It's hard to imagine the ever-elegant Carolina Herrera shopping at Target, much less even talking about Target. So when we caught up with her at the New York City Opera's theater debut last night, surrounded by swanky rich folks in expensive formalwear, we expected a blank look from her when we asked if she'd ever consider doing a diffusion line for, oh, someplace like Target. "Of course!" she said without hesitation. "If they asked me, of course."

Herrera says a line for a television network like HSN or QVC is not for her, but not because it's too declasse. "Isaac Mizrahi is a natural actor; he can be on television," she said in reference to his forthcoming QVC line. "Not many designers can do it, but he can."

"This is an extremely strategic launch for Puig U.S.," said Didier Maine de Biran, general manager of Puig USA. "The launch of CH will be key in positioning the Carolina Herrera fragrance brand in the U.S., aligning it with the fashion image and continuing to build momentum. We have therefore developed a selective distribution platform for the brand in order to most effectively launch and position CH, aligning ourselves with the global brand strategy."

The Herrera fragrance business in the U.S. currently has two main pillars: 212, which is New York-centered, and Carolina Herrera New York, which includes such scents as Chic, explained Jose Manuel Albesa, chief brand officer for Puig Beauty and Fashion Group. CH Carolina Herrera, a counterpart to the apparel and accessory brand of the same name launched in 2001, is intended to be the third and potentially the largest pillar, he added. The U.S. is the final market to get the scent, which was first launched in Spain in late 2007. Shortly thereafter, it rolled out to Latin America, the Middle East and elsewhere in Europe.

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The two Carolinas and Firmenich's Olivier Crespe collaborated on the fragrance, which Herrera Jr. says was inspired by many of the things she loved as a child while living at her family's estate, La Vega, just outside Caracas, Venezuela. "Bulgarian rose, praline — I wanted to create something that reminded me of the best parts of childhood," she said. The scent has top notes of Italian bergamot, grapefruit, Sicilian lemon and melon; a heart of Bulgarian rose oil, sambac jasmine, orange blossom, praline and Sri Lankan cinnamon, and a drydown of sandalwood, cedarwood, suede, cashmere, patchouli, amber and transparent musk.