With a light tap on the shoulder from a tuxedo-clad waitress, guests were invited to dine in the tent, where the tables burst into life with floral centerpieces full of red and white roses, and the place settings were completed with a white linen napkin, simply embroidered with the song “30;” a tribute to amfAR’s 30th anniversary to raise money in Cannes.
The dinner, a duo of stuffed zucchini flowers and short rib in Parmesan foam, was accompanied by a fashion show in which legendary fashion designers such as Karolina Kurkova, Lindsey Wixson, Sasha Pivovarova and Carmen Kass modeled 28 fairytale-inspired looks by John Galliano and others for Maison Margiela which channels Cinderella, a fanciful and slightly fetishistic one Alice in Wonderland by Richard Quinn, the humorous Schiaparelli version by Daniel Rose Berry Cat in boots, and much, much more. The complete lot of 28 ensembles would later be sold for €500,000 to Christian Levitt at an auction led by auctioneer Simon de Pury and Heidi Klum. ‘If I had your money and I was standing in front of Heidi Klum, I would just keep going,†De Pury told the bidder.
It is striking that towards the end of the evening the auction of the evening takes place, where frivolous purchases are made for a good cause. It’s cleverly positioned to encourage devilish bidding after plenty of champagne flutes and glasses of Rumor Rosé wine have been passed around. This year, the lots on offer include far-flung getaways to Antarctica and a pair of Chopard diamond earrings that Demi Moore wore to the Vanity fair Oscars party and modeled by model Maria Borges. Although the most feverish bidding took place during the artworks, which read like a blue chip wish list, ranging from Damien Hirst to Alexander Calder to Andy Warhol, whose 1964 lithograph of Elizabeth Taylor, simply titled ‘Liz’, generated the most excitement from the room pulled. and sold for €350,000.
As founder and president of amfAR, Taylor’s spirit was honored many times throughout the evening. “In 1997, Elizbeth Taylor called me because she couldn’t make it at the last minute, and let me tell you, those are some big shoes to fill; almost impossible,” Demi Moore recalled on stage at her first amfAR Cannes hosting experience. “I personally want to dedicate this evening to her tireless efforts, and I really wish she could see how far amfAR has come.”
The evening’s entertainment continued with a first performance of ‘Hold My Hand’ by Jess Glynne and a second by Nick Jonas, who fittingly ended his set with the tune ‘Jealous’, an unexpectedly fitting tribute to those who had been outbid moments earlier , before the stage was appropriately ceded to the one and only Cher, who delighted guests with three of her hits, switching outfits (and wigs) in between and closing on a high note with “Believe.” €
The crowd then staggered to the hotel’s clifftop pool, where Diplo turned to the busy dance floor as truffle pizzas and ice creams of all flavors were served to send us off on a merry note. And while some of the more cautious guests headed to their beds, the seasoned party pros headed to Domaine Dilecta. As in previous years, the house was redesigned from holiday villa to… Risky businessA house party where nightlife stalwart Richie Akiva along with his co-host Future and DJ Ruckus led the madness as the sun rose over the coastline.
