beauty advisor. With the scintillating stardust trail still clear as day in my mind, I spotted the Comete card effortlessly from among the sea of other cards.

Based on her psychoanalytic skills and my chosen cards, she presented three perfume options that she figured I will likely take to.

The first one, in response to the Spirit card I chose, was of course, Comete. Susan Miller would approve.

As for Ease, even though Cuir De Russie veers towards the heavier side of the olfactory, it ticked the box of making me feel safe thanks to its warm and smoky woody, tobacco-y quality. The voluptuous yet comforting scent put me at ease immediately.

The third was what she cheekily referred to as a wild card. At the start of my session, she shared that the Les Exclusifs’ interpretation of Gardenia was unlike any gardenia flower, which piqued my interest.

Created in 1925 by Gabrielle, she envisioned Gardenia in the image of her favourite camellia flower. The catch was that camellias don't have a smell. So I simply imagined how Gabrielle envisoned it be. In my mind, I had a black and white image of the flower but each time I inhaled, the image slowly turned into a coloured one. Bright yet feminine, this imagery of the gardenia flower didn’t have its signature sweet and creamy smell but instead bore pronounced accents of jasmine and orange blossom.

I was told that the Les Caracteres de Chanel fragrance personality test was devised to help one discover his or her inner self. I felt comforted by the fact that my seemingly abrupt switch from fresh to warm profiles was a rite of passage. The 50-minute session felt almost like an affirmation.

The Chanel Parfumeur Masterclass: A Fragrance Experience was as much a journey of self-discovery as it was an introduction into the universe of Les Exclusifs de Chanel fragrances. Sign up here to get in on this brand-new experience.

Chanel Parfumeur Masterclass at The Warehouses, CQ @ Clarke Quay, Block B #B1-08, 3B River Valley Road runs till Jun 2. (Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays: 11am to 9pm; Fridays to Sundays and public holidays: 10am to 9pm)