Jersey Eau de Parfum

A while ago, I was exchanging notes with my Fragrantica pen pal Nathan — someone I really look up to, and probably one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve met in the community. I told him I was obsessed with this one for the summer. He appreciated the quintessential Chanel quality in the bottle, but didn’t quite get the point of this creation. Which, to me, is understandable. Nathan and I both passionately advocate that perfumes shouldn’t be boxed in by gender labels. But this one, I genuinely believe, is best understood and appreciated from a female perspective. Just as Coco once thought outside the box by using jersey — a fabric associated with men’s underwear or fishermen’s work clothes — and transformed it into something less constraining yet still unmistakably feminine, this perfume does the same with lavender and green aromatics. Here, lavender is the “jersey” of perfumery: stripped of its barbershop and “men’s cologne” associations, reshaped into something tender and widely wearable — yet without drifting into a stereotypically feminine direction either. I wear scents marketed toward men all the time, so I didn’t need a mindset “liberation” to enjoy masculine fougères. But I understand why some of my female friends do. We often associate certain accords with gender simply because they were historically used in gendered or class-based contexts. Changing that mindset isn’t always easy — life is already complicated, so why struggle with rethinking a scent profile? Coco understood this. She didn’t try to shock by making something overtly masculine or vulgar. She also didn’t swing too far the other way by erasing the material’s character. Jersey fabric, after all, was already very different from heavy silks or satins (often worn with uncomfortable corsets). Likewise, lavender in Jersey, the perfume, keeps its fougère backbone — unlike modern feminine scents such as Mon Guerlain, YSL Libre, or Burberry Goddess, where lavender loses its aromatic edge. (Don’t get me wrong — I love all three, but they change lavender’s character too much IMO.) Instead, Coco softened and reimagined the stereotype — and Jacques Polge did the same here. He preserved lavender and grassy aromatics’ fougère character but wrapped them in powdery musk and creamy vanilla, giving the composition a floral-woody-musk twist. Just as Coco’s cuts and designs transformed jersey fabric, Jersey the perfume turns something originally “rough” or “masculine” into something more easily appreciated by a wider circle of women. As a consumer, I know brands often create stories to justify higher prices — I’ve seen this especially with Penhaligon’s. But with Chanel Jersey, if I do eventually decide to add a full bottle to my collection, I’d be consciously and willingly paying for the story — for the liberation it represents for women. With jersey fabric in the 1920s, and with this perfume today.

I have been tough on Chanel for a long time. It was a brand that I just didn't get, a brand that as hard as I tried to find one that spoke to me in their pillar line, I failed time and time again. When I smelled Jean Patou's Joy, Sublime and 1000 they were instant loves, I understood them at once and that brand still resonates w/ me deeply. I was a Patou girl, not a Chanel girl. Then a nice perfume friend I met here sent me samples of the Allure line, which I should have been able to sample but was never able to. It was as if I had blinders on and then they had finally been taken off. I began to understand, and the crisp clean elegance of Chanel bedazzled me. I purchased a bottle of Allure EDT and decided I needed to sample 3 others in their pillar line I had not tried before and ended up falling hard for Chanel #5 eau de Premiere and purchased that as well. I never thought I would be searching for samples of Chanel's Les Exclusifs line. If you fall in love full bottle are very expensive but what the hell right? If you fall for them, you save your pennies and buy them eventually. That being said here are my thoughts on Jersey. Jersey is a very beautiful, feminine lavender fragrance. It is often difficult to make lavender truly feminine and Chanel has done so brilliantly here. Jersey smells of the finest quality lavender dusting powder. Dusty and sweet tonka bean combines w/ touches of wildflowers, green grass, fresh roses and vanillic undertones. I can smell all of the elements and notes listed above and they come together so nicely, so cooly, so perfectly. With perfect precision. This is the type of perfume worn by a woman that has such an easy way about her you would swear she never thought about style at all, but she does, oh she does, and she makes it all look so damn easy. She is a breath of fresh air, fun, and carefree but oh so polished and very, very cool. Jersey is effortless, casual elegance at its best and for the woman who employees that same sense of style about her dress and in her life. Wonderful silage and longevity. Damn Chanel you got me. You finally got me.

