Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire comes out top winner at the French Fifis Awards 2013, Diptyque Volutes nabs Best in Niche

The 21st award ceremony of the Fragrance Foundation France was held this evening at the Salle Wagram in Paris.

Both the professionals and the public gave top votes to Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire. It swiped every prize in its category, just like Elie Saab Le Parfum did last year: best feminine fragrance, best ad campaign, best bottle design…I’m quite glad this won, since the project originated in a limited edition authored by Delphine Jelk (Drom) and therefore, was not a huge marketing-driven project to begin with. Yves Rocher So Elixir Purple by Marie Salamagne (Firmenich) was elected Best Fragrance for Women in the “brand-owned retail channel” category.

In the masculines, things were much more spread out, with Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb nabbing Best Fragrance for Men – always glad to see Olivier Polge (IFF) get some recognition. The public voted for Diesel Only The Brave Tattoo by Alberto Morillas and Honorine Blanc (Firmenich). Kenzo Homme Sport won for its ad campaign. L’Eau de Provence Eau Universelle by Mathieu Nardin (Robertet) for L’Occitane was distinguished as the best in the « brand-owned retail channel » category.

AsI was on my way to New York this year just as the journalist, evaluator and blogger jury was convening to vote on the “Expert’s Award” for niche and exclusive fragrances, I couldn’t take part in the discussion this year, which may be just as well since Séville à l’aube was among the finalists.

Here are the Experts’ Award finalists, in no special order:

Replica: Beach Walk by Jacques Cavallier and Marie Salamagne (Firmenich) for Maison Martin Margiela

Figuier Eden by Armani Privé (couldn’t find a mention of the perfumer)

Lumière Blanche by Sidonie Lancesseur for Olfactive Studio

Amyris pour Femme by Francis Kurkdjian for Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Lys Fumé by Shyamala Maisondieu and Rodrigo Flores-Roux (Givaudan) for Tom Ford Private Blends

Ombre de Hyacinth by Calice Becker (Givaudan) for Tom Ford Private Blends

Amazingreen by Jean-Christophe Hérault (IFF) for Comme des Garçons Parfums

Volutes by Fabrice Pellegrin (Firmenich) for Diptyque

Une Voix Noire by Christopher Sheldrake for Serge Lutens

Séville à l’aube by Bertrand Duchaufour for L’Artisan Parfumeur

And the winner of the Prix des Experts 2013 is…

Volutes by Diptyque

Which I’m actually quite all right with… I’m already very honored that Séville à l’aube came out in the top 10, and I do very much like Volutes.

Olfactive Studio, I’m very happy to say, was handed the Best Concept Award: I’d argued during last year’s discussion, when the brand’s three fragrances made it into the finalists, that it should receive some sort of special recognition. Clearly I wasn’t the only one who thought so, so bravo to Céline Verleure!

A note on the voting procedure for the Experts’ Award:

Each juror selected three scents out of a list of about 100 niche and exclusive collection 2012 launches. The 10 scents awarded the most points were then smelled blind on two blotters, one fresh-dipped and the other dipped a couple of hours earlier so the drydown could be perceived. The jurors were not apprised of the result at the end of the session.

Throughout the evening, the guests of the Fragrance Foundation were invited to vote with their smartphones for "le parfum mythique" -- the Hall of Fame... Any one of the nominees would have well deserved the awards, which ultimately went to Eau Sauvage in the masculines and Shalimar in the feminines.