Chanel No. 5: The Fantasy

There are few perfumes in the world that carry the weight of myth the way Chanel No. 5 does. Since its creation in 1921, it has been more than a fragrance—it is an idea, a symbol of femininity that transcends decades. But the story of how Chanel has marketed this perfume is almost as iconic as the scent itself. From Marilyn Monroe’s whispered confession to Nicole Kidman’s cinematic escape and Margot Robbie’s modern retelling, Chanel has continually reinvented how we see desire, independence, and glamour through the lens of a perfume bottle.

This post may contain affiliate links and professional skincare commentary. For full details, please read my disclaimer.

Marilyn Monroe: The Whisper That Became a Legend

Chanel’s most iconic piece of marketing didn’t begin as marketing at all. In 1952, during a casual interview, Marilyn Monroe was asked a playful question: “What do you wear to bed?” Her answer—just two words, “Chanel No. 5”—wasn’t scripted, rehearsed, or planned. Yet those words changed the course of fragrance history forever.

That single statement transformed No. 5 from a luxury perfume into a fantasy. It was intimate, it was sensual, and it was Marilyn at her most vulnerable. Later, black-and-white photographs of her misting herself with the fragrance only deepened the allure. Chanel didn’t need elaborate campaigns or big-budget productions then—Marilyn was the campaign. She gave the perfume a human heartbeat, turning it into the scent of seduction, the fragrance of women who lived boldly, yet intimately.

• Play

Even in this next commercial from Chanel, you can see the impact that Marilyn Monroe had on their brand. Marilyn is up on the movie screen as a bunch of movie goers are in the audience watching her sing. The main actress in the commercial is admiring Marilyn Monroe on the screen and in the next moment her face becomes Marilyn’s. The special effects they used are pretty good for the time, although Marilyn’s face applied to the woman does look a little warped. The idea though was that by using Chanel Number 5, you too could feel glamorous and smell like Marilyn Monroe. If you’re having a hard time visualizing what I mean, the commercial will explain it perfectly.

• Play

The Vintage Era: Every Woman Alive Wants Chanel No. 5

Before Marilyn Monroe made her famous confession, Chanel No. 5 had already begun weaving itself into the cultural imagination through a series of glamorous vintage advertisements. These campaigns carried a bold message: “Every woman alive wants Chanel No. 5.” It wasn’t simply a perfume—it was a promise, a mark of sophistication that no woman should be without.

The visuals of these ads painted a very specific kind of femininity. In one, a woman stands elegantly by the fireplace, embodying the allure of domestic glamour. Here, Chanel No. 5 becomes more than a scent for parties or nights out; it transforms the home into a stage for elegance, suggesting that true luxury is not only public but deeply personal.

And then there is the bold studio portrait declaring, “Every woman alive wants Chanel No. 5.” The power of this tagline is its universality. It sells not just perfume, but a dream—suggesting that Chanel No. 5 was not reserved for the elite, but was the fragrance that elevated any woman into something timeless. It was aspiration bottled, glamour distilled.

Another features a fur-trimmed beauty, her head tilted back, eyes closed, fully absorbed in her own sensuality. This image leans into Old Hollywood allure, a vision of indulgence and feminine power. It foreshadows the kind of sultry, cinematic femininity that Marilyn Monroe would later personify—glamorous, confident, and untouchably desirable.

These vintage advertisements set the stage for Chanel No. 5’s enduring mythology. They built the narrative of luxury and desire so vividly that when Marilyn Monroe spoke those now-immortal words—“Chanel No. 5”—it felt inevitable, as if she were simply breathing life into what Chanel had been whispering all along.

Nicole Kidman: Turning Chanel Perfume into Cinema

Fast forward to 2004, and Chanel reimagined No. 5 for a new era. Gone were the days of quiet whispers—this was spectacle, a love letter to Hollywood excess. Directed by Baz Luhrmann (the genius behind Moulin Rouge), No. 5 The Film starred Nicole Kidman and Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro in a sweeping, three-minute cinematic epic.

The short film cost a reported $33 million to make, making it one of the most extravagant advertisements ever produced. Kidman played a famous actress seeking an escape from the spotlight, only to find fleeting love with a mysterious stranger. With dramatic orchestral music, glittering New York skylines, and gowns designed by Karl Lagerfeld, the campaign blurred the line between film and advertisement.

