Top 25 International Society Events: Past and Present

"Someone said that life is a party. You join in after it's started and leave before it's finished." - Elsa Maxwell.

"Serve the dinner backward, do anything - but for goodness sake, do something weird." - Elsa Maxwell.

High Society Resources

• 75th Red Cross Gala 2024 shines into the night - "The Principality’s most prestigious event of the season, the Red Cross Gala, dazzled attendees this Friday, July 19, at the Salle des Étoiles in Sporting Monte-Carlo."
• 2024 Met Gala: Everything you need to know - "The first Monday in May is nearly upon us. The Party of the Year. The Oscars of the East. Fashion's Biggest Night. The theme is simply the title of the Costume Institute's new exhibition, 'Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.' The Met Gala also has a "dress code." This year's dress code is 'The Garden of Time.'"
• 2024 Met Gala fashion: The best looks from the red carpet - "Celebrities descended on New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday night for the annual Met Gala. The extravagant event raises money for the museum's Costume Institute. Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Chris Hemsworth were co-chairs alongside Anna Wintour."
• 2024: The Met Gala: Everything You Need To Know - "What’s the dress code, who’s hosting, who’s going and how to watch. Guests have been instructed to dress for 'The Garden of Time,' so named after a 1962 short story by J.G. Ballard about an aristocratic couple living in a walled estate with a magical garden."
• 2024 The Met Gala: The 'delicious irony' of the Met Gala's Garden of Time theme - "In JG Ballard's dystopian story The Garden of Time - which has inspired this year's dress code - the super-rich hide themselves in Arcadian splendour while the 'great unwashed' riot. It seems an unlikely choice of theme for fashion's event of the year."
• 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner: Biden swings at Trump during White House Correspondents’ Dinner remarks as pro-Palestinian protesters rally outside - "Speaking to a crowd of nearly 3,000 journalists, celebrities and politicians, Biden added, 'Age is the only thing we have in common. My vice president actually endorses me.'"
• 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner Photos: Best Of The Red Carpet - "The annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner will bring together celebrities, journalists covering the political beat, and the President of the United States on a night to celebrate the First Amendment."
• A Glamorous Masked Ball & 100 People to Know 2023 - "Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World gala. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Doja Cat, Lea Michele, Kaia Gerber, Aubrey Plaza, Austin Butler came out for Time magazine and Save Venice."
• Anna Wintour stages starry gala as tensions rise at Vogue - "‘It’s about asserting her power.’ ‘London’s answer to Met Gala’ reveals behind-the-scenes power struggle between editors. Some of the biggest names from fashion and Hollywood will descend on the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in the West End on Thursday night for an event that is being hailed as London’s answer to the Met Gala."
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• BARON DE RÉDÉ - (1922-2004). Prominent French banker, aristocratic aesthete, collector, socialite | social lion, and role as a host - notable for his Bal oriental, given on 5 December 1969. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1972.
• Black and White Ball - Wikipedia.
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• Carlos de Beistegui - (1895-1970). Also known as Charles or Charlie de Beistegui, was an eccentric multi-millionaire aesthete, art collector and interior decorator and one of the most flamboyant characters of mid-20th century European life. Often referred to as "The Count of Monte Cristo". On September 3, 1951 Beistegui held a masked costume ball, which he called Le Bal Oriental, at the Palazzo Labia. It was one of the last truly spectacular events in the famous ballroom, and it was one of the largest and most lavish social events of the 20th century.
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• Comte Etienne de Beaumont - (1883-1956). A leading figure in Parisian society, was famous for his elaborate and extravagant parties and masquerade balls.
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• Cotillion - social dance, popular in 18th-century Europe and America. Originally for four couples in square formation, it was a courtly version of an English country dance, the forerunner of the quadrille and, in the United States, the square dance. Cotillions are also used as classes to teach social etiquette, respect and common morals for the younger ages with the possibility of leading up to a débutante ball.
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• Cotillion ball - in American usage, a cotillion is a formal ball and social gathering, often the venue for presenting débutantes during the débutante season – usually May through December.
• Debutante - Wikipedia.
• Elephants, Michelin stars & Mughal jewels: Indian weddings are a $130 billion business - "In less than a week, Anant Ambani, son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, will marry his girlfriend Radhika Merchant. India is no stranger to opulent weddings, but the preparations and parties for this particular union have transfixed the country."
