Designer Fragrances

Interior decorator Manuel Canovas has used his eye for art and his life’s experiences and travels to create a perfume collection that offers virtual travel and class. Enter Les Fantaisies Parfumees, his collection of five beautiful fragrances, each created with both design and environmental influences in mind. The group includes L’ile Bleue, Route Mandarin, Pink Riviera, Anse Turquoise and our favorite, Ballade Verte.

The introduction of this collection is a welcome change, a return to the classics, with their basic clear bottle, clear rectangular cap and the clean, elegant labeling. The packaging, however, caters to the feminine woman in all of us, each a visual manifestation of the inspirations that led the fragrance.

Take Ballade Verte, our choice, for its elegance that can work both in day and night. The box has a toile design motif that was reworked by Canovas for a more modern take on the traditional design seen everywhere from drapes to handbags. The scent itself, is a blend of tree sap, Madagascar vanilla and white musk for base notes, woodsy notes for the middle, and floral and spicy elements for top notes, including violet leaves and Chinese ginger.

The scent smells different when it first goes on and then when it becomes one with the skin. It is strong and yet delicate, light enough for a summer lunch, but strong enough for a fall cocktail dinner, and definitely suited for a grown woman on a mission. The appeal is almost in its ability to suit all occasions and to transcend seasons. But our true affection for the creation is in its class. Unlike most scents that are predictable and all start to smell the same, this is distinct, and few will know what you are wearing. In the quest for originality, Canovas has succeeded. Want to stand out from the pack, with class? We suggest you peruse his collection of home and personal fragrances.

Where:
All Canovas 100mL perfumesare $95. To learn more about products or availability, visit the Manuel Canovas website.