Chanel dropped its first-ever advent calendar to celebrate 100 years of Chanel No 5. For some reason, this reminds me of the song mambo number 5, anyway, lets virtually unbox Chanel’s advent calendar and reveal all the drama it created.Â
Chanel Advent Calendar’s official name is “N°5” a.k.a. Limited Edition The Calendar. According to Chanel’s website, “In 1921, Gabrielle Chanel smashed the codes of perfumery with N°5. A radical creation that revolutionized the traditions of its era. A design piece turned icon with an unmistakable bottle. To celebrate the holiday season and mark 100 years of the legendary fragrance, CHANEL presents a first-of-its-kind calendar crafted in the timeless silhouette of the N°5 flacon. Count down to the holidays with this collector’s item featuring 27 boxes numbered from 5 to 31, filled with mysterious delights and surprises. A piece to treasure for years to come.”Â
I mean, you would think to yourself, ‘wow, 27 boxes of Chanel products is a dream,’ but not everyone agreed with that, especially ones who purchased it with, well…a lot of money. This limited edition calendar is priced at $825 and composed of:
5. N°5 Eau de Parfum Spray 0.05 fl. oz.
Miniature bottle of N°5 Eau de Parfum. A collector’s item to treasure forever.
6. The Tree Ornament
Tree ornament shaped like the N°5 bottle.
7. N°5 L’EAU On Hand Cream 1.7 fl. oz.
Moisturizing hand cream scented with the notes of N°5 L’EAU. Full size.
8. The Pouch
Black-and-white pouch with the N°5 logo design.
9. The Keyboard Stickers (Set of 12)
Computer keyboard stickers inspired by the world of N°5.
10. The Snow Globe
Snow globe tree ornament containing a miniature likeness of the N°5 bottle.
11. ROUGE ALLURE VELVET in 58 Rouge Vie
Luminous lipstick in a crimson-red shade. Miniature size.
12. The Perfumable Ceramic
Ceramic N°5-shaped bottle that can be scented with the notes of the fragrance.
13. The Sticker
Exclusive sticker designed to resemble the wax seal on the N°5 Parfum bottle.
14. LE VERNIS in 528 Rouge Puissant
Long-lasting nail colour in a fiery-red shade. Full size.
15. The Magnetic Bookmark
Double-sided magnetic bookmark with the N°5 Parfum bottle design.
16. N°5 L’EAU Eau de Toilette Spray 0.05 fl. oz.
Miniature bottle of N°5 L’EAU. A collector’s item to treasure forever.
17. The Ceramic Bracelet
Black ceramic bracelet designed to resemble the wax seal on the N°5 Parfum bottle.
18. The 3-Piece Sticker Set
Decorative black-and-white stickers inspired by N°5 and its aesthetic codes.
19. The N°5 Key Ring
Key ring featuring three decorative elements: a miniature likeness of the N°5 bottle, a CHANEL ribbon and a monogram pendant.
20. ROUGE ALLURE in 176 Indépendante
Exclusive creation inspired by N°5: a powerful, radiant lipstick in a limited-edition click case embossed with the number five. Full size.
21. The Mirror
Compact mirror shaped like the N°5 bottle.
22. The 3D Sticker
Puffy sticker with the N°5 Parfum bottle design.
23. The Key Ring
Key ring designed to resemble the wax seal on the N°5 Parfum bottle.
24. The Flipbook
Animated flipbook.
25. N°5 Eau de Parfum Spray 1.2 fl. oz.
N°5 Eau de Parfum. The legendary, timeless fragrance. Full size.
26. The BookmarkÂ
Golden metal bookmark adorned with a five, Gabrielle Chanel’s lucky number.
27. N°5 The Bath Soap 2.6 oz.
Hand and body soap scented with the notes of N°5.
28. The Embroidered Stickers (Set of 3)
Decorative embroidered stickers inspired by N°5 and its aesthetic codes. Stickers cannot be removed once applied.
29. The Pin
Black-and-white pin with the N°5 Parfum bottle design.
30. N°5 The Body Cream 0.2 oz.
Moisturizing body cream scented with the notes of N°5.
31. The Bracelet
Bracelet adorned with a five, Gabrielle Chanel’s lucky number.Â
The No5 Calendar led to many unsatisfied customers and the not very desired feedback on social media, especially for such a luxury brand. Customers say they don’t pay all that to get magnets, stickers, a plastic snow globe and an empty branded pouch/dust bag.Â
TikToker Elise Harmon has gone viral for her public unboxing of the item. She gave the packaging a “10/10” but she was surprised when she first opened No. 9 as she said, “This has to be a joke. Stickers? Stickers?”
Chanel’s president of fashion, Bruno Pavlovsky, told WWD that the brand had not expected there to be so much controversy over the calendar.
“This controversy is a bit of a shame because it was not what Chanel intended. Chanel thought it would please some of its customers by offering this type of product. Evidently, we see that you have to be careful and therefore, in future, we will certainly be much more cautious,” he said.
Harmon added in another tiktok video that Chanel’s TikTok account blocked her.
In response to that Chanel said, “We have never blocked access to the Chanel TikTok account to anyone, because it is simply not active. It has never been activated, no content has ever been published, it has no subscriber and no subscription. The page therefore appears empty to anyone who visits it… When Ms. Harmon visited our page, she naturally found the usual message that she could not access this account, just like anyone else on the network,” it added.
“We are very committed to sharing our world and our creations with our followers on social networks. Our pages are open to everyone, and millions of followers follow us all over the world. They are of course free to express their feelings and opinions, whether they are enthusiastic or critical, if they respect the rules of good conduct in accordance with the uses of social networks—no defamation, calls to violence, threats or intimidation,” Chanel said.
At the end of the day, despite all the controversy Chanel remains a top luxury brand that just needs to “read the room” and keep producing fancy beauty and fashion products.
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