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• ELSA MAXWELL - (1883-1963). American gossip columnist and author, songwriter, and professional hostess renowned for her parties for royalty and high society figures of her day. Maxwell is credited with the introduction of the scavenger hunt and treasure hunt for use as party games in the modern era.
• England’s Social Event of the Year 2024: The Duke of Westminster’s Wedding - "Hugh Grosvenor, the seventh Duke of Westminster, married Olivia Henson today at the Chester Cathedral in Chester, England, with Prince William serving as usher."
• FOUR HUNDRED - the social elite of New York City in the late 19th century. To be a member of "The Four Hundred," a family must be able to trace its wealth and lineage at least three generations without being tainted by any work.
• Four Social Seasons (U.S.) - definition & explanation.
• From Costume Balls to the Stage (1956) - "Baron Alexis de Redé, a vital fixture in high society at the time, was looking for an artist to design the set and costumes for the Bal des Têtes he was holding at the Hôtel Lambert on the Île Saint-Louis in 1956. Lilia Ralli, an influential figure in the fashion world, recommended Christian Dior’s new assistant Yves Saint Laurent. In the process, Saint Laurent met the choreographer Roland Petit and the dancer Zizi Jeanmaire, who became his friends and for whom he would go on to design many costumes. Saint Laurent let his imagination run wild, creating extravagant outfits for the Bal des Têtes in 1956 and later for the Bal oriental in 1969 and the Bal Proust in 1971."
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• Henry Symes "Harry" Lehr - (1869-1929). Socialite and the husband of Elizabeth "Bessie" Wharton Drexel. Using his wife's fortune and his reputation as "The Fun-maker" of New York and Newport society, Lehr attempted to establish himself as successor to Ward McAllister.
• High society - Wikipedia.
• I never thought I’d miss the Gridiron Club dinner, but I think now maybe I do - The Washington Post.
• Inside most star-studded party in history - "The most famous celebrities on the planet have descended on the Hamptons for an ultra-exclusive all-white bash. Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez: a US billionaire has just hosted what might be the most A-list party of all time."
• International Debutante Ball - Wikipedia.
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• Irving Paul Lazar - (1907-1993). American talent agent, dealmaker and social arbiter. Through the wit of his occasional client Humphrey Bogart, became known as “Swifty.” He was a tremendous snob who prided himself on his ability to get huge commissions for his literary (or acting) clients without having seen or read their work. Every Oscar night he gave a big party (for stars only – his definition of course) at Spago when it was located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. On Lazar's list, success has replaced Ward McAllister's criterion of pedigree. "Are you going to Swifty's?," people in Hollywood asked weeks in advance of the upcoming Academy Awards event.
• LE BAL DU SIÈCLE - Vincent Hornoy.
• Le Tout Paris - definition & explanation.
• Masquerade ball - Wikipedia.
• Met Gala 2022 Dress Code? Gilded Glamour - "At the bottom of the Met Gala invitations sent every spring is an inscription small in size but vital in importance: the dress code. In 2020, for 'Camp: Notes on Fashion,' it was studied triviality. In 2021, for 'In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,' it was American independence. And come May 2, 2022, for 'In America: An Anthology of Fashion,' it will be gilded glamour, white-tie."
• Met Gala 2023 Dress Code Is Announced - In case you missed it, this year’s Costume Institute exhibition is dedicated to the legacy of fashion’s most hyperactive and prolific mastermind, Karl Lagerfeld—a polymath designer who put even the most adroit multitaskers to shame, and whose uniform (staunchly starched collars, Ancien Régime-esque ponytail) became the stuff of legend. With 'Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,' Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s Wendy Yu Curator in Charge, and longtime Lagerfeld collaborator Amanda Harlech, the exhibition’s creative consultant, have the tall order of synthesizing the designer’s career into about 150 looks. But thankfully, at this year’s Met Gala, paying tribute to Mr. Lagerfeld is not solely a task for the curators, as the 2023 dress code is 'In honor of Karl.'
• Met Gala 2023: Everything we know about the theme, hosts & guests - "Why this year’s Met Gala theme could face some resistance."
• Met Gala 2023 red carpet: celebrating Karl Lagerfeld - in pictures - "The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City hosts the fashion world’s biggest night of the year. The theme is Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, in tribute to one of the longest careers in contemporary fashion history. Lagerfeld’s legacy is on abundant display."
• Met Gala 2023: Seven of the best looks over the decades - "'The first Monday in May' has come to be known as the night the fashion industry lets its hair well and truly down. There are stunts, frocks the size of caravans and selfies that go on to be seen by millions of people all over the planet."
• Met Gala 2023: Where to Watch the 2023 Met Gala Livestream - "The countdown to the 2023 Met Gala has begun. For the third year in a row, Vogue will be hosting the official Met Gala red carpet livestream on Monday, May 1, giving viewers the inside look at one of the most anticipated - and star-studded - events of the year."
• Met Gala: Seven of the best looks over the decades - "From Cher's naked dress to Rihanna's 'omelette gown', the gala has seen many iconic looks. As the fashion event of the year approaches, Ellie Violet Bramley looks back at some of its magic moments."
• Oscars 2022: the after parties - in pictures - "Award winners and nominees celebrate into the night in Los Angeles after the 94th Oscars ceremony including the Governors Ball and the Vanity Fair party."
• Petit Saison - definition & explanation.
• PUBLI-CIETY - definition & explanation.
• Red Cross Ball 2022 will be on Casino Square - "Presided over by HSH Prince Albert, the 73rd Monaco Red Cross Ball takes place on Friday, July 18, on Casino Square for the second time since its creation."
• Remember when Grace Kelly threw a lavish party exclusively for Scorpios? - "You might assume that Grace Kelly's 700-strong royal wedding ceremony to Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956 was the apex of her social legacy. But 13 years later, on Saturday November 15, 1969, the American film star-turned-princess threw herself one of the most peculiar and extravagant birthday parties in history. 'The Scorpion Ball,' Kelly's horoscope-themed 40th birthday celebration, was held at the Hotel Hermitage in Monte-Carlo, Monaco."
• Richard Lugner - (1932-2024). Austrian businessman in the construction industry, a Viennese society figure, and a political candidate not affiliated with any of the Austrian political parties. In 1992, 'Mörtel' Lugner and Mausi Lugner (his former wife Christina) brought Harry Belafonte to Lugner City, and also took him along to the Vienna Opera Ball. Each year thereafter, the couple would pay a celebrity to visit the shopping centre and then accompany them as their guest to the ball. The only star Lugner was unable to have as his guest, despite several attempts, was Liz Taylor.
• Season (society) - historically referred to the annual period when it is customary for members of a social elite of society to hold debutante balls, dinner parties and large charity events.
• SOCIAL CALENDAR | THE SOCIAL SEASON - Wikipedia.
• Social Elite - Wikipedia.
• Social Register - directory of names and addresses of prominent American families who form the social elite. The original New York Social Register first was published in 1886 by Louis Keller, a German-American of wide social acquaintance, who combined the "visiting lists" of a number of fashionable ladies to compile the families included.
• SOCIAL REGISTER Association - directory of names and addresses of prominent American families who form the social elite (socialites) in the United States (approx. 25,000 entries).
• SOCIAL SECRETARY - "... not to be confused with a personal assistant."
• SOCIALITE - Wikipedia.
• The White Party That Brought Kim Kardashian, Drake & Tom Brady to the Hamptons - "Michael Rubin, the billionaire e-commerce mogul, hosted a celebrity-filled, Independence Day bash at his beachfront mansion on Long Island."
• TOP 70 INTERNATIONAL SOCIALITES OF ALL TIME
• Vogue World: Stars flock to Britain’s answer to the Met Gala - "It was billed as Britain’s answer to the Met Gala, and last night’s inaugural 'Vogue World' at the Theatre Royal on London’s Drury Lane didn’t disappoint."
• Vogue World’s red carpet - in pictures - "Some of the biggest names in fashion arrived at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, for London’s answer to the Met Gala. Organised by Vogue editor Anna Wintour, it aims to raise funds for London’s struggling art scene."
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• Waldorf's Sert Room Restaurant - located opposite the Empire Room on the north side of the Park Avenue Foyer, the Sert Room received its name from a series of 15 sepia-tone murals by Spanish artist José Maria Sert along its walls. The Sert Room was primarily used to house private social gatherings and charity events during the '30s.
