FiFi Awards: The Year's Best Scents

Photo: Getty Images

The Fragrance Foundation held it's 36th Annual FiFi Awards at Manhattan's Park Avenue Armory last night to celebrate the very best in fragrances. It's like the Oscars for the odiferous. I can only imagine that the Armory must have smelled like a brothel with the various fragrances worn by party goers mingling in the air. But hey, no B.O.!

It was a massive event with celebrities (from the B, C and D lists) including Salt-N-Pepa, Bernadette Peters (pictured), Danity Kane, one of the Gossip Girls, Nikki Blonski from Hairspray and Padma Lakshmi from Top Chef. Also in attendance were designers Zac Posen (pictured) and Vera Wang.

Surprisingly, it was a big day for fragrances inspired by athletes. David Beckham and Derek Jeter's scents both took home esteemed awards. Giorgio Armani was another big winner.

One Stylelist insider said that while the open bar and decor of the armory was fabulous, he was a little annoyed that his $1000 ticket didn't include dinner. And all the dainty hors d'Oeuvres didn't hold off the intoxication of the free-flowing booze.

Without further ado....

Here are last night's winners in men's fragrances:

Men's Luxe:

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Pour Homme — P&G Prestige Products Inc.

Men's Nouveau Niche:

Armani Privé Vetiver Babylone — Giorgio Armani Beauty

Men's Private Label/Direct Sell:

Derek Jeter Driven Black — Avon Products, Inc.

Men's Popular Appeal:

Intimately Beckham Men — Coty

Best Packaging Men's Prestige:

Attitude by Giorgio Armani — Giorgio Armani Parfums

Best Packaging Men's Popular Appeal:

Intimately Beckham Men — Coty

Interior Scent of the Year:

Gump's San Francisco Home Collection (Majestic Range, Treasured Range & Opulent Range) — Latitudes International

[WWD]

Hedi back in Fashion? Prada on the Market; Color of 2008; GF Ferré Makeover; Holiday Sweaters! Grooming Gadgets; Cole Haan Anniversary Collaboration

Hedi Slimane Photo: Getty Images

Former Dior Homme designer Hedi Slimane is rumored to be in talks with former employer LVMH to start his own design house. We love you Hedi! [DNR News]

Prada to sell itself on the Milan Stock Exchange. [DNR News]

Pantone picks Blue Iris as "Color of the Year." The World continues to turn. [NY Times]

GF Ferré, the younger (read: more affordable) Gianfranco Ferré line that you probably haven't heard of, has two new designers at the helm: Stefano Citron and Federico Piaggi. [WWD]

The NY Times hops on the holiday sweater bandwagon. See? Your Stylelist isn't completely off. [NY Times]

Grooming gadgetry helps you brush better. That means, less stanky breath and more kisses under the mistletoe. [NY Times]

Cole Haan will celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2008 with collaborations with designers from architecture, industrial design, jewelry and sculpture. Perhaps the footwear and accessories brand will finally break free from its laced-up image. [WWD]

Lagerfeld Eyewear; More on Ferré's Man; No D&G for the Times; Models Still Skinny; Virtual Armani; Uniqlo Goes Pantone Crazy; Everyone's a Critic; Posh Makeup; OutKast Menswear

Karl Lagerfeld will debut his new line of eyewear on Wednesday. The collection will hit stores in January with an optical line to follow in April. Fans optional. [WWD]

The Times on Lars Nilsson, heir to the Gianfranco Ferré throne. [NY Times]

NY Times' Guy Trebay and Cathy Horyn are still banned from attending Dolce & Gabbana's runway show in Milan. The moral of the story? Don't piss off the fashion queens—they know how to hold a grudge.  [Fashion Week Daily]

The current state of fashion models: still thin, still young and still smoking like chimneys in winter. [NY Times]

As reported yesterday, Giorgio Armani opened his virtual store in the virtual world, Second Life. According to WWD, "Style.com's Candy Pratts Price's avatar will interview Armani's avatar in the Second Life store about fashion and innovation." Seriously? This is getting to be ridiculous. I want to virtually slap someone. And how do you know it's not some middle-aged perv pretending to be the Italian designer? [WWD]

Uniqlo teams up with color-gurus Pantone to create a line of cashmere sweaters in 20 various shades for the Fall. If you don't know Uniqlo, it's Japan's answer to the GAP if it were cool again, and they sell cashmere sweaters for $129. [Fashion Week Daily]

Being a fashion critic is no longer reserved for the halls of esteemed fashion magazines. Instead, unlikely (and sometimes unqualified) critics  appear in the oddest of places—including William Sledd on YouTube—to blogs. Hey, wait a minute! [NY Times]

Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham unveiled a line of makeup in Japan today called "V-Sculpt." You too can look like an alien with a little spackle and gloss. Luckily, the makeup will stay in Japan for now. [WWD]

Andre 3000 of OutKast announced plans to launch a line of menswear. Yet another celebrity tosses their hat into the fashion ring. Yawn! [WWD]

White Shoes After Labor Day

Photo: Getty Images

While you're recovering from the long weekend of backyard barbecues and binge drinking, try not to think about the fact that Labor Day represents a last hurrah for Summer.

For many, Labor Day means returning to school or the end of half-days on Fridays. But more importantly, Labor Day means it's time to face some pressing fashion questions: What should we do with our white shoes? Can we still wear them? What about that long-standing rule about wearing white shoes after Labor Day? These are serious matters. Have you watched Serial Mom?

Luckily, Dolce & Gabbana showed winter whites on their Fall 2007 runways. Consider that a license to continue indulging your obsession with white Chuck Taylors and Jack Purcells—at least until the first signs of rain.

Pink Was For Boys, Blue For Girls

Just shows it's all in how you see things...

“There has been a great diversity of opinion on the subject, but the generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girl. The reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger color is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.”
Ladies Home Journal, June, 1918, on colourlovers, via kottke