“One drop of Chanel”
51 years after her death, sex symbol of the 20th century Marilyn Monroe became the new face of Chanel´s fragrance No. 5. Shortly after announcing that the world star has been elected, the French fashion house revealed their new ad campaign.
The TV commercial uses footage of the year 1960. It features an interview between Georges Belmont, the editor of “Marie Claire” and Monroe herself. In there she unveiled that she wears nothing else than one drop of Chanel No. 5 to bed:
“You know, they ask me questions.
Just an example: ‘What do you wear to bed ? A pyjama top? The bottoms of the pyjamas? A nightgown?’
So I said, ‘Chanel No. 5,’ because it’s the truth… And yet, I don’t want to say ‘nude’.
But it’s the truth!”
Print promotions and pictures are held in glamorous black and white. The ad scenery, staged by photographer Ed Feingersh, shows Marilyn wearing a shimmering, sequined strap dress and her classic platinum blonde curls. She is standing in her bed room, drizzling drops of the fragrance on her décolleté.
How much money Chanel paid for using Monroe´s images and words is unknown. But it might be less than the 7 million dollars which were paid Brad Pitt for being the previous face of Chanel No. 5.
by
Susanne Maier