• Walker - a woman's escort at a social event. It is believed that the term "walker," first used by Women's Wear Daily, was coined to describe Jerry Zipkin (1915-1995), a celebrated fixture on the international social scene for almost half a century, often referred to as "a man about everywhere."
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• Ward McAllister - (1827-1895). Self-appointed arbiter of New York society from the 1860s to the early 1890s, and Mrs. Astor's "Social Minister". Coined the phrase "the Four Hundred". According to him, this was the number of people in New York who really mattered; the people who felt at ease in the ballrooms of high society.
• What Is the Met Gala, and Who Gets to Go? - "Deconstructing the party of the year, including how much it costs, who hosts and what you have to wear."

Legendary Balls & Society Events

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• alva vanderbilt fancy-dress ball - was given by William K. and Alva Vanderbilt in their newly built home at 600 Fifth Avenue, on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Fifty-Seventh Street (demolished in 1927 to make way for Bergdorf Goodman), New York City on March 26, 1883. At the time, the ball was considered to be one of the most "lavish" in New York City's history. It featured guests dressed as courtiers, witches, royalty, godesses, and opera and nursery rhyme characters. Quadrilles were performed by guests dressed according to particular themes. A game-changer that established the nouveau-riche Vanderbilts—and their brand-new Fifth Avenue mansion—as social forces to be reckoned with.
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• April in Paris Balls - held at Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, 301 Park Avenue, New York, NY, U.S.A. Started by hotel manager Claude Philippe in 1951 as a party for the 2,000th anniversary of Paris with gossip columnist & professional hostess Elsa Maxwell, which despite its name, took place each year in October.
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• Bal des Rois et des Reines - held in March 1949 by the Comte and Comtesse Etienne de Beaumont at their home HÔtel de Masseran, 11 Rue Masseran, Paris 7th arrondissement, France.
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• Bal des TÊtes - "Although the late Baron de RedÉ (1922-2004), the noted French aesthete, host, and financier, might be better known for his 1969 Oriental Ball, he is almost as famous for an earlier fête: his 'Bal des Têtes', which was held in 1956 at HÔtel Lambert, Redé's Paris residence. As the title of this blog post indicates, the ball's theme was headdresses, with guests encouraged to wear fanciful creations. Redé asked three of his guests, Elsa Maxwell, the Duchess of Windsor, and Charles de Beistegui, to help him judge which party-goer wore the best headdress. The winner was Jacqueline de Ribes, who modeled a most fetching feather-and-jewel number."
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• Beistegui Ball | Le Bal oriental - held by the eccentric multi-millionaire aesthete and art collector Carlos de Beistegui, often referred to as "The Count of Monte Cristo", on September 3, 1951 at the Palazzo Labia on the Grand Canal in Venice. It was one of the last truly spectacular events in the famous ballroom, and it was one of the largest and most lavish social events of the 20th century.
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• Billings' horse party - C. K. G. Billings wished to celebrate the completion of his trotting stable, and his selection to be the head of the New York Equestrian Club, by giving a dinner for 36 of his male horse-riding friends on March 29, 1903. He engaged the noted restaurateur Louis Sherry to cater the event, but to avoid reporters who staked out the estate after news of the dinner had spread, Billings changed the venue at Sherry's suggestion to the grand ballroom of Sherry's restaurant at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street. The ballroom had been decorated to look like an English country estate, complete with imitation brooks. The bill for the dinner was $50,000 (equivalent to $1,394,259 in 2018).
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• Black and White Ball - hosted by author Truman Capote at the Grand Ballroom of New York's Plaza Hotel on November 28, 1966. Capote's black and white ball was a party as performance art; it has been a reference point for glossy magazines ever since, and frequently imitated (for example, by Sean 'Puffy' Combs). Davis's exhaustive account of the night, its genesis and preparations is, like the event itself, alternately fascinating and infuriating. Fascinating, because the guests included Noel Coward and Arthur Miller, Philip Roth and Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow, Henry Ford and Vivien Leigh, James Baldwin and Irving Berlin, JK Galbraith and dozens of other names still famous 40 years later. Read all about it in Deborah Davis' 2006 bestseller Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball.
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• Bradley-Martin Ball - was a lavish costume ball at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City on the night of February 10, 1897. Cornelia Bradley-Martin organized the ball, with the intention of making it "the greatest party in the history of the city". Eight hundred socialites spent about US$400,000 imitating kings and queens.