Jersey is quite an unexpected scent from Chanel. It is a departure from the iris and/or aldehydes that feature in several other Les Exclusifs, but it takes its inspiration from elsewhere. There were a few surprises in store for me when testing this scent! Jersey opens with a bright, herbal Jicky-like lavender note that is joined by sweet vanilla after a short while. There is a slightly syrupy violet note too. This lavender-vanilla accord of the opening is an intriguing balance of the masculine and feminine (as Coco Chanel was famous for in her designs). It has just the right amount of sweetness, and the green, realistic lavender note keeps it fresh. As a lavender lover, I appreciate the creative use of the lavender note here, as well as its prominence. Jersey becomes more floral as it develops, with rich rose and heady, sweet jasmine coming to the fore. At this stage, it becomes surprisingly similar to the more recent version of Eau Premiere, a favourite scent of mine, just with the addition of the prominent lavender note. The florals are delicious - a rich, well-rounded and high quality bouquet. As it dries down, a spicy tonka bean note emerges, as well as a clean white musk note. At this stage, the Guerlinade accord springs to mind, possibly due to the tonka, vanilla remnants and the fading floral accord. It becomes very clean and soapy as it dries down further. It fades to a sweet-yet-clean, musky skin scent. Sillage and longevity are both moderate (none of Les Exclusifs seem to have exceptional lasting power, which is a pity). One of my favourite Exclusifs. Chanel by way of Guerlain, featuring lavender. 4.5/5.

Scents can be very tricky; (from nose to nose, skin to skin, mind to mind) each person will have their own variable. Having said that a particular perfume more or less gathers a general opinion. Jersey certainly has intensity. Its not a tranquil scent to me though it certainly shares the grass accords present in bel respiro ( which is quite tranquil as a true green scent). The lavender and grass are quite strong to my nose when sprayed on my skin. At this point of first impression Jersey is in the second rung of my Chanel fragrances. I like the intensity but is that going to be enough? As I got some more acquainted with Jersey, the vanillic creaminess and the almondy bitterness ( reminds me of Comète) giving of that herbal aroma became more and more strongly noticeable alongwith the powdery note. I can see why people describe her as a comforting scent. She is interesting and does well in cool environments on my skin. I like her. Try layering the les exclusifs body crème with her to get the depth. May just broaden your smile and perspective Jersey within a short span of 10 days has gone a level up because of sharing that very well known Chanel DNA and somehow reminds me of Cuir de Russie and Bois des Isles though both the latter scents are easily distinguishable from each other. Nonetheless Jersey too is quite distinctive.

please pay attention this perfume got reformulated in 2016 I think in oct . I love it more then the EDt . So I bought 75 ml . now it's empty , I went today to harvey Nichols and tried it. what a shame , chanel reformulated jersey again ??? it's not the same why they want to reformulated in less than a year ??? my Friend told me in may that chanel reformulated some of their Exclusifs line , she was right . they reduced the thick vanilla and Tonka beans . why on earth the wanted to reduce the vanilla and Tonka ???? the lavender also reduced , . the edp oct version was long lasting the base rich vanilla almost like creamy sandal I was happy . imagine white vanilla + purple lavender + musk to me havean ssssssso calm and peace . now it's Soapy and the lavender is identical to " OMO " or " Tide " soap . still Jersey yes but not the same . the lavender now is a bit cheaper . they changed bel Raspiro Boy Jersey Biege Gardenia no 18 others are the same except n 22 is better than the EDP in oct 2016 . please keep in mind the Exclusifs line is not the same since may 2017 . try the latest " Sample " after may 2017 . cant believe it . the price is insane for 200 ml