A Fine Fifty

From the new collection by Manuel Canovas

For me, the love affair began just a few years ago, when flipping through a magazine, I turned the page and came across this image for an ad campaign: a bold and graphic floral print in rich red, acidy citron, deep green, and purple-tinged fuchsia tempered by touches of black and white and presented on a natural linen ground...

It took my breath away.

Who?  What?  Where?  immediately began racing through my mind. 

Who designed such a gorgeous pattern; what was the name of this print and the company which produced it; and, most importantly, where and how could I get my hands on it?

Since then, I have discovered that, Misia, as it is known, is part of the Serena print collection by the Paris-based fabric house Manuel Canovas, and this year marks the firm's fiftieth anniversary.   Begun in 1963 by a young textile designer, the company that bears his name is know for their quality fabrics in bold designs that may draw on historic references but comport a modern sensibility.  Of particular note are the unusual and compelling colour combinations, the lush patterns and the elegant appeal of their textiles.

To celebration their anniversary, the latest collection is inspired by the visual richness of India, a favourite destination of the company's founder.  A sampling of their designs is pictured below; scroll through, but be prepared: like me, you might just find one that stops you in your tracks and steals your breath away.

New collection samplings

A new favourite: Solange in Framboise



Dara, in Turquoise, is a 100 per cent
cotton print; exquisite in Noir, too

Woven solids



Kazan in Rose Indien; modern take,

classic appeal

 

 

Fresh colour palettes

 

 

Beautifully soft and oh-so-desirable takes

on a classic -- nothing fussy here

 

 

Mix and match in a rich colourway

 

 

Parfum d'Ete in Bleu Canard

 

 

A detail of Beauregard

 

 

 

For these images and more, visit www.manuelcanovas.com

Wild Child

Do you see what I see? 

Where I live, all the lawns look very much like the one pictured above: shots of green mingle with patches of dry dead growth at the yards slowly awaken to the gradual strokes of heat the occasional sunny day brings.  And nestled tightly amongst the blades of grass lies these...

The ephemeral blooms at their peak

deeply vivid, intensely fragrant wild violets.  So sweet and powerfully scented, as only an uncultivated flower can be, these clusters can be found in the old established neighbourhoods of our town. As a child each spring without fail, I picked handfuls to bring home, placing them carefully in tiny crystal glasses that graced our kitchen windowsill.  I can't tell you how thrilled I was to discover, a couple of years of ago, masses growing in our side lawn.  It was the unmistakable scent that wafted over our garden wall one sunny spring day that brought them to my attention.  We've left them spread, unchecked, on their way to a glorious carpet.  Spring has finally arrived. 

Photos D. Sleziak

Spring Fling

The promise of spring: swollen magnolia buds nearly ready to explode in profusion

In My World: The Garden

 

While the days are growing longer, the warming heat of early spring has evaded us.  There are few signs of true spring -- no flowering forsythia, no crocus in the garden, no daffodils pushing their stalks up to sky.  Today, a sprinkling of flakes is falling, but the harbinger of spring is here: bud-laden branches of the magnolia set to burst when the first blanket of warmth settles upon them.  Surely, surely, true spring is not far off.

 

Just detectable: a herbaceous peony begins its ascent

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos D. Sleziak