If your fantasies involve droves of white-clad socialites showing up to a secret location to dine and drink, Le Dîner en Blanc should be right up your alley.
The international event will hold its first-ever dinner in Saigon on December 12 at a yet to be disclosed location.
For those unfamiliar with the ivory-hued dinner – or just thinking about the Mr. Sean "Diddy" Combs version - Dîner en Blanc began in Paris in 1988 when François Pasquier invited some friends to dinner. To make sure they could spot each other at the busy outdoor venue, Pasquier asked his guests to wear all white so that he could recognize them.
Over the last 27 years, the event has spread like wildfire to over 50 cities worldwide and the annual Paris edition (pictured above) draws a crowd of over 15,000 people.
According to the event website, this is what you can expect if you dole out VND850,000 (VND670,000 for the event and a VND180,000 membership fee):
“Over the course of an evening, the diners enhance the function and value of their city's public space by participating in the unexpected. Beyond the spectacle and refined elegance of the dinner itself, guests are brought together from diverse backgrounds by a love of beauty and good taste. Le Dîner en Blanc recalls the elegance and glamour of court society, and diners engage one another knowing they are taking part in a truly magical event. There are no disruptions: no car traffic, no pedestrian traffic, except for the occasional amazed and astonished looks from passersby at the scene unfolding before them. And we, as they, wonder whether it's all not a dream…”
For a visual account, here’s a video recap of the 2014 Singapore edition:
