André Van Loon

The sweet smell of success: the story behind Chanel No 5’s popularity

Its creator, Ernest Beaux, escaped Russia just in time, says Karl Schlögel — or the perfume might now be as obscure as Red Moscow, its semi-identical twin

Credit: Getty Images 
issue 29 May 2021
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  • The Scent of Empires: Chanel No 5 and Red Moscow

    Karl Schlögel, translated by Jessica Spengler

    Polity, pp. 220, £20

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