1957 Eau de Parfum

I’ve not worn fragrances regularly since I was in my mid-20’s. A decade+, a divorce and a few relationships later, as a 40 year old man, I found my signature scent while shopping for a bottle for my current girlfriend. I wanted to get her a fragrance that’s a daily wearable that represents the qualities I see in her. Shopping for an entire afternoon, sampling fragrances from Dior, Issey Miyake, etc... there was just something about the Chanel fragrances that sparked my curiosity so much that I revisited the boutique 3 times that day. I sniffed the papers that I had from the various boutiques slowly throughout several hours, letting the heart notes appear and there’s something about the Chanel ones that just spoke to me. My stance on perfumes (and fashion?) in general is that it should accentuate, but not speak louder than who I am. I find it uncouth for a perfume to announce my presence before I get to speak. Perfumes (and clothes) are primarily for oneself than for impressing others. Men and women who served in a uniform before can attest - there’s something about being in a military or police uniform that changes how you feel about yourself. A Buddhist monk when gone forth into that spiritual path is said to be taking up the robes - it’s a powerful daily reminder to oneself about the commitment undertaken when one puts on those robes. And that’s my stance towards perfumes too - it changes how one feels, a mood altering substance if you will. Chanel 1957 exemplifies this idea for me, of wearing a fragrance primarily to celebrate one’s humanity, but with a touch of undeniable, understated class. So I stepped back into the Chanel boutique for the 3rd time, asking for a final try of the few perfumes I narrowed down to. And once I got a whiff of 1957 again, I knew. I knew this is the one to get... but for whom? I realized, if there’s someone that I “owe” a gift to... it’s me. I’ve not had a new bottle of perfume for myself for so, so long, and I owe it to myself to celebrate this new chapter in life. So rather than gift this bottle of Chanel 1957 to her, I decided to give it to myself, and get her a different perfume another day. For today, today I celebrate me. 1957’s top notes are an immediate mood lifter, just what one needs in the morning after a shower to start your day. Reminiscent of how I used to put powder on my infant son 10 years ago after his bath, but with unmistakable complexity and sparkle of the right amount of citrus. 1957’s heart... for lack of a better summary is expensive laundry detergent, in the best possible way. Does expensive laundry detergent exist? If it does it’s unknown to me. 1957 captures this feeling of understated luxury. That you know your worth, there’s no need to brag to anyone. Nobody to prove yourself to anymore, been there, done that. I’m celebrating life by spending extra on the best laundry detergent that money can buy and nobody can stop me. That’s what Chanel bottled up. 1957 lasts and lasts as an intimate skin scent. I’ve gotten as long as 16 hours on me so far. It doesn’t get funky or nausea inducing. It wears into this sweet, comfortable scarf or sweater made of fine fabric that only you and those closest to you can witness. It feels like coming back to a warm home. Chanel 1957 to me is the scent of someone who has lived life and with that experience, developed a certain taste for the world. Done with chasing, accepting what comes instead. Inviting. Not needing to impress or announce. Quietly, confidently celebrating.

1957 by Chanel from the Les Exclusifs line smells to me exactly like the 1950’s. You can bet your bottom dollar that I know what that smell is all about. It is soapy, clean and upstanding in it’s sparkling Madison Avenue glitz. For years I have expounded my theory that the smell of Palmolive dish shop was copied from No.5 in order to make it more appealing to the American housewives of the Suburban sprawl. I grew up in Los Angeles of the 1950’s and 60’s and Chanel was the aspirational brand then just as it is now. But back then that aspiration was pure and clean and dreamy. Not as it is today when many of us aspire to Chanel for all the wrong reasons. In the fifth decade of the twentieth century soaps and hairsprays smelled of the influence of Chanel in America. It was as if the thought of Paris glamour could be found with in the bubbles that floated up from the kitchen sink after dinner. My mother in fact sewed her Chanel black and white suit from a MacCall’s pattern. No. 5 is locked into my scent memory as the fragrance of not only my mother, but my aunt and my grandmother too. They lived for Chanel. In 1957 Chanel opened it's doors to it's new boutique in New York, that year one of the biggest movies in theaters was Funny Face, set in Paris with the glorious Audrey Hepburn. Paris was on our minds that year in the most wonderful, marvelous way. 1957 pops from soapy bubbles as it opens in its aldehydic and musky glory. With a sprinkle of warm pink pepper like the pepper corns from the huge old sunburnt pepper trees of my Southern California childhood it is bright, clean and arrestingly comforting. Orange blossoms from my youth in the Inland Empire waft across the middle of the fragrance with hints of Jasmine and honey. A very thin hint of honey like one would get from a fresh warm piece of toast with a thin layer of honey slathered over it on a Saturday morning in Summer. Olfactory tendrils of jasmine drift in and out in a summery shimmery dance. And the musk goes on and on throughout the mid-notes into the dry down. Here in the last phases of the eau de perfume there is a dry powder supplied by a delicious orris root. That floats in the air just like fresh flour when a baker is making croissants. It mixes well with the white musk, a scrubbed clean cashmiran and a dry woody cedar. Some have said that 1957 from Chanel, like the perception of the decade of the 50’s is boring. It is a melding of the American fascination of the French elegance of the fifties and the need make something as mundane as doing the dishes glamorous. Like all those commercials of my childhood where the housewife is dressed in her best imitation pearls while she scrubs that greasy pan in a bubbling fresh sink that smells exactly like Paris in springtime. The Paris born of the imagination, of Hollywood and of her dreams.

