What, if anything, is Chanel Number 6?
And, is it better than 5?
There’s no Chanel No 6, but there is Chanel No 19 which I always wondered why Dad didn’t buy because it was obviously better than No 5. As I recall, it was cheaper than No. 5 too.
I use Rancid Polecat Number Two. It keeps my skin nice and scaly.
I like #4711, myself. Yeah, its a real thing. Not made by Chanel, obviously.
And of course…No. 666
That smells a bit like brimstone.
Since this is in GQ, I assume you want a serious answer. If so, the Wikipedia article says that Coco Chanel had an affinity for the number five. “At the age of twelve, Chanel was handed over to the care of nuns, and for the next six years spent a stark, disciplined existence in a convent orphanage, Aubazine, founded by 12th century Cistercians in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of central France. From her earliest days there, the number five had potent associations for her. For Chanel, the number five was especially esteemed as signifying the pure embodiment of a thing, its spirit, its mystic meaning. The paths that led Chanel to the cathedral for daily prayers were laid out in circular patterns repeating the number five.”
I had a girlfriend once who wore Chanel 22. I don’t love perfumes but I liked that one.
So, the GQ answer is, there are at least two other numbered Chanel perfumes.
When I was a child, my mother wore Chanel No. 5. She no longer wears it, but smelling it instantly reminds me of her.
I remember trying No. 19 and No. 22, but didn’t really like either of them.
It doesn’t look like anything but No. 5 and No 19 (of numbered perfumes) are currently sold by Chanel - though they sell other named fragrances (Chance, Gabrielle, Allure…).
A good department store or Sephora will carry the most popular Chanel perfumes - fragrance is a high personal thing, so better is really in the eye of the beholder. (It also, like everything else, goes through cycles of popularity).
Since Chanel died in 1971, maybe it would be in questionable taste to introduce a new numbered perfume with her name on it?
And yet they’ve got one called “Coco”.
Absolutely love Chanel Number 5. “Number 19” and “Chance” are nice too.