There was theater at Dior on Day 1 of Paris Fashion Week. Powerful glamour at Alaïa. But for real-life dressing drama, nothing compared to the fashion show that took place in front of the luminous glass pyramid of the Louvre on the opening evening of the collections, as guests arrived for the museum’s gala Grand Dîner, which many not-so-jokingly referred to as the museum’s mini-Met Gala.
Doechii swept in, in a matching pyramid of yellow Valentino couture (the skirt was so large that later she changed into a blue strapless gown, presumably to help her navigate the party). Lou Doillon, in an asymmetric white gown cut to her hip. Zoey Deutch, in hooded peach chiffon. Gigi Hadid, in gold sequined Jeremy Scott, her hair in marcelled waves.
And, of course, the Vogue editor and Met Gala mastermind Anna Wintour was there, in rose-and-swallow-embroidered Givenchy couture by Sarah Burton, a sneak peek of what is to come when Ms. Burton makes her debut at that house later in the week. Though Ms. Wintour was a guest, rather than the chair of the evening. And though the dress code was simply “black tie,” rather than any sort of more complicated, Met-worthy theme.
At the entrance, there was no receiving line, as there is at the Met, but there were rows of silver ballroom chairs set up around a pretend catwalk. Beyond that, guests strolled through the museum’s first fashion exhibition, “Louvre Couture,” before entering the Cour Marly, the grand glass-ceilinged hall filled with classical sculpture, for the cocktail party and dinner. “Does it look like the Met Gala to you?” murmured one woman to another. The answer was a raised eyebrow.
Indeed, the mood was more very, very fancy school reunion, if the school was Fashion University, rather than major cultural phenomenon à la Met, the most lucrative, most-watched philanthropic party of any year.
Keira Knightley, in strapless black Chanel, hugged Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in black sequins. Naomi Campbell, in a black dress under a billowing, cardinal-worthy coral cape from Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld, compared baby pictures with Adut Akech, in sparkly ivory Valentino, whose first child is three months old. Sidney Toledano, the chief executive of the LVMH Fashion Group, clapped Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel’s president of fashion, on the shoulder (As they were seated at tables on two different levels of the Cour Marly, later Mr. Toledano texted Mr. Pavlovsky: “Why are you down there and I am up here?”).
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu of “Emily in Paris” compared black Balenciaga dresses with Michelle Yeoh. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the former French first lady, wearing a white 1995 Galliano gown with a large black rose, kissed Rachida Dati, the French minister of culture, on both cheeks. As for John Galliano himself, he showed off his new lob hairstyle and raved about a recent “orgasmic detox” he had enjoyed in Mexico. David and Victoria Beckham walked by hand-in-hand and a tux-less Dev Patel (he was wearing a gray suit instead) took his seat at a table with Jisoo of Blackpink.
“It’s not that uptight,” said Duro Olowu, the Nigerian-British designer, approvingly — a reference, perhaps, to that fact that the Met Gala, with its scheduled entrances, tightly controlled access and streaming audience, can sometimes seem more like a business than a party. So much so that Gwyneth Paltrow once announced she wasn’t going back because it was so “un-fun” (she later recanted).
That did not seem to be an issue at the Grand Dîner. Surveying the room, Ms. Campbell said, “Andre would have loved this,” a reference to Andre Leon Talley, the fabulously grandiose fashion editor who died in 2022. “I can’t believe,” she said, “they’ve never done this before.”
The Louvre has had an annual Grand Dîner for the past few years, often largely attended by private donors, but never before has the event been overtly connected to fashion. That changed because of “Louvre Couture,” which opened in January and juxtaposes 100 pieces from fashion designers historic (Dior, Saint Laurent) and new (Marine Serre, Mr. Olowu) against the backdrop of the museum’s decorative arts wing.
The exhibition allowed Laurence des Cars, the first female president of the Louvre, to reimagine the fund-raiser as a celebration of the fashion industry with an eye toward tapping the deep pockets of the sector, which loves nothing so much as being considered in the same breath as the art world and which has been conditioned to pony up big charitable sums by events such as the Met Gala.
This matters because there is less of a private philanthropic tradition in Europe than there is in the United States. Historically, the French state has supported the arts. Those budgets are shrinking, however, and the Louvre is at the beginning of a massive renovation project — one estimated to cost 700-800 million euros (though rumors are that it could be as high as €1.5 billion). Enter the Grand Dîner.
Still, the sums involved reflect the reality that this approach is just in its infancy. Tables of 10 went for €50,000 instead of the Met’s $350,000, and the total sum raised was about €1 million — a record for the party, but significantly less than the Met’s $26 million in 2024. (To be fair, no other cultural event in the United States comes close to that number either). All of it goes to the Louvre’s restoration and educational initiatives, as Visa, which sponsored the fashion exhibition, also underwrote the costs of the party.
In any case, Ms. des Cars said the evening was everything she had imagined.
And when asked if the Grand Dîner would become an annual fixture on the fashion week and museum schedule, Ms. des Cars said she thought so — though the Louvre is not the only French museum that has considered taking a page from the Met and hosting a fashion gala to raise money and attention.
In July, during the couture shows, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which happens to be located within the Louvre palace, is to host its first Bal de l’Été (Summer Ball), another grand black-tie event. Though at the moment the table prices, which skew more to Met-level than the Grand Dîner, are a subject of some controversy.
Thus the battle of the fashion fund-raisers begins.
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