The smell of a freshly showered body wearing warm, freshly cleaned clothes. Opens up with that classic Chanel assortment of clean aldehydes mixed with a clean yet intoxicating mixture of bergamot and orange blossom with a slight twinge of spicy/green coriander. Almost immediately after this blast that resembles a fresh bar of soap, the explosion of clean white musk and cashmeran take over the scent, cocooning the rest of the scent and the wearer in a visually imperceptible bundle of freshly cleaned clothes. As it dries down even more powdery, a slightly waxy orris comes out to support the fuzzy, clean white musk to add more dimension. Typically, "clean" scents fall into one of 3 real categories: 1) Obnoxiously soapy, shower gel-y, or aldehydic; a category extremely oversaturated since "Blu De Chanel" introduced the blue fragrance. 2) Overly citric and cologne-esque, bearing resemblance to scents from yesteryear like "CK One" or either "L'Eau D'Issey"/"L'Eau D'Iseey Pour Homme" 3) The classic citrus/white flower combo, attempting to recreate the feeling of cleanliness and freshly laundered linens like "Neroli Portofino", "Jake's House", or the new "MYSLF" This, on the other hand, takes bits, pieces, and clear inspiration from all 3 of these categories, mixes them all, puts the classic Chanel DNA to it, and then drops a metric ton of white musks all over it. This is a breath of fresh air in the "clean" fragrance category and is a must-try if looking for something clean, chic, and easy to wear in any place and at any time. Overpriced for what it is? Sure, but what fragrance from a designer's private collection isn't? It works great in any season, weather, and occasion during the day, and would make for a lovely signature work scent. A surprising compliment magnet. Tied for my favorite from Chanel with Boy. Very good longevity of 8-9 hours with arms-length projection for the first 3-4 hours. 9.8/10. Signature Scent Worthy. Song vibe - 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton TLDR - A great, clean, musky, and chic perfume that is a breath of fresh air in the oversaturated category that is the "clean/business" perfume. A wonderful choice for perfume enthusiasts who want something clean and easy to wear for environments that might not be scent-friendly, but something still with nuance and class like no other. A must-try and must-have for clean fragrance lovers.

I was stuck at London St Pancras for an hour today so spent my time in the Chanel shop trying every single one of the Les Exclusifs range. There were some absolutely wonderful scents, but this one grabbed me so it's the one that came home with me. It opens with a strong blast of aldehydes, along with clear notes of bergamot, pink pepper, coriander, white musk, orris root, honey, and vanilla. This creates an opening that is simultaneously ethereal (the aldehydes), fresh (the bergamot), sweet (honey/vanilla), a little perky (pepper), and creamy (the orris root). If you aren't picking out notes, the overall effect I would call angelic - fluffy, creamy clouds, fizzing with sparkling aldehydes. The effect continues in strength as the coriander and pepper quickly burn away. Honey/vanilla and aldehydes with musk is a particular combination I like (see my reviews for Roja Dove "A Midsummer Dream" and Imaginary Authors "L'Orchidee Terrible"). "1957" actually shares a lot of similarities to the drydown of "A Midsummer Dream", although it lacks the oakmoss/chypre edge of the Roja perfume (which is strongest in its opening). Except for the pink pepper/coriander edge of the topnotes, which are gone quickly, "1957" is far more linear than AMD, but it's also more polished than other aldehyde-sweet-musk combinations I've tried. There is nothing screechy about the aldehydes of "1957". They soften the cirtus, honey, orris and musk - make them almost translucent. Even better, the creaminess of the orris and the vanilla/honey combine to create a rich, almost gourmand undertone that is absolutely delicious. Every phase of this perfume is considered, and the result is pure sophistication. I can't help but picture an impossibly chic woman in a powder blue, shimmering 1950s party dress, pink lipstick, white gloves, short hair perfectly coiffed. This is feminine and addictively beautiful.

