The 35th Annual “Fifi” Awards Ceremony and Celebration were held last evening. Initially conceived of as a way to honor the “fragrance industry’s creative achievements”, this glamorous event which is considered to be the “Oscars” of the global fragrance industry, has come a long way since that first ceremony, held at the Plaza Hotel and attended by only 250 industry insiders. It is now attended by well over 1,000 members of the international fragrance community with celebrity presenters from the worlds of fashion, theatre, film, and TV and last night was no exception. In addition to five- time Grammy Award winner, John Legend, who was the headline performer, guests in attendance included Sean Combs, Paula Abdul, Jane Seymour, Zac Posen, Carol Alt, Daisy Fuentes, Evelyn and Leonard Lauder, Becki Newton, Tracy Reese, Padma Lakshmi, and Donna Karan who was presented with the Fragrance Foundation Board of Director’s Hall of Fame Award for her “extraordinary ingenuity and dedication, which has contributed not only to her company’s success, but to the fragrance industry as a whole.”

This year, for the first time, the venue of choice was the imposing Winter Garden at the World Financial Center. Perfectly mimicking this all glass structure was the brand new award itself, the culmination of an extensive design competition in 2006. Denis Boudard’s crystal design, which was meant to “embody the blending of glass and fragrance because in this industry one cannot exist without the other” (according to Mr. Boudard), simulates a “drop of perfume dissolving into and sending ripples through a slender sheet of crystal”.

This years winners are:

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – WOMEN’S LUXE
Juicy Couture – Liz Claiborne Cosmetics
FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – MEN’S LUXE – A TIE!
Terre d’Hermès – Hermès
Unforgivable by Sean John – Sean John Fragrances/Estée Lauder
FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – WOMEN’S NOUVEAU NICHE
KenzoAmour – Kenzo Parfums
FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – MEN’S NOUVEAU NICHE
Viktor & Rolf Antidote – L’Oréal USA

FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – WOMEN’S PRIVATE LABEL/DIRECT SELL
Dream Angels Desire – Victoria’s Secret Beauty
FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – MEN’S PRIVATE LABEL/DIRECT SELL
Banana Republic Black Walnut – Inter Parfums USA
FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – WOMEN’S POPULAR APPEAL
American Beauty Wonderful Indulgence – BeautyBank Inc.
FRAGRANCE OF THE YEAR – MEN’S POPULAR APPEAL
Antonio Antonio Banderas – Puig Beauty USA, Inc.
FRAGRANCE HALL OF FAME
Angel by Thierry Mugler – Clarins Fragrance Group

EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE IN FRAGRANCE COVERAGE – WOMEN’S SCENT FEATURE
· ELLE – “Making Scents, Shop Talk” – December 2006

EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE IN FRAGRANCE COVERAGE – WOMEN’S SCENT BITE
ELLE – “Vision Quest” – September 2006
EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE IN FRAGRANCE COVERAGE – MEN’S FEATURE
· GQ – “Stop and Smell…Haitian Vetiver?” – December 2006

TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR
Crescent House Publishing LLC – Scentsa Fragrance Finder, Expert content by Jan Moran and Michael Edwards

RETAILER OF THE YEAR – A TIE!
· Macy’s

· Sephora

BATH & BODY LINE OF THE YEAR
Juicy Couture by Liz Claiborne Cosmetics
INTERIOR SCENT OF THE YEAR
Banana Republic Chilled Sangria Candle – Inter Parfums USA

BEST PACKAGING – WOMEN’S PRESTIGE – A TIE!
Armani Privé Cuir Amethyst (unisex) – Giorgio Armani Beauty
KenzoAmour – Kenzo Parfums
BEST PACKAGING – MEN’S PRESTIGE – A TIE!
Armani Privé Cuir Amethyst (unisex) – Giorgio Armani Beauty
· Viktor & Rolf Antidote – L’Oréal USA

BEST PACKAGING – WOMEN’S POPULAR APPEAL
Secrets D’Essences Voile d’Ambre – Yves Rocher Inc.
BEST PACKAGING – MEN’S POPULAR APPEAL
Driven – Derek Jeter – Avon Products, Inc.
BEST NATIONAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN – PRINT
Juicy Couture –Liz Claiborne Cosmetics

BEST NATIONAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN – TV
J’Adore – Dior Beauty

-Marilyn Kirschner

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