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• Gridiron Club Dinner - The Gridiron Club is best known for its annual dinner which traditionally features the United States Marine Band, along with satirical musical skits by the members and remarks by the President of the United States and representatives of each political party. The skits and speeches by various politicians are expected to be self-deprecating or otherwise sharply comedic. Every U.S. President since 1885 except Grover Cleveland has spoken at the dinner.
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• James Hazen Hyde's Costume Ball - at Sherry's restaurant (5th Ave at the corner of 37th street, New York City), January 31, 1905. The ball was meant to recall the splendor of Versailles, the reign of King Louis, and the time of Marie Antoinette. There were six hundred people at the dance, in costumes of the period. The scenes of the entertainment were set on the second and third floors of the Sherry restaurant.
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• Les SoirÉes de Paris - (17 May - 30 June 1924). A five-week-long series of commissioned ballets, plays, and performances financed by Le Comte Étienne de Beaumont at Théâtre de la Cigale.

• ORIENTAL BALL - held on December 5, 1969 at HÔtel Lambert, Île Saint-Louis, Paris IVème, France and hosted by BARON Alexis DE RÉDÉ. The guest list was the crème de la crème of the international high society, with such attendees as Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Marie-Hélène de Rothschild, Aimée de Heeren, Georgian Abreu or Douce François Freitas.
• Oscars 2022: the after parties - in pictures - "Award winners and nominees celebrate into the night in Los Angeles after the 94th Oscars ceremony including the Governors Ball and the Vanity Fair party."
• Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball - by Deborah Davis.
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• Patriarch's Ball - "One of the most coveted invitations during the New York season was to the Patriarch Ball. With the support of Mrs. Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, Ward McAllister founded the Society of Patriarchs (1872-1897), a committee of 25 “representative men of worth, respectability, and responsibility.” Each was charged with vetting and selecting four ladies and five gentlemen for invitations to Mrs. Astor's annual Patriarch's Ball, with the goal to unite the old and newly rich in conducting each season’s 'most brilliant balls.'"
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• Princess Grace's 40th birthday scorpio ball, Saturday, November 15, 1969 - Arxaiognosiafos.blogspot.com.
• Remember when Grace Kelly threw a lavish party exclusively for Scorpios? - "You might assume that Grace Kelly's 700-strong royal wedding ceremony to Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956 was the apex of her social legacy. But 13 years later, on Saturday November 15, 1969, the American film star-turned-princess threw herself one of the most peculiar and extravagant birthday parties in history. 'The Scorpion Ball,' Kelly's horoscope-themed 40th birthday celebration, was held at the Hotel Hermitage in Monte-Carlo, Monaco."
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• PROUST & Surrealist Balls - the Proust (December 11, 1971) & the Surrealist Balls (December 12, 1972) were held at ChÂteau de FerriÈres, 26 km east of Paris, rue de la Rucherie, 77164 Ferrières-en-Brie and hosted by baroness Marie-Hélène de Rothschild.
• save venice costume ball 1967 - masked ball at Ca' Rezzonico in Venice, September 9, 1967.
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• Tiffany Ball - Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A. On July 13, 1957 Marble House, which like many sumptuous Newport estates had been closed in recent years, glittered briefly again, although no hummingbirds were present this time. The occasion was the benefit Tiffany Ball, attended by 1,200 members of East Coast society, resplendent in jewelry valued at an estimated US$20 million.
• Top moments from the White House Correspondents Dinner 2023 - "President Joe Biden joked about a range of topics at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday but struck a serious tone as he called for the release of wrongfully detained Americans abroad. The annual dinner, hosted inside the Washington Hilton, drew thousands of guests in support of freedom of the press, something Biden called 'the pillar of a free society, not the enemy.'"
• VENICE'S COSTUME BALL OF THE CENTURY 1951 - on September 3, 1951 Carlos de Beistegui held a masked costume ball, which he called Le Bal Oriental, at the Palazzo Labia.
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• What a Swell Party it Was - New York Social Diary.
• White House Correspondents' dinner - "The WHCA's annual dinner, begun in 1921, has become a Washington, D.C. tradition, and is traditionally attended by the president and vice president. Sixteen presidents have attended at least one WHCA dinner, beginning with Calvin Coolidge in 1924. The dinner is traditionally held on the evening of the last Saturday in April at the Washington Hilton."