When I first received this as a Christmas gift from my husband - along with the Sublime Bois des Iles - I quickly fell in love. But my joy was short lived as the fragrance started out promising but quickly vanished from my skin. Or so I thought. I began to question if I was anosmic to musk. While I had the sensation of powdery cleanliness, I couldn't understand why others were getting more. Well I eventually realized that the error was mine, and one I repeated often with many fragrances I've accused of poor longevity. I am guilty of over-spraying! Once I limited myself to three spritzes max, I began to really appreciate how 1957 unwinds and lasts for a significant amount of time for such a light fragrance. It's definitely intimate. It doesn't shout, but if you allow someone to get close, maybe even with a hug, it definitely beckons. I actually realized how overspraying was a problem for me one day when I tried a single spray of TF Jasmin Rouge on the top of my hand. I used to curse the poor performance, but needed a hit of jasmine at that moment. That single spray lasted hours and hours. It wafted whenever I moved my hand. And though I wouldn't call it a sillage monster, it's definitely noticeable about 4 feet around you. Getting back to 1957, I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs in the spring time. I now own 4 full bottles from the Les Exclusif line along with a large lot of Coromandel samples - my next full bottle purchase. I love the line and though my experiences have been limited to the EDPs, I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

After trying out 1957 in Chanel boutique and totally fell for it, I was so reluctant to buy it due to its price point and continuous price spiking of Chanel in recent year. It used to be $200 and $250 now, so I had to what I had to do: snatch it as soon as possible before the price goes up again. I got the 75ml bottle for my 30th birthday and totally love it. If I had never smell it first and read the notes instead, I would NEVER think I would like it due to musky notes - I just don't like musky and musky perfumes don't work well in hot, tropical weather (much like Narciso Rod perfumes). But I changed my mind as it evolves and blooms throughout the day. I have to say that the scent pretty much settles underneath your skin and it only exudes when you are in motion, otherwise, it doesn't project strong aroma or sillage at all - and I think it's beautiful in that way. In terms of scent, it is musky, yes, but I love the peppery notes and white florals that neutralize the muskiness. It smells fresh, clean, sophisticated, and pretty much close to my perfume preference: monoscent, as I believe that monoscents have the most depths and sophistication. Speaking of the price, will I ever buy it again? I WILL. P/s: be aware of the nozzle. It releases a big amount of perfume so I guess it will run out faster than I thought since I have only sprayed like couples of times and the 75ml bottle is 4/5 left.

Beautiful, clean, gorgeous creamy musk. It's a like to love for me. It's incredibly overpriced, but I've been working my way through larger and larger decants until I get the savings to get a larger bottle. It opens with a sparkling, musky, lightly floral scent. And then in about an hour, it dries very creamy, and ALMOST (not quite) milky on me - not gourmand by any means. It envelopes me in this beautiful, classy, comforting scent bubble. Lasts about 7-8 hours on me (heavy spraying), and makes me feel beautifully put together. - I realised I never revised my review after falling in love with it. I finally bit the bullet and bought a 75 ml of the EDP (before the price increases again in 2024! Boo). It’s my favourite from Chanel, easy. The opening is a little bitter, astringent, floral for the coriander seed, but that dry down is still SO intoxicating and buttery and musky and clean. I am an iris and musk fanatic and this is easy, easily one of my top ten perfumes for LIFE. Nothing else smells like this in my collection and it’s one of the more “niche”-smelling musks (i know Chanel is technically designer) I always recommend to both men and women. Rating: HEAVEN / 10 Polarity: unisex Longevity: whole work day Projection: soft to average

Chanel 1957 feels like wearing light itself. It’s angelic, clean, and soft — never soapy, never sharp. Instead of the piercing brightness many “clean” scents offer, this is all softness and radiance. It smells like a wedding in sunlight, like the color white. The feeling it evokes is almost cinematic: think The Great Gatsby, the scene where we first meet Daisy Buchanan. That airy, luxurious room with chandeliers, open French doors, white curtains billowing gently in the breeze as sunlight floods in — that’s the heart of 1957. It's quiet opulence, effortless grace. This perfume doesn’t lean on the traditional Chanel aldehydes. There's no vintage sharpness here. With eight white musks, it wears like a second skin. In summer, it feels cool and translucent, like freshly laundered silk in the breeze. In winter, it wraps you in cashmere warmth, thanks to the gentle base notes of cedar, vanilla, honey, and cashmeran. 1957 doesn’t shout. It doesn’t even speak loudly. It simply exists — graceful, refined, impossibly elegant. Not “old lady,” not overly youthful — just timeless. It’s my favorite perfume in the world, and it will be until the day I die.

