To kick off their Le Grand Numero de Chanel experience, guests are ushered into the Grand Palais Ephemere by a marching band and a ringmaster who delivers a rousing speech (in French). 

The animated parade is all meant to psych visitors up for what lies behind the exhibition’s main doors: a plaza designed like a dazzling circus tent complete with giant sculptures of lions (Gabrielle Chanel’s spirit animal). Says du Pre de Saint Maur – Chanel’s head of global creative resources for fragrance and beauty (as well as fine jewellery and watches) who helped conceptualise the exhibition: “A Chanel fragrance is a virtuosic performance by the perfumer. It is also a spectacular celebration of life, movement and allure: a daily invitation to put on a show.”

Leading into five different rooms – each dedicated to one of Chanel’s iconic scent families – the central atrium doubles up as a lounge in which visitors can rest and recharge with contemporary dance performances staged within the space throughout the day.

The most extensive room at Le Grand Numero de Chanel is naturally the one on Chanel N°5, the world’s most famous perfume that celebrated its centennial two years ago. Upon first entering the section, guests will be drawn into a stunning atrium surrounded by Art Deco-style stained windows and digital art projections that bring to life the modernism and liberated spirit of Chanel N°5. (So yes, have your cameras ready.)

Of course, a fragrance with the legacy of Chanel N°5 calls for an educational walk-through of its history and make – cue the artisans doing a live demonstration of how each bottle of the scent is sealed with wax, a process done entirely by hand.

And what’s a Chanel fragrance extravaganza without a sampling of the very original Chanel N°5?

A must-do in the Chanel N°5 room: Take part in the multisensory AR game in which visitors play Ernest Beaux – the man who formulated the game-changing aldehyde-based fragrance – on the day he presented his creation to Coco Chanel. Legend has it that he had come up with multiple samples and the brand’s superstitious founder chose the fifth and named it as such. Her famous quote surrounding the decision: “I present my dress collections on the fifth of May – the fifth month of the year – and so we will let this sample number five keep the name it has already. It will bring good luck.”

Don’t miss the mini gallery displaying contemporary artworks inspired by Chanel N°5. The diverse line-up is treat for art fiends with the likes of Warhols, pieces by Chinese sculptors and photographers, and Erik Salin’s Pompe A Essence de Parfum Chanel, which reinterprets N°5 as a retro gas pump. 

Or the sensuous “Chanel N°5-lit” room where the fragrance’s equally iconic campaigns, including this one by Ridley Scott from 1979, play hypnotically on repeat.

Over in the Chanel Chance room: what seems to be a backstage area complete with vanity tables where one can get a makeover, and real-life actors and dancers gearing up to go on stage. If you’re wondering what’s the story behind this madcap setting, the Chance line of fragrances is a nod to Gabrielle Chanel’s steady belief in luck, resulting in playful campaigns that have revolved around the concept of scoring that big break. One of the most famous is by the legendary Jean-Paul Goude for Chance de Tendre that debuted in 2019 and depicts – get this – an audition.

The Chanel Chance line of fragrances is known for its sprightly interpretations of a floral scent: the original, soft amber-hued Chanel Chance EDT and EDP; the pastel pink Chanel Chance Eau de Tendre with notes of grapefruit, quince and jasmine; the light green vetiver and pink peppercorn-laced Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche; and the citrusy Chanel Chance Eau Vive with its peachy orange-coloured juice. 

More fun awaits visitors to the Chanel Chance room as they venture further in, including this made-for-the-’gram stage where both actors and guests can take the spotlight.

Or what about a go at the Wheel Of Fortune or other carnival games? True to the spirit of Chanel Chance, the chances of walking away with a little something are guaranteed.

The Bleu de Chanel room reinterprets the maison’s sole men’s fragrance – an aromatic number with notes of sandalwood, cedar and tonka bean – into a fittingly dark and sexy cityscape. And – as with all the other rooms – a surprise awaits behind it: a speakeasy bar serving up jazz, blues music and shots of the intensely woody perfume.

One of the most Instagrammable spots in Le Grand Numero de Chanel: the chandelier-lined corridor that follows right after one enters the Coco Mademoiselle room. Painted in the same dusky pink hue as the fragrance, the passageway is also scrawled with cheeky graffiti slogans as a hint of what’s to come.

With contrasting notes of orange, jasmine, rose, vetiver and patchouli, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle is meant to evoke confidence, dual personalities and the freedom to express them. To translate that, the brand has divided the room dedicated to this star scent into two main sections, the first of which is a giant chessboard with chess pieces fitted with games and films centred on the theme of seduction and daring.

The other section within the Chanel Coco Mademoiselle room: a command centre displaying outfits for the different missions the Coco Mademoiselle woman gamely chooses to take on. Says du Pre de Saint Maur: “Le Grand Numero De Chanel is a show – a return to reverie that is emotionally evocative on several levels. The idea is to let oneself indulge in daydreaming, charting one’s own path as you travel from one universe to another on-site.”

The room spotlighting the artisanal Les Exclusifs de Chanel line of perfumes is undoubtedly the most conceptual: 18 moving works of abstract art – one for every scent in the collection, which pays homage to different aspects of Gabrielle Chanel’s life and is crafted using rare ingredients.

Don’t leave Le Grand Numero de Chanel without visiting the gift shop if not for a memento, then at least for a picture. The space has been designed as a hyper-modern department store that retails everything from records and artworks that celebrate Chanel’s fragrances to, of course, the scents themselves.

Photography Chuck Reyes, courtesy of Chanel

An adapted version of this story appears in the Jan/Feb 2023 Art & Music Edition of FEMALE