The Fragrance Foundation has announced the semi-finalists for the 2008 Fifi Awards, known as the "Oscars of the fragrance industry". Note that some categories show more than 10 fragrances because of tied votes, and unisex fragrances can appear in more than one category. The distinction between the categories "nouveau niche" and "luxe" is simply in how widely distributed the fragrances are (it has nothing to do with price or any other factor).
Each category will be whittled down to 5 fragrances at the Fifi Finalists Breakfast on April 25th; the final awards will be presented in May. The award statue is shown at right. And the finalists are:
NOUVEAU NICHE - WOMEN'S
Agent Provocateur Maitresse
Giorgio Armani Armani Privé Rose Alexandrie
Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol Silver Factory
Bond No. 9 Bryant Park
Bond No. 9 Saks Fifth Avenue for Her
Burberry Brit Sheer
Gucci by Gucci
L'Artisan Parfumeur Iris Pallida
L'Artisan Parfumeur L’Eau de Jatamansi
Prada Infusion D’Iris
Versace by Versace
Robert Piguet Visa
NOUVEAU NICHE - MEN'S
Giorgio Armani Armani Privé Vetiver Babylone
Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol Silver Factory
Bond No. 9 Saks Fifth Avenue for Him
Courvoisier L’Edition Imperiale
Robert Piguet Cravache
Givenchy Classic Fragrances
Kiton Black
Kilian L’Oeuvre Noire by Kilian
Tom Ford for Men
Crabtree & Evelyn West Indian Lime
LUXE - WOMEN'S
Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche
Coach by Coach
Marc Jacobs Daisy
DKNY Delicious Night
Dolce & Gabbana The One
Giorgio Armani Emporio Armani Diamonds
Hermès Kelly Calèche
Mariah Carey M by Mariah Carey
Nina Ricci Nina
Ralph Lauren Ralph Rocks
Usher She
LUXE - MEN'S
Giorgio Armani Attitude
Burberry Summer for Men
Calvin Klein Man
Azzaro Chrome Legend
Diesel Fuel for Life Men
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Pour Homme
Jean Paul Gaultier Fleur du Male
Narciso Rodriguez For Him
Guess Suede
Ralph Lauren Polo Explorer
Tommy Bahama Set Sail St. Barts Him
Usher He
You can see the rest of the categories at The Fragrance Foundation website. (found via happi)
See also: the Fragrance Awards page.
Although I wasn't in love with Kelly Caleche, I think that it is so head and shoulders above the other contestants in the Luxe category that I don't see how it can not win.
I'll vote for KC too (and I'm more in love with it all the time), and they've actually got more scents that I like on this year's roster than usual.
Ridiculous… I know, I shouldn't get upset but I can't help it! Has it always been this bad in recent years? I can't see a unisex list on their web site.
Okay, laughing, can I tell you? I thought this was your Prix Eau Faux announcement, which I've been waiting for! So I'm reading… and first thing I think is, wow, a lot of entries. Second thing: hey, they're mimicking existing scents! Must not have read the instructions closely. Third: dang, this sounds a *lot* like the crap the companies themselves write. Fourth: dawning realization … duh.
Me, too! Rapid heartbeat, cresting excitement….then…dang.
Me, too! I am road-testing a sample for the third time and while I'm not sure it's bottle-worthy, I'm really enjoying it! It doesn't hold on me, though, so I employed (Bartamy?) the trick of putting Vaseline on the spritz areas! The KC is holding fast!
My Luxe vote is for Kelly Caleche too – didn't like it at first, but then I started craving it after multiple sniff tests.
I am so happy to see Andy Warhol Silver Factory up there too – I hope it wins, it's my favorite Bond so far.
Haven't tried any of the Bond ones, they aren't available here. Would like to though.
Didn't buy any of the ones listed. Actually, the only new perfume I bought this year was Cacharel Amor Sunshine (yes, a flanker) and Gaultier Classique which I briefly thought could be a signature scent for me. Still like it, but don't think I will ever be able to choose just one scent.
I have a full bottle of Kelly Caleche and would vote for it!
So basically everything that Bond no. 9 has released lately is worthy of being nominated ? WoW.
I did end up buying it, and while I liked it well enough on release, I like it much better now. I think it was one of those scents where I got sucked in to the ad copy and then was suprised by the actual scent, and needed time to adjust.