• Young Friends of Red Cross Ball - (1981-1995). On New Year`s Eve at the Flagler Museum, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A. Arranged by the legendary Bruce Sutka.

Top 15 International Society Events of the Year

• A Glamorous Masked Ball & 100 People to Know - "Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World gala. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Doja Cat, Lea Michele, Kaia Gerber, Aubrey Plaza, Austin Butler came out for Time magazine and Save Venice."
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• Cannes International Film Festival - since 1946. The world's most prestigious and publicized film festival. The invitation-only festival is held annually at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. There are generally two types of party in Cannes - early evening cocktail receptions and post-screening bashes. The former take place around sunset normally in the beach-front pavilions on the various terraces along the Croisette. The latter take place all over Cannes and often in fancy villas outside. The glamorous parties are strictly by invitation only: the opening night party; events at the Eden Roc, etc.
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• EPSOM DERBY | THE DERBY - The Derby dates back to 1780, and is still ranked the greatest flat race in the world. The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old Thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is Britain's richest horse race, and the most prestigious of the country's five Classics. 1st prize: £751,407.50 (2012). It is one of Britain's great national events transcending its own field of interest, and has a huge world-wide TV audience.
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• International Debutante Ball - since 1954. Invitation-only formal debutante ball to present young ladies from upper-class families to high society. Founded in 1954, it occurs every two years at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Young women from around the globe and all over the United States are brought together at the ball and the surrounding parties, including daughters of Presidents of the United States, diplomats, nobility, senators, ambassadors and governors. The International Debutante Ball is considered the most prestigious and the most exclusive debutante ball in the world.
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• LE BAL | LE BAL DES DÉBUTANTES - Known simply as Le Bal or, sometimes, the Crillon Ball, is an annual international event created and organized by Ophélie Renouard and her team. It was first held in 1992 at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, which continues to serve as the venue to this day. le Bal is a media event that claims to bring together the daughters of former celebrities, aristocrats, artists, politicians and others. The "Debs", as they are known, make their couture and media premieres in gowns designed by French haute couture as well as French and foreign couture houses.
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• LE GRAND BAL - (formerly: Der Kaiserball). December 31. Wiener Hofburg, Vienna, Austria. The Austrian capital’s premier New Year’s Eve event and the prelude to the ball season. "The Hofburg Vienna invites you to a glittering night to remember in its imperial state rooms. After almost 40 years, the Kaiserball has made way for newcomer Le Grand Bal which promises to be an unforgettable ball experience full of glitz and glamour."
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• Life Ball - The Life Ball in Vienna is the biggest charity event in Europe supporting people with HIV or AIDS. The event is organized by the nonprofit organization AIDS LIFE, which was founded in 1992 by Gery Keszler and Torgom Petrosian. Organizer and founder Gery Keszler is the “face” and engine of the Life Ball. It is also mainly his achievement that fashion representatives and celebrities of the entertainment industry such as Elton John, Catherine Deneuve, Liza Minnelli, Sharon Stone, Dita von Teese, Anastacia, Heidi Klum, Naomi Campbell and Jenna Jameson attend the opening show. The main priority of the Ball is, however, not only the exuberant celebration of the party people or spectacular live acts, but especially the fight against AIDS.
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• Met Gala - since 1946. Formally called the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit and also known as the Met Ball, is an annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City. It marks the grand opening of the Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibit. Each year's event celebrates the theme of that year's Costume Institute exhibition, and the exhibition sets the tone for the formal dress of the night since guest are expected to choose their fashion to match the theme of the exhibit. Each year the event also has honorary celebrity event day chairpersons.
• Met Gala 2024: Everything you need to know - "The first Monday in May is nearly upon us. The Party of the Year. The Oscars of the East. Fashion's Biggest Night. The theme is simply the title of the Costume Institute's new exhibition, 'Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.' The Met Gala also has a "dress code." This year's dress code is 'The Garden of Time.'"
• Met Gala 2024: The 'delicious irony' of the Met Gala's Garden of Time theme - "In JG Ballard's dystopian story The Garden of Time - which has inspired this year's dress code - the super-rich hide themselves in Arcadian splendour while the 'great unwashed' riot. It seems an unlikely choice of theme for fashion's event of the year."
