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 Although the
first Chanel women's perfume was presented as early as 1921, the legendary Coco
Chanel spent much less time and effort on the creation of men's fragrances. The
first Chanel fragrance for men - Pour Monsieur - was created more than three
decades after the launch of the French perfume brand, in 1955. It was meant to
be the «Chanel No.5» for men and quickly became a classic. However, the most
successful Chanel fragrances for men were conceived when the great Coco was
already gone. Chanel Antaeus is one of them, a scent that perfectly captures
the spirit of a male powerhouse fragrance of the 1980s.
In 1980-s,
men's interest in perfumery was finally legalized: young, bold and handsome Europeans
and Americans were no longer afraid of being accused of feminization. Empowered
by the momentum, they spent on fragrances nearly as much as women did, and
men's perfumery market began to grow rapidly which phenomenon was immediately exploited
by the many perfume brands as they saw their future in the finely manicured
hands of the men. The Chanel Fashion House was among the first to recognize the
incipient changes, presenting Antaeus in 1981, shortly after Karl Lagerfeld was
introduced as the head designer at Chanel.
Antaeus was
created by Jacques Polge, the famous «Chanel nose», who composed a number of
iconic Chanel fragrances, including Chanel Allure, Chanel Egoiste, Emanuel
Ungaro Senso, and Chanel Coco. In Antaeus, the famous perfumer managed to
combine all the trends of the 80-s. The new Chanel fragrance shamelessly
advertised the wearer's virility like an open declaration of blatant machismo, combines
power and complexity with the sensuality of seduction. Chanel Antaeus makes its
wearers more masculine and sexy, though initially it was designed for a very
specific type of man - a powerful, courageous adventurer with a strong will and
modern view of the world, open to new trends and impressions. Antaeus was
designed to demonstrate that the modern man is no longer the brutal roughneck who
thinks that perfumery is the domain of the woman; it is an open-minded guy who knows
grooming.
Similarly
to many other men's fragrances of the eighties, Chanel Antaeus exudes masculinity
and strength set off by the gentle sensual notes. It starts powerfully with sage
and lavender, then a warm evolution of patchouli from the Seychelles and a sandalwood
note. An amber and botanical note of labdanum segues into honey and leathery
hints of rockrose and spice. The slightly astringent, green coriander wilts
under the pressure and then withers away into nothingness. Overall, the
composition includes several dozens of ingredients, which, as it is a tradition
with Chanel fragrances, combine to form a unique and abstract blend.
The name
Chanel Antaeus was not randomly chosen. There's a philosophy behind this name: Antaeus
was a giant in Greek mythology, the son of Poseidon (the god of the sea) and
Gaia (goddess of the earth). This invincible fighter, who was invulnerable as
long as he stayed in touch with his mother Earth, met his downfall only when
Heracles (Hercules in Latin) overcame him by holding him above the ground in a
vice-like grip. Men can be both strong and vulnerable, and the Antaeus
fragrance reminds us of this by alluding to the theme of virility with
tenderness and indulgence. The sensual symbolism of the Greek myth comes alive
with a delicate floral accord, accentuated by purely masculine notes of
leather, oak moss, coriander and nutmeg sage.
The overt
virility of the fragrance is highlighted by the bottle design and bold color combination
- mysterious black of the bottle is set off by the daring red of the box.
Aren't those the colors traditionally considered «macho»?
Interestingly,
the obvious symbolism of Chanel Antaeus was a very non-traditional solution for
Chanel, as its perfumes for women have never been so easy-to-read. However,
this simplicity, in no way commonplace, does not prevent Chanel Antaeus from being
one of the most legendary fragrances of the iconic French fashion house.
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