FiFi Awards 2011 Winners
The Fragrance Foundation’s 39th annual FiFi Awards kicked off at Lincoln Center in New York City on May 25, and my eau my was it a star-studded event!
With A-list honorees like Halle Berry and Fergie hitting the red carpet—not to mention Usher, Mary J. Blige, Kate Walsh, and Padma Lakshmi in the house—it was a fragrance affair to remember, to say the least.
Newly blonde and dressed in a knockout yellow BCBG gown, Fergie said the success of her fragrance Outspoken—deemed New Celebrity Fragrance of the Year and now the biggest launch in Avon’s history—is still sinking in.
“It’s unbelievable!” she told FashionEtc, beaming from ear to ear. “It’s just been such an amazing process, to be so involved with every last detail from the very start and to work with such a fantastic, fantastic team [at Avon].”
Other highlights: Berry took home the first-ever Elizabeth Taylor Fragrance Celebrity of the Year award, Gucci cleaned house with four FiFis, and Blige’s fragrance wowed the crowd with its incredible sales power.
“I’m so excited to tell my Fam [that] My Life Fragrance won 2 huge awards @ the fifi’s 2night!!!!” Blige tweeted about her scent, which sold 60,000 units in just five hours on HSN.
Elizabeth Taylor was also inducted into the Fragrance Hall of Fame and inspired a video presentation about her life—proof that she is forever fabulous.
Fragrance expert and Sniffapalooza founder Karen Adams, who was an official judge for the Information Technology category, said this year’s awards were particularly special.
“It wasn’t a surprise to see that the biggest winners were celebrity- and designer-driven fragrances,” she told FashionEtc. “[But] the excitement this year was seeing the FiFi acceptance speeches include heartfelt thanks to the perfumers who created the fragrances, with some even being called to the stage for recognition.”
It was also exciting to have a new Indie Brand award, she said, and a unique Consumers’ Choice voting category that allowed fragrance fans to vote live for the first time ever.
So the judges have voted, the celebs have taken their half-turns, and the 2011 FiFis are signed, sealed, delivered. Here’s at look at the winners—congrats to their success and happy spritzing!
Fragrance Superstar of the Year: Gucci Guilty
Sales Breakthrough: Mary J. Blige
Specialty Luxe: Balenciaga Paris (Women’s) and Tom Ford Azure Lime (Men’s)
Best Packaging: Victoria’s Secret Bombshell (Broad Appeal Women’s), Hervé Léger Homme (Broad Appeal Men’s), Gucci Guilty (Women’s Luxe), and Marc Jacobs Bang (Men’s Luxe)
Hall of Fame: Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey (Women’s) and Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male (Men’s)
New Fragrance Celebrity of the Year: Fergie Outspoken
Best Media Campaign: Gucci Guilty (Women’s) and Bleu de Chanel (Men’s)
Bath & Body Line of the Year: Coco Mademoiselle Bath Essentials Chanel
Interior Scent Collection of the Year: Jonathan Adler Happy Chic
Direct to Consumer: Mary J. Blige My Life
Perfume Extraordinaire: Givaudan for Maison Martin Margiela Untitled
FiFi Hall of Fame: Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor Fragrance Celebrity of the Year: Halle Berry
Consumer’s Choice: Victoria’s Secret Bombshell (Women’s) and Bath & Body Works Twilight Woods for Men (Men’s)
Broad Appeal: Halle Berry Pure Orchid (Women’s) and Hervé Léger Homme (Men’s)
Indie Brand: Six Scents Series Three Unisex
Specialty Brand: Victoria’s Secret Bombshell (Women’s) and Banana Republic Republic of Men Essence (Men’s)
Luxe: Gucci Guilty (Women’s) and Bleu de Chanel (Men’s)
Editorial Excellence in Fragrance Coverage: Allure, Elle, Marie Claire, and Elle.com
For more Fergie, read our exclusive interview with the star.
