Pavi Elle
Avon (1983)

Pavi Elle by Avon (1983) was by the time, quite the quaint and slightly out-moded fragrance, being in a style more akin to a mid-century aldehydic floral chypre, albeit a tad lighter. Of course, there's the point to be made that by 1983, Avon was fully well-aware of who was still buying their perfumes, as shopping malls dotted the landscape and drew away younger people in middle-America once barred from reasonable access to luxury, and they were willing to spend bigger bucks on Chanel or Dior once access was made more convenient. Thus, the makeup (which was the far bigger seller in the 80's) became pitched at younger audiences, while the perfume was aimed at the older, established ones (with few exceptions), leading to things like Pavi Elle or men's fragrances such as Aurés by Avon (1985).

Pavi Elle opens with soft, soapy aldehydes, rosewood, bergamot, and geranium. Eventually a nice rosewood accord (too prohibitively expensive for Avon to use today, but not then) enters the fray as the soapy powdery heart of iris, heliotrope and muguet develops; rose, jasmine, and sandalwood taking background roles alongside ylang under these white floral notes. Pavi Elle is less powdery than this makes it sound, thanks to the sweet musky tones of the muguet contrasting the creamy sandalwood, just the right amount of vanilla, with tonka, cinnamon, and a vaguely nitromusk-style padding underneath, dried out with cedarwood and vetiver in the finish. Oakmoss takes the chypre accord to the finish line, and one may compare this fairly to something such as Chanel No. 22 (1922), with its aldehydic white floral focus over musks and woods.

Avon didn't even jump on current trends of the day (like powerhouse fragrance styles) until they were almost past-prime, which is why Ann Gottlieb was eventually appointed as outside creative director for the brand, to re-steer the perfume ship towards profitability again. As a sign of playing it safe, Pavi Elle likely bored many in the 80's, but now it represents a great value for vintage enthusiasts who want a classic white floral aldehyde fragrance, and don't have the coin to drop on Chanel, especially with No. 22's promotion to the costly Les Exclusifs range. This is never going to be my favorite classic Avon, but to deny its quality for price proposition both then and now would be ludicrous, and would put my sanity into further question than perhaps it already is for some. Definitely worth a look for lovers of this style. Thumbs up

I loved this one; it was rich, but had a lightness and sparkle that was very appealing. Eventually I burned out on it, but it was great while it lasted.

This was my all time Avon favorite. It was the about the only Avon fragrance I've smelled that was not bogged down in a ton of musk or cheap jasmine. It was a fresh, fruity/floral scent and I really enjoyed it in its' time.