I'm sure I've reviewed this before, but since I'm wearing it today, I may have some things to add. First, I still love it. It's probably the most beautiful, powdery musk scent I have ever experienced. The problem with this has always been longevity. I've learned that with many brands of perfume, they require time to sit in the bottle and macerate before they reach their full potential. This especially true with Chanel in my opinion. I hoped that it would help in this case, and it did to a degree. While this remains a skin scent with zero projection within 5 minutes of spraying, I've had it on for about 5 hours now, and I can still smell it when I sniff my wrist. I see that many people have rated the silage and longevity at and above moderate. I wish I was one of them. Perhaps I'm just semi-anosmic to musk. It's a shame that these are my only issues, and I will have to spray heavily all over in order to enjoy it, meaning it won't belong before I need a new bottle. It truly is the powdery musk of my dreams, and I'm just going to have to accept it for what it is, meaning there is no question that I will repurchase when the time comes.

This is the best white musk scent of all time This fragrance is undoubtedly exceptional. On a man, it exudes an air of sophistication and captivates with its unique aroma, setting him apart from the typical scents. On a woman, it effortlessly complements her, as if she indulges in luxury products from head to toe. Its longevity is impressive in the right spots. Spraying it on my chest yields over 10 hours of captivating scent, although it may dissipate faster when applied to the neck area. This fragrance is best used as a body spray, reminiscent of a high-end shower experience. Don't be deterred by the body spray comparison; this is top-tier quality. Its true brilliance emerges when blended with other musk fragrances. While I don't recommend layering scents directly on top of each other, applying them to different areas creates a captivating fusion of musk notes, crafting a truly unique aroma. This fragrance is a masterpiece, not grandiose like POAL or bold like Musc Ravageur, but rather it paints a portrait of an opulent ritual characterized by the utmost quality and refined taste. Masterpiece/10

Second time trying and this time, the magic came through. At first, it smells of honey and not much else. Then, it seems to disappear... you wait for about thirty minutes and it comes back in a not-so-bold, yet still billowingly beautiful manner. It blossoms in the heat, shrivelling in the cold. To those wondering where she fits in; the answer is simple: within the collection. She is a pleasant mixture of feelings and textures, having things in common with Bois des Iles, N°22, & Beige. Feels like a throwback, but is also comfortably nondescript at the same time. Sound boring? It could be, if white musk fragrances aren't your gig. If they are, this could be a new signature. I, for one, could see myself owning this. I was worried it might smell cheap, boring or both. It doesn't, at least not to me. I used to be very unimpressed by musks. This, Royal Muska and Jovan Musk for Men all changed my mind. This is fantastic. Very sensual. Also, as a side note, while I didn't downvote the 'reminds me of' section, this doesn't make me think of Infusion d'Iris at all.

1957 has the wonderful feeling of being freshly showered every day... It begins crystalline, with sparkles of diamonds in the sun but under an icy blanket, bergamot with pepper and aldehydes is precious. Gradually musks are established and offer very luxurious creaminess with hours. And honey sweetens a set that would have seemed a bit astrigent. Because so much cleaning and soap would have been a trip in a washing machine. Chanel makes you feel clean without smelling like fresh laundry. You smell like a very clean and fresh woman's skin. It is a very modern poetry in the dermis, which smells very delicate and has a classic stamp (very very little), a little Chanel touch so that you can wear a perfume every day, and always be a FreshGirl My youthful and fresh Chanel, I love to smell like this. It has become one of my favorite perfumes. My climate is not very cold and the summers are long and hot, and although I use 1957 all year round, in the summer it is an absolute luxury

This is a very cool, sparkling jasmine musk. It is somewhat linear and the way it all comes together reminds me of bubble soap and a touch of shampoo, in a good way. The scent evokes many memories. To my nose it is less powdery and warm than other musks thanks to the soapiness and brightness, so it works well on the hottest days, but is less effective on the coldest days. The fragrance is feminine but clean enough that men can get away with it. A sour undertone which I believe comes from the mix of jasmine and honey does not ruin my enjoyment, but it is noticeable. There are touches of iris and citrus throughout as well. My experience seems different from other reviews. I do not find this powdery for a musk, and I do not think of it as "your skin but better", and I do not find it fluffy. It is bright, crisp, almost sticky on first spray. It is cool and fresh, sunny and clean. It goes to show how musk reflects skin chemistry. A standout musk.

