Browsing the racks at En Avance is akin to perusing the beautifully edited closet of one of Miami’s most effortlessly stylish women. And really, that’s exactly what you’re doing. Owner Karen Quinones has spent the last 25 years painstakingly curating an assortment of timeless, must-have pieces; the ultimate capsule wardrobe.
“Before I go to market I look through my closet to see what’s missing,” Quinones says. “I think about what it is that I need in my wardrobe and I start in that mindset. I travel a lot and my clients travel a lot as well, so I’m always looking for pieces that are transitional, that work from day to night. I prefer a beautiful, luxurious well-made garment rather than having a lot of little things, I just want one special thing.”
Skipping trendy pieces in lieu of timeless classics that will still be relevant and wearable in 20 years — that’s the goal of En Avance. Every piece is an essential. Every garment is another building block in creating the ultimate wardrobe. Quinones tells us that her customers tell her about wearing pieces they purchased from her in the ‘90s. No buyer’s remorse here.
In honor of En Avance’s 25th anniversary, Quinones wanted to do something big. The end result? A relocation to MDD’s Paradise Plaza and launching a collaborative store-within-a-store concept with Maison Francis Kurkdjian. The partnership is a natural one; both Quinones and Francis Kurkdjian share a passion for the timeless and the classic, both believe in the personal nature of their respective products and those products’ connection to memory.
While Quinones helps you curate the ultimate wardrobe, Kurkdjian designs his fragrances as a “fragrance wardrobe,” encouraging women to curate a collection of multiple signature fragrances, that are all the same style, belonging to the same woman. “Instead of creating one single fragrance at a time, my idea was to build a fragrance wardrobe,” Kurkdjian says. “The same way [women] don’t wear the same outfit every day, the same way they change their haircut, the same way they don’t wear the same lipstick everyday… I believe that fragrance should accompany them in their daily life in the same way.”
As for tips on finding your signature fragrance? The perfumer offers this advice: “Time. Don’t be in a rush. Enjoy fragrances and one day, you’ll see that you found the right one. It’s the same way you date!” Kurkdjian laughs. “Perfume is emotional. It’s like love. Once you feel like you have found the right person… it works a little bit like that.”
To commemorate the launch of the new concept, the renowned French fragrance house will debut their new fragrance, Aqua Celestia Forte, a fresh and crisp scent that feels good and is long lasting.
Stop by En Avance x Maison Francis Kurkdjian at Paradise Plaza to snag your new signature scent and start building your dream closet.
