I want to buy some as a gift fro my daughter while in Paris next week. (I know I can buy it here, of course.) Just a little surprise for her when she collects me at the airport. Do you think its a fragrance appropriate for her: a single, chic, 36-year-old?

Chanel No. 5 always reminds me of old ladies, but it is a classic.

Yes Chanel No. 5 reminds me of my Aunt. Maybe Joy?

<BR>I think Chanel´s Cristalle or N. 19 are more fitting for a young woman and suit almost all tastes. They are good as day fragrances, too. I think n.5 is too strong.<BR>Another neat one for a gift is the one by Jean Paul Gaultier, I think it´s called Fragile. The bottle is like a snowball, but with a glamorous evening gown-clad lady and instead of snow it has tiny gold flecks.

Hi Jan<BR><BR> Try Chanel #22. Lighter and more vanilla than #5.

Hmm... I am 29 and I wear Chanel No 5, always have. A lot of people (they claim) don't like the way it smells in the bottle, but when I wear it I get TONS of compliments. People are surprised when I tell them what it is. I think body chemistry combines with perfume so it smells unique and different on each person. I think Chanel No 5 is a classic fragrance and it will be around for many many years to come.

I am 31 and have worn Ch5 for years - though it came about when my mum asked which perfume to buy me coming back through duty free one time and got confused - I'd asked for Coco Chanel or maybe 19, I don't recall and she got me 5.<BR><BR>On trying it I realised I adored it anyway and have worn it since.<BR><BR>Another which I love and which is perhaps younger is Contradiction.<BR><BR>Mmmmmmmmm!<BR><BR>And Estee Lauder Dazzling Silver (the gold is way too heavy but the silver is wonderful)<BR><BR>Kavey

A suggestion : if you shop at a large Paris department store for the gift for your daughter, ask the salesperson if there is a scent exclusive to the store. <BR>Or look for scents that are not easily available in the city where your daughter lives.<BR>Chanel #5 is a lovely fragrance ( as are Estee Lauder's) but you might want to consider one that is a bit different and will make her friends ask &quot;what is that beautiful fragrance&quot;? Then she can say&quot; that is my special secret scent that my darling mother found for me in Paris&quot; *S*

I think it's hard to predict, as above comments indicate. I used to like it when I was younger (maybe in my 20s-30s) but I don't any more for some reason; in fact, I rather dislike it. I prefer no. 19, and Coco. I think thoset might be a safer choice, but it might depend on what kind of perfume she tends to wear now, that should help choose.<BR><BR>If she likes florals or oriental fragrances, I don't think she'll like no. 5 that well. Chanel no. 19 is more like White Linen or Safari, a floral but not too sweet or overwhelming. Chanel Egoiste is more of a spicy oriental/musky perfume (like Obsession or Youth Dew). Coco is also more of an oriental, but softer than Egoiste. I tend to like those kinds of perfumes myself, which is why I probably prefer Coco. For example, some of my favorite perfumes are Anne Klein II, Coco, Tresor and Obsession.

For a 36-year old, I would recommend Allure, Coco or the new version 'Coco Mademoiselle' by Chanel rather than Chanel Nr. 5 which she can wear, when she'll be a little older.<BR> <BR>BTW, Egoiste is a men's fragrance (lovely ;o) I doubt there is a 'version femme' yet.<BR>

Hi Jan,<BR>I am 37 years old and have worn Chanel #5 for years , and always receive many compliments from both men and women.I like the oil spray that can be sprayed all over the body,it's a little liter.<BR>I also like the body cream that comes in a square jar, and the body wash.<BR>You should be able to find all the Chanel fragrances at the duty free store .<BR>Fluffy

I agree about buying her a fragrance that is only found in Paris, Chanel can be purchased at any US dept. store, and obviously is, so it isn't exotic.<BR>Find an English speaking sales clerk, they are usually very helpful in a dept. store in Paris, and ask her which one she suggests, she will probably be your daughter's age.

Instead of purchasing a fragrance, why not get your daughter a beautiful perfume decanter or atomizer instead? That way she can use her favorite fragrance in a lovely French bottle.

jan, scents are so personal. karen is correct, they smell differently on different people. It's not too old for her but I agree you should to buy something not available here. I remember how thrilled I was when My friend bought me Opium before it was available here. Now I wear mostly natural scents fronm Cote Bastide.

chanel number 5 is my all time favorite scent, and I am 36. It is timeless and classic, you cannot go wrong. it reminds me of old money elegance - soft ecru silk blouse, rope of pearls, black velvet skirt, black slingbacks. think Catherine Deneuve.<BR><BR>however, you can get it anywhere. is there another fragrance which is typically Parisian, which may either be harder to find here or not even introduced here yet?<BR><BR>A new-ish one I like, (NOT French) which for a while was tough to find here is Flowers by Kenzo. is there anything similarly new you had in mind?<BR><BR>one I like to get my Mom (which my Grampa used to get for her on business trips in Paris in the 50s) was Eau Arpege, another one you don't see quite as often anymore.

Kenzo's fragrance is French, tho he is Japaneese and retired. His line still exists as does his boutique.

Yes, it is all a matter of personal tastes and body chemistry. I wouldn't buy Chanel No. 5 in Paris, because it is readily available elsewhere and probably cheaper in the US anyway. It is a classic scent, but a little too heavy for my taste. I love Chanel No. 19, which is probably the classiest scent I've ever encountered. It is definitely a &quot;green&quot; scent as opposed to the heavier floral of Chanel 5. <BR><BR>I'd also rather buy a perfume not readily found elsewhere; better yet, I'd get the daughter a small collection of purse size bottled &quot;samples&quot;. <BR><BR>Speaking of perfume, in Vienna I found a lovely one called &quot;Wiener Walser&quot; (in a small violin shaped bottle!), which has a vanilla undertone and reminds me a little of another classic perfume, Shalimar. Lovely!<BR><BR>Happy shopping, jan!

These are great suggestions, thanks all! I didn't think very hard on this -- and the gift isn't meant to be overly significant. I just wanted to have something to thank her for meeting me at the airport. I thought Chanel sounded classically French.<BR><BR>I really like the idea of the sample bottles.<BR><BR>She has worn Kenzo d'ete before. Does anyone know what that might indicate about her likes? Again, thanks for all these suggestions; I will think harder about this now to make it a bit more special.<BR><BR>Jan

thanks perfumer! that clears that up. I actually did a search and couldn't turn much up on him, but I did assume the perfume wasn't french. have you seen this perfume stateside? Maybe Sephora has it.<BR><BR>that might be a nice choice then? it is lovely.<BR><BR>

hi Jan,<BR><BR>Why not stop in at Sephora on Champs-Elysees? I went in with exactly that request--I really like this fagrance but I want something that I can't get at home. The person who helped me was extremely pleasant, and I was in and out in five minutes.<BR><BR>Cheers