There’s a new bar in town. Part of a new Chanel boutique of beauty at Holt Renfrew’s Bloor St., Toronto location, the glamorous Olfactive Bar is one of only four in the world. Luxurious in gold, beige, black and elegant tweed, the fragrance space is the showcase, with Chanel’s rich perfume history on display and arranged by fragrance family (citrus, floral, chypre and so on) and brand (Allure, Chance, Coco). The Les Exclusifs collection of 12 special fragrances celebrating Madame Chanel’s own perfume and style history is also available here.
Key to the scent experience in the boutique is the unique ceramic blotters Chanel’s fragrance experts use to offer a sense of a perfume’s composition. No spritzed strips of paper here. The blotters are slim ceramic wands, glazed but for the tips, which are soaked in scent for 30 minutes once per week. Unlike paper blotters, on which you get the scent of alcohol and wet paper along with just a perfume’s top notes, the porous wand tips of Chanel’s ceramic blotters release the full range of top, middle and base notes to give a true olfactory taste of a fragrance.
The boutique is now open on the first floor of Holt Renfrew, 50 Bloor St. W.
Images courtesy of Chanel.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hmm, so which scent did you test drive? Don’t you adore Chanel #5? My sister wore it for years, it really suited her. I like Coco :) So this is in Holt Renfew, sigh, how delicious! Did you see their new ad for the Burberry heart rainboots and tote bag, who knew pink could be so alluring?
Actually I’m a citrus, acquatic, fresh florals kind of girl. Cristalle called to me most. Oddly, though, my sister also used to wear Chanel No. 5; it suited her too!
According to martiniboys, Holt Renfrew is opening a temporary pop-up shop next week on King West: http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/club-news-1300-Holt-Renfrew-Pop_d_Up-Shop.html
Yes, I spotted that on Twitter. Kinda neat, yes?