Fragrance Ties to Fashion at the 42nd Annual Fragrance Foundation Awards

A larger than usual array of gorgeous flowing and fitted evening gowns lent an extra air of glamour to the 42nd annual Fragrance Foundation Awards—and also gave credence to the fact that fragrance and fashion trends are growing increasingly closer together. Decorative details on many of the winning flacons, such as bows, textile patterns and leather further proved the point.
Models in fabulous dresses add extra glamour to the Awards ceremony.
As models, celebrities, fragrance industry icons and guest presenters about to participate in the awards presentation made their way down the Red Carpet outside Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in Manhattan on Monday evening, June 16th, anticipation built among the hundreds of attendees. Which fragrances would win the coveted Fragrance Foundation Awards of 2014?

An Entertaining Evening

Later, inside the spacious hall, against a full-screen backdrop of ethereal black and white swirling photographic images, comedian Dana Carvey took the podium, quipping that it had been his lifelong dream to host the Awards presentation. In fact, it was his second consecutive year in the role.

Carvey wisecracked about how fragrances are named, offering a few examples, such as Boiled Cabbage Fantasy, a scent that he said could have been created during the Sochi Olympics.

He then introduced Jill Belasco, chairman of the board of the Fragrance Foundation, who thanked Foundation president Elizabeth Musmanno for the renewed glamour she had created for the group—from the talks featuring President Clinton, to the organization’s rejuvenated website.

Musmanno, in turn—in a sweeping black gown that complemented Belasco’s—paid tribute to all those involved in the industry, and spoke about fragrance as a silent art form.

Packaging Leads the Way

The first awards of the evening highlighted the Packaging of the Year category.

Here, Coty was the big winner, capturing the awards for both men’s and women’s fragrances. Packaging of the Year-Men’s went to Bottega Veneta Pour Homme for its bottle that was inspired by Venetian glasswork and the traditional Italian carafe. The cap, collar and signature screw that secures the artisanal leather strap adornment references the black metal used on belt buckles.

Honey by Marc Jacobs buzzed into first place with the women’s title in this category, rewarded for the designer’s inclusion of his iconic polka dots and stripes on the glass bubble-like artistic bottle and cap. Shimmering pearls add radiance at the center of each “insect” and the signature logo and gold coil-wrapped collar add an elegant touch.

Models/actresses Chrissy Teigen and Angie Harmon next presented the award for Consumer’s Choice fragrance. Polo Red was the runaway for Men, while Victoria by Victoria’s Secret literally tied up the women’s choice award, with a flowing ribbon embellishment. In the Consumer’s Choice Celebrity category, Elizabeth Arden’s One Moment from One Direction, complete with a tiara and a pink flower made of tulle netting, took the prize.

When it came to Interior Scent Collection of the Year, actress Marisa Tomei made the announcement: Passion Collection for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, from Nest Fragrances. Company founder and CEO Laura Slatkin was called to the stage and presented with the weighty glass award by Leonard Lauder, chairman emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies. He spoke lovingly about how Slatkin had stepped in to take over the great philanthropic work that his late wife, Evelyn Lauder, had been so passionate about. Slatkin said that Evelyn Lauder had been a true role model for her.

Polo Red scored again for Media Campaign of the Year, with handsome Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras, the face of the fragrance campaign, taking the stage to accept the honor. In Media Campaign-Women’s, two winners were chosen: Chanel No. 5 featuring Marilyn Monroe, and Jean Paul Gaultier—on which Carvey sardonically commented: “Who hasn’t ridden on a battleship through the streets of Paris to get his girl?”

Lauder then took the stage again to introduce Michael Gould, ex-chairman and CEO of Bloomingdale’s, as this year’s recipient of the Hall of Fame Award. “You’re our hero,” Lauder said to Gould, “because you helped make fragrance such a great part of our culture.”

Gould, who started in the business more than 34 years ago at the now shuttered Robinson’s Department store and rose through the ranks, was noticeably touched and humbled by the prestigious award. His message was one of giving back though, which he said was what all his mentors had taught him in one way or another. “No one remembers the numbers, he emphasized: just what the people did.” Above all, he said, “people will never forget how you made them feel—and you have made me feel so special tonight.”

Fragrance of the Year was awarded next, in several categories: Popular, Prestige and Luxury.

Victoria’s Secret was the double winner in the Popular category. Hockey star Sean Avery and Estée Lauder spokesmodel Hilary Rhoda presented the award for Fragrance of the Year-Men’s Popular to Victoria’s Secret Very Sexy Platinum for Men. Victoria by Victoria’s Secret, was presented with the Women’s award—a winner for the second time of the evening.

The audience was then treated to a spectacular performance by Judith Hill, one of the stars of the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Feet from Stardom.”

Next up, it was time for a little drama as Michael C. Hall (“Dexter”) and Coco Rocha, in a stunning over-the-top—and off-the-shoulders—blush gown took the stage to announce Fragrance of the Year-Prestige. In the Men’s category, the award went to Polo Red, for an evening trifecta. Estée Lauder’s Modern Muse, with its perky bow-shaped actuator, earned the distinction in the Women’s category.

When former editor in chief of Vogue Paris, Carine Roitfeld, took the podium to announce the Fragrances of the Year in the Luxe category, she spoke about a different type of link between fashion and fragrance, saying, “Perfume is like haute couture, in that many people work together to create an exceptional product.”

Tom Ford Rive D’Ambre won in the Men’s Luxury category, while Privé Rose D’Arabic by Giorgio Armani took the Women’s award.

Carvey then offered some comic relief, entertaining the audience with an improvised stint at the piano, with a song dedicated to the awards. He wove in a number of fragrance companies along with remarks about the presenters, such as thinking that Michael C. Hall had greeted him while plotting to “see him on my table later.”

Which fragrance would enter the Fragrance Foundation Hall of Fame in 2014? Clinique Happy, which was launched in 1997 and won a FiFi that same year. Jane Lauder accepted the award, wearing a flowy orange-colored dress that matched the color of the Happy logo.

The ceremony concluded with a tribute to IFF’s Carlos Benaim, who had earned the distinction as Perfumer of the Year, following more than 45 years of dedication to fragrance creation. He is the masterful “nose” behind many of the industry’s most iconic fragrances, including Polo, Euphoria, Flower Bomb and Red Door. He has also mentored generations of IFF perfumers, and asked all of those in attendance to stand and be acknowledged for their work.

Following the award presentations, the celebration continued in the grand foyer with flutes of champagne and trays of savories.

For a full listing of all Fragrance Foundation Award Winners, please see BeautyPackaging.com.