Bond Andy Warhol might actually be the only unisex, although not sure why the by Kilians & Givenchys are only listed under men's.
But — this actually strikes me as one of the better lists in recent years!
I am torn between Andy Warhol & Infusion d'Iris.
Megan, where are you? And apologies if I should already know, my memory is really pathetic.
Me too.
It is nowhere for sale here in CZ but I thought that was some sort of logistics problem.
I am saving the money for Prada and will have to double the amount so I may buy a nice bottle of Montale instead..
It sucks for I would have bought Infusion d'Iris.
So maybe I have to save the amount for Montale in due time and buy a nice pair of shoes instead.
Life can be so hard for a perfumelover…. sigh
M, the sorts of scents that we often call “niche” are not covered by the Fifi awards at all. It is “niche” as opposed to “luxe” only because it is sold in fewer stores.
I'll have to sample the Kiton Black – I've ignored it up til now.
Strange “Niche” List in my opinion … and so my definition of niche perfume house seems really different as Robin todl me in another post
-Prada Infusion D’Iris
-Versace by Versace
-Gucci by Gucci
-Burberry Brit Sheer
Availlable everywhere I go … many ad everywhere. Made by major mainstream house (Gucci not luxe ??? oh )
Agent Provocateur Maitresse would certainly also be in the luxe category.
Giorgio Armani Armani Privé Rose Alexandrie
I have always difficulty to judge Private Collection Vs Independant House in “niche' perfurmery. The money availlable and the ressource cannot be compared. I would prefer to have the private collection in one other category.
So lets see the true (in my definition
..) last niche perfumes
Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol Silver Factory
Bond No. 9 Bryant Park
Bond No. 9 Saks Fifth Avenue for Her
L'Artisan Parfumeur Iris Pallida
L'Artisan Parfumeur L’Eau de Jatamansi
Robert Piguet Visa
L'artisan is often no more considered as a niche .. but that s not the problem .. L’Eau de Jatamansi is an ugly “All organic, All natural” bad joke.
OK, now I get it
Benoit, I had exactly the same reaction. For example I have seen Armani Privee for sale in perfume stores and Agent Provocateur and more of those.
So indeed niche on this blog is what is very hard to find. Still confusing for Serge Lutens is also for sale in the better warehouses in Amsterdam.
By the way I have been in the Annick Goutal shop here in Prague and it is such a lovely place. They have all the AG fragrances and indeed that butterfly bottle is lovely, but I love their other bottles too.
As I said above, “niche” for the Fifis simply refers to the number of stores the fragrance is sold in, nothing more. They do not use the term in the same way as most perfume consumers.
I tried it briefly but now I can't remember a darned thing about it.
And these celebrity things should have their own cathegory.
Sorry …
As an excuse and to speak about niche, I own you a second test of 5 o clock au Gingembre.
Even if I am a poor Perfume Tester, here is what I can say :
I have test it yesterday on my skin.
And it was completely different than on paper.
After a classical “Bergamot” top pshiit .. (but quite pleasant). The perfume itself is divided in two disting notes.
The first one, is full of bitterness, it is composed by the “Ginger, pepper, Vetiver, cacao” Axis I assumed.
The second one is a sweet note “gourmande” .. “Honey, Patchoulli Cacao” that you can fell under the sharp one. (The base note is quite dry for a Lutens)
It is of course quite well done and you have the feeling to smell (and eat) a cake with some piece of Ginger.
After more or less one hour, what i will call the ginger note deseaper quite nicely, I think for me that was the best moment of the perfume when sweet heart is powerfull and you have still some pulse of Ginger.
I beleive that the problem for me was to accept both notes. The bitterness axis was quite unpleasant for me during the first 15 minutes but I can understand that some of you are crazy with it.
After reading other review on the perfume it can also depends of the skin. Some speak of very “clean and soft Ginger” which is not my opinion.
Thank you so much — that's a great description. I'll get my hands on a sample eventually!
Tom Ford for Men made it, but Black Orchid didn't?!?! Huh??
Woops, my bad! Wrong year! Sorry…
LOL — it is late at night, so I was puzzled there too for a minute. Thanks for figuring it out, I probably couldn't at the moment.