What Marilyn’s whisper achieved through intimacy, Nicole’s ad achieved through spectacle. It painted No. 5 as not just a perfume, but a story—something as big and sweeping as love itself. For a moment, wearing this perfume felt like stepping inside your own romance movie.

• Play

Margot Robbie: A New Feminine Playfulness

Now, Chanel has entered yet another chapter, with Margot Robbie as the modern face of No. 5. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, See You at 5 is a sun-soaked California fantasy that feels lighter, freer, and more playful than Chanel’s past narratives.

The film follows Robbie and Jacob Elordi in a story of missed connections, flirtation, and youthful spontaneity. Instead of dramatic New York skylines or whispered bedroom confessions, the campaign embraces freedom: Robbie in a fiery red tweed Chanel suit, diving fearlessly into the ocean. It’s both glamorous and daring, a modern nod to Carole Bouquet’s 1980s Chanel campaigns, but reimagined for a generation that prizes independence and authenticity as much as romance.

If Marilyn’s Chanel was intimate, and Nicole’s was cinematic, Margot’s Chanel is playful—an ode to women who wear perfume not just to be desired, but to express their own boldness.

• Play

The Women Who Wore Chanel No. 5

What makes Chanel No. 5’s marketing so enduring is not just the perfume itself, but the women who embody it. From Monroe’s vulnerability to Kidman’s Hollywood grandeur, to Robbie’s radiant freedom, Chanel has always chosen muses who reflect the evolving ideals of femininity.

Alongside them stand Catherine Deneuve, Carole Bouquet, Audrey Tautou, Gisele Bündchen, Marion Cotillard, and even Brad Pitt—the first man to front the campaign. Each face marks a chapter in how women (and men) define beauty, independence, and seduction.

Inside the Bottle of a Legend

For all its myth and magic, the true heart of Chanel No. 5 lies in what lingers on the skin. When Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel first commissioned perfumer Ernest Beaux in 1921, she asked for something that smelled like no other fragrance in the world—a woman’s perfume with the scent of a woman. What he delivered became a revolution in perfumery.

The Notes

No. 5 is built on an intricate composition that feels both classic and endlessly modern:

Top Notes: Bright aldehydes with a champagne-like sparkle, blended with neroli, bergamot, and lemon.

Heart Notes: A lush bouquet of jasmine, rose, lily of the valley, and iris.

Base Notes: Creamy sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver, and amber.

The aldehydes were especially groundbreaking—they gave No. 5 its airy, luminous quality, like silk and champagne at once.

Pairing & Layering Ideas

While Chanel No. 5 is famously complete on its own, layering can add dimension and a touch of individuality. A few pairing ideas to play with:

Soft Florals: Try a light mist of a modern rose or peony fragrance underneath. It softens No. 5’s aldehydes and draws out the floral heart.

Warm Gourmands: A touch of vanilla or tonka bean fragrance layered with No. 5 brings out its sensual base, creating a creamier, more decadent trail.

Green Notes: Pairing with something crisp and green, like vetiver or a grassy cologne, modernizes No. 5 and gives it a fresher, daytime-friendly edge.

Skin Scents: A clean musk or “your skin but better” fragrance makes No. 5 feel more intimate and subtle, almost like a secret veil.

These pairings don’t change the DNA of No. 5, but they allow it to adapt—becoming softer, warmer, or fresher depending on the mood. Just as Chanel has evolved its imagery over the decades, the scent itself can evolve on your skin with a little creative layering.

If you would like to purchase Chanel Number 5 for yourself, you can shop Nordstrom.com

The Timelessness of a Scent

One hundred years after its creation, Chanel No. 5 remains unchanged inside the bottle. Yet, the way it is told to us—through whispers, through cinema, through modern love stories—shifts with each decade. And maybe that’s the magic.

Perfume isn’t just about notes of aldehydes and jasmine—it’s about how it makes us feel, how it shapes the mythology of femininity. Marilyn wore it to bed. Nicole wore it in a dream. Margot wears it to dive headfirst into life.

And through them all, No. 5 remains eternal: the scent of a woman, always evolving, always iconic.