Chanel No. 5– providing women with the perfect thing to sleep in for one hundred years, almost to the day. As the story goes, Coco Chanel no longer wanted perfumes that smelled like flowers, and when asked what she wanted the perfume to smell like, answered, “like a woman.” Ever since that day, Chanel No. 5 has been synonymous with femininity.
In honor of the much beloved scent turning 100, Chanel kicked it old school with a big, splashy party at Rockefeller Plaza. There would be ice skating, photo booths, and places to sample perfume, all in the name of celebrating the world’s most iconic perfume. The weeklong celebration ended on Friday November 12th and since the 100th anniversary of Chanel perfume will only come around once in my lifetime, it felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity. Unable to stir up any interest or availability amongst my friends, I went it alone.
It was my first solo New York City outing this year, which was as exciting as it was nerve-wracking. I found my way out of Grand Central Station all on my own, making myself proud by walking into the street and expertly throwing my arm into the air to hail a taxi.
Even though I’d come to pay tribute to Chanel, I first went to pay tribute to Kate Spade by strutting into the Kate Spade flagship store at Rockefeller Plaza. About an hour later, I strutted out of the Kate Spade store with a gift for someone and a big red handbag that the sales woman said perfectly matched my coat. It’s all part of this routine I do where I dote on myself like the loving boyfriend that I am.
I always buy clothes and accessories from consignment stores and I never get caught up in buying outfits simply because they’re from luxury brands- just because you wear name brands doesn’t mean you know how to dress- but Kate Spade is where I make the exception. Their bags are all solid colors, devoid of patterns and gaudy logos, and they are not outrageously expensive.
Kate Spade makes my favorite purses. Chanel makes my favorite perfume. The whole event was a match made in style heaven. I had my picture taken, sampled some perfume, and watched some expert figure skating as part of a surprise performance. While waiting for my skate time, I walked over to Magnolia Bakery, a New York City landmark made famous by “Sex and the City,” and got two cupcakes. For dinner I had Halal guys, another New York City destination.
I had a wonderful time skating, clutching the railing and shuffling on the ice, but never once slipping. It was not yet cold, so I was not miserable on the ice. I had my head turned the other way at just the wrong time and narrowly missed witnessing my first ever marriage proposal, where a man got on one knee in the middle of the skating rink and successfully proposed to his girlfriend. Figure skaters came out for a quick performance on the ice and then we resumed our skating.
Between the perfume, Kate Spade, and the ice skating, it was all like being in my own version of the Garden of Eden. It was a day of indulgence in which I did whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted to do it, without waiting for others. There, I had a confluence of my favorite things.
The Tragic Queen,
Raquel
The Tragic Queen 