Princess Mara Ruspoli for Chanel No. 19 Perfume, 1975

Princess Mara Ruspoli for Chanel No. 19 Perfume, 1975

This is a hauntingly beautiful ad from 1975 for Chanel No. 19 perfume. Princess Mara Ruspoli – all cheekbones and haughty gaze – is dressed in an silk shirt and heavy gold chain medallion. Quoting, “There is only one thing in the world worse than being vulnerable. And that is not being vulnerable.”  Deep.

Chanel celebrated the spirit of No. 19 by dedicating its glorious fragrance to the world’s most irrepressible women. The House of Ruspoli is historically one of the great aristocratic families of Rome. All its members hold the title of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire. The photograph is by Snowdon (yes, that Lord Snowdon).

~Marilyn