1957 begins on my skin as crystalline and cool, a few scant clouds drifting in an otherwise blue sky. I am dazzled by the sheer orange blossom that breezes into the aldehydic opening, smelling innocent and proper. This is the smell of lucidity, quietude, floating on clouds of silver, glinting musks. The softest pillows for your weary head, a powdered blanket and a nuzzle of honeyed kisses. There's contentment and longing all at once. The orris root keeps the temperature mild, like early autumn, before the chill sets in. It feels clean, swaddled, and pacified, and its intimacy makes it a personal scent. I often wear fragrances for myself, alone, so that work out quite well. It's one to turn to when nothing else will do. Since I put a moratorium on adding to my fragrance buying list, this 4ml mini graciously gifted to me will do for now. Just a little is enough, so I'm sure it will go a long way.

Recently i went into Saks on 5th ave, i stopped into the Chanel boutique where i was intrigued by the exclusive line while i was waiting for the SA to come back with my products i was picking up. I was able to smell them all, but ONE stuck out to me. From the moment i sprayed it onto my wrist i became obsessed. The 1957, warm, creamy, woody, soft, but most of all CHIC. This is an all year/every season fragrance, as some other's mentioned i can see this really shining in the summer months but its also beautiful for all other seasons. Think of Caroline Basset Kennedy as far as what i mean as chic. Currently, Harrods has this on 'sale' in the 200 ML ($425) and the 75 ML ($245) if you're looking for it. I'll be wearing this as my everyday scent for as long as i can imagine so i opted for the bigger bottle!

I fell in love with this scent immediately upon smelling it. I never really gravitated towards fresh scents but this one felt different, its very musky and clean but in a skin like way not soapy at all. White musk, pink pepper and aldehydes are the notes I smell the most one this fragrance but the longer it sits on the skin the less aldehydic it gets and a slight woodiness appears. It is expensive yet I cant help but wear it everyday. And on the days I'm not wearing it on its on I'm layering it with other scents. its vey long lasting but doesn't have much projection which I like. I wear it all year long but It smells cold which is why think summer is where it shines. I would say the only semi con of this perfume is has an alcohol scent upon spraying but it goes away in a matter of second.

Chanel 1957 great fragrance created by Olivier Polge of the niche fragrance line of the Chanel maison. In 1957, mademoiselle Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel received the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award for Haute Couture in Dallas, Texas. Award that consecrated her as the most authoritative and talented designer of the 20th century worldwide. A very rich, festive fragrance, a magical sensual accord of reassuring and warm white musks, delicately studded with citrus notes of bergamot, floral notes of iris and neroli, with infinite facets of cedar, honeyed and powdery notes, all magically amplified by the inevitable aldehydes, so loved by mademoiselle. An evocative fragrance, which is testimony to the consecration of an absolute myth of all times. Fabulous

Aldehydic, Chanel opening with powdery, citric sparkle, giving way to an ice cold, austere mixture of sharp orange blossom and iris, and quite pronounced coriander. The quality is undeniable, but I can't imagine wearing it, it's almost sour somehow. I can imagine a very, very rich, very, very unhappy Dickens matriarch smelling like this. (10 minutes later) OK yes, now the magic is starting.... There's something warm coming through, but only slightly,. The musk smells wonderful, powdery, delicate but powerful, and the bergamot, iris and orris are floating and swirling on the fluffy, musky clouds. Wonderful. It take it all back, I can wear this, it's a masterstroke, how could I have doubted. No-one does it like Chanel.

To me, this smells like a rich person who has just had a rich person bath and put on a fresh set of rich person clothes. Airy, as the previous review mentions, and super elegant. If you apply this one sparingly (3-4 sprays max) I think you can escape the connotations of wearing perfume and pass it off as having just bathed in a mix of white flowers and some magical Chanel soap. It's truly wonderful. At higher dosages it does become more perfumey, and the bergamot and pepper start to become a bit too sharp for my tastes, losing some of the elegance from earlier. But bear in mind that I live in a country which is perpetually in summer with temps constantly above 32C/90F. Definitely try this one if you can!

Beautiful, light, musky, ethereal, airy, white floral, sweet, powdery and slightly aldehidic. It’s another Chanel that’s instant love for me, like Coromandel was. Have to decide which one worth investing money into, but 1957 is a nicely, elegant, elevated and classy orris forward fragrance with gourmand nuances, pronounced mostly in the dry down! And yes, it's overpriced, but it smells good. As first impression, it’s a lighter scent, unlike Coromandel, but it smells like I imagine a wood fairy would smell like. I think it’s the best orris scent I’ve smelled so far, I have to test it side by side with Viola Essenziale, it reminded of it from the blotter. Soo good and soo expensive sadly...