There was theater in Dior on day 1 of Paris Fashion Week. Powerful glamor at Alaïa. But for the lifelike drama, nothing compared to the fashion show that took place for the luminous glass pyramid of the Louvre on the opening evening of the collections, while guests arrived for the Gala Grand Dîner of the museum, which many did not call the mini-with gala of the museum.
Duckii came in, in a matching pyramid of yellow Valentino -Couture (the skirt was so large that she later turned into a blue street dress, presumably to help her by navigating the party). Lou Doillon, cut in an asymmetrical white dress on her hip. Zoey Deuch, in Peach Chiffon with hood. Gigi Hadid, in gold lovers Jeremy Scott, her hair in marbled waves.
And of course the Vogue editor and with Gala Mastermind Anna Wintour there, in Rose-en-Wallow-Eiliner Givenchy Couture by Sarah Burton, was a taste of what is coming when Mrs. Burton makes her debut in that house later in the week. Although Mrs. Wintour was a guest, instead of the chairman of the evening. And although the dress code was just ‘black tie’, instead of any more more complicated, Metworthy theme.
At the entrance there was no reception line, such as with the IS, but rows of silver ballroom chairs were set up around a catwalk. Furthermore, guests walked through the first fashion exhibition of the museum, ‘Louvre Couture’, before they entered the Cour Marly, the Grand Glass-Cailinged Hall filled with classic sculpture, for the cocktail party and dinner. “Does it seem like gala for you?” muttered one woman to the other. The answer was an elevated eyebrow.
The mood was indeed more, very chic school reunion, when the school fashion diversity was, instead of a large cultural phenomenon à la with, the most lucrative, most viewed philanthropic party of every year.
Keira Knightley, in Strapless Black Chanel, hugged Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in black sequins. Naomi Campbell, in a black dress under a wavy, cardinal-worthy coral cap from Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld, compared baby photos with adut Akech, in Sparkly Ivory Valentino, whose first child is three months old. Sidney Toledano, the Chief Executive of the LVMH Fashion Group, hit Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel’s President of Fashion, on the shoulder (because they were sitting on tables on two different levels of the Cour Marly, later Mr. Toledano here and I am Pavlovste Mr. Am here? “).
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu of “Emily in Paris” compared Black Balenciaga dresses with Michelle Yeoh. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the former French First Lady, with a white Galliano dress from 1995 with a large black rose, Rachida Dati, the French Minister of Culture, kissed on both cheeks. Regarding John Galliano himself, he showed off a recent “orgasmic detox” with his new Lob hairstyle and lyrical that he had enjoyed in Mexico. David and Victoria Beckham walked hand in hand and a tuxedoless Dev Patel (he wore a gray suit instead) took place at a table with Jisoo from Blackpink.
“It is not that tense,” said Duro Olowu, the Nigerian-British designer, approving-miss, perhaps to that fact that with Gala, with its planned entrances, tightly controlled access and streaming audience, sometimes looks more like a company than a party. So much so that Gwyneth Paltrow once announced She didn’t go back Because it was so “insufficient” (they later revoke).
That didn’t seem to be a problem with the Grand Dîner. Mrs. Campbell investigated the room and said, “Andre would have kept this”, a reference to Andre Leon
The Louvre has had an annual Grand Dîner in recent years, often largely attended by private donors, but never before has the event openly connected to fashion. That changed because of “Louvre Couture”, which was opened in January and 100 pieces of fashion designers historical (Dior, Saint Laurent) and New (Marine Serre, Mr. Olowu) in addition to the background of the decorative artificial wing of the museum of the museum.
The exhibition was able to come up with Laurence des Cars, the first female president of the Louvre, as a celebration of the fashion industry with a view to tapping the deep pockets of the sector, which loves nothing so much as in the same breath as the art world in the event of the gala.
This is important because there is less a private philanthropic tradition in Europe than in the United States. Historically, the French state has supported the art. However, those budgets shrink and the Louvre is at the start of a huge renovation project – one estimated To cost 700-800 million euros (although rumors are that it can be as high as € 1.5 billion). Enter the Grand Dîner.
Nevertheless, the amounts involved reflect the reality that this approach is simply in its infancy. Tables of 10 went for € 50,000 instead of the $ 350,000 of the with, and the total amount was around € 1 million – a record for the party, but considerably less than the $ 26 million of the with in 2024 (to be honest, no other cultural event in the United States also comes close to that number). It all goes to the restoration and educational initiatives of the Louvre, since Visa, who sponsored the fashion exhibition, also endorsed the costs of the party.
In any case, Mrs. des Cars said that the evening was everything she had imagined.
And when asked whether the Grand Dîner would be an annual competition on the fashion week and the museum schedule, Mrs. des Cars said that she thought so – although the Louvre is not the only French museum that has considered taking a page from and organizing a fashiongala to raise money and attention.
In July, during the Couture shows, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which happens to be in the Louvre Palace, will organize his first ball De L’Eté (Summer Ball), another Grand Black-Tie event. Although the table prices are currently, which are more skewed racks at the level than the Grand Dîner, a subject of some controversy.
This is how the Battle of the Fashion Fund-Raizers begins.
