Let's unpack this, shall we?
This holiday season, Chanel rang in the brand's centennial anniversary of its Chanel No. 5 perfume by releasing a one-of-a-kind advent calendar. The collector's item, which was designed to look like an oversized perfume bottle, comes with a price tag of $825. For shoppers who are more than familiar with the brand, those numbers may not come at such a surprise—but it's what was inside the calendar that has everyone buzzing.
Social media is weighing in on that price tag heavily after TikTok influencer Elise Harmon posted a series of unboxing videos last week, which featured the calendar's surprises—and to many consumers' disappointment, the lavish items included a series of stickers, a magnet and a flip book, among other smaller things.
According to the luxury fashion house's website, inside the calendar, which is "unlike any other," there are 27 smaller boxes labeled from five to 31, "each of which contains a full-sized fragrance or makeup product, a miniature or another surprise marked with Gabrielle Chanel's lucky number."
Elise's viral video opens with the influencer saying, "Am I crazy? Absolutely. But I've never seen a Chanel advent calendar, so let's see if it's worth the hype."
After giving the brand "10/10 on the packaging front," Elise decides to start the unboxing reveal with box number nine—to which she says, "OK, this has to be a joke," as she holds up a series of black and white stickers sporting the brand's logo. On the other hand, box number seven proved to be a winner, since it included a jar of the brand's No. 5 On Hand Cream.
However, in follow-up videos featuring more of the big reveals, Elise is further shocked when she opens up, for example, box number eight, which contained a small dust bag—with nothing else inside it. Other items revealed in her box also include a mini jar of body cream, magnet, string bracelet, full-sized box of nail polish, paperweight and flip book, among other small items.
Following her upload, fellow TikTok users had quite a lot to say about the brand's special holiday gift. One person wrote, "But…these are just the complimentary samples you get when you place an order," while another simply added, "I have no words." Not only did the videos spark backlash for the brand on the social media platform, but it also became a trending topic on Twitter.
@eliseharmon The woman was too stunned to speak
? I am a Socialist - Brandons.Sounds
In another TikTok, Elise speculated that Chanel blocked her from their account following the debacle, but a rep for the brand insists that was not the case.
"The recent claim of a person being blocked by Chanel on TikTok is inaccurate," Gregoire Audidier, International Communication & Client Experience Strategy Director at Chanel Fragrance & Beauty, told People on Dec. 6. "We have never blocked access to the Chanel TikTok page to anyone, because it is not an active account, and no content has ever been published."
"We are committed to sharing our creations with our followers on all social networks we are active on," the statement continued. "Our pages are open to everyone, and our followers are free to express their feelings and opinions, whether they are enthusiastic or critical."
It sounds like those making their Christmas lists just might be checking it twice this time around.