• Met Gala: Seven of the best looks over the decades - "From Cher's naked dress to Rihanna's 'omelette gown', the gala has seen many iconic looks. As the fashion event of the year approaches, Ellie Violet Bramley looks back at some of its magic moments."
• The Met Gala 2024: Everything You Need To Know - "What’s the dress code, who’s hosting, who’s going and how to watch. Guests have been instructed to dress for 'The Garden of Time,' so named after a 1962 short story by J.G. Ballard about an aristocratic couple living in a walled estate with a magical garden."
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• Monaco Grand Prix | Grand Prix de Monaco - since 1929. The circuit has been called "an exceptional location of glamour and prestige." It has been run under the patronage of three generations of Monaco's royal family: Louis II, Rainier III and Albert II, all of whom have taken a close interest in the race. A large part of the principality's income comes from tourists attracted by the warm climate and the famous casino, but it is also a tax haven and is home to many millionaires, including several Formula One drivers. ASSOCIATED EVENTS: the legendary F1 drivers’ post-race parties. Amber Lounge Monaco party. Red Eye Friday night yacht party. Culminating in the Diamonds and White Rendezvous Party at the Monte-Carlo Beach Club.
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• MONACO RED CROSS BALL | BAL DE LA CROIX ROUGE - In 1948 the young Prince Rainier III of Monaco chaired the first Gala of the Monaco Red Cross, an organisation which had just been established by Prince Louis II of Monaco. The principle, of course, was to contribute to funding activity faithful to the spirit of the great humanist, Henry Dunant. At the Monte-Carlo Sporting Club in the Salle des Étoiles, Monaco. The biggest social event of the year for the principality.
• 75th Red Cross Gala 2024 shines into the night - "The Principality’s most prestigious event of the season, the Red Cross Gala, dazzled attendees this Friday, July 19, at the Salle des Étoiles in Sporting Monte-Carlo."
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• Monaco Rose Ball | Bal de la Rose - The Bal de la Rose (The Rose Ball) was established by Princess Grace of Monaco in 1954. It is organised in March every year by the Monte-Carlo SBM group in the glamorous Salle des Etoiles of the Sporting Monte-Carlo. This unique event brings together international high society for the first major society event of the year. In one evening, it illuminates the Principality with splendour and light, creating an atmosphere of brilliance and celebration. Chaired nowadays by H.S.H. The Reigning Prince Albert II and H.R.H. Princess Caroline of Hanover, the Bal de la Rose is a symbol of glamour which continues the fascinating legend of Monte-Carlo, which it helped create. Its aura is such that it attracts many nameless admirers who wish to feel the dreamlike fairy-tale of Monaco.
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• ROYAL ASCOT - The centrepiece of Ascot's year, Royal Ascot is one of Europe's most famous race meetings, and dates back to 1711 when it was founded by Queen Anne. Every year Royal Ascot is attended by HM Elizabeth II and various members of the British Royal Family such as The Prince of Wales, arriving each day in a horse-drawn carriage with the Royal procession taking place at the start of each race day and the raising of the Queen's Royal Standard. It is a major event in the British social calendar, and press coverage of the attendees and what they are wearing often exceeds coverage of the actual racing. There are 3 enclosures attended by guests on Royal Ascot week. The Royal Enclosure is the most prestigious of the three enclosures, with recent visits from the Queen and Royal Family members. Access to the Royal Enclosure is restricted, with high security on the day. First-time applicants must apply to the Royal Enclosure Office and gain membership from someone who has attended the enclosure for at least four years. For existing badgeholders, an invitation is sent out by Her Majesty's Representative to request badges. The badgeholder's name is written onto the badge and can be used only by that person; the colours of the badges vary each day for one-day applicants. Those in the Royal Enclosure have the options of fine dining and hospitality, and a selection of bars. The dress code is strictly enforced. For women, only a day dress with a hat is acceptable, with rules applying to the length and style of the dress. In addition, women must not show bare midriffs or shoulders. For men, black or grey morning dress with top hat is required. £4.5 million in prize money.
• 8 Celebrity-Favorite Hotels for Met Gala Weekend - Vogue.
• 61 Best Met Gala Dress-Code Rejectors of All Time - "There is a sub-section of stylish dressers who subvert the rules in more subtle ways: Enter the theme rejectors. Over the years, a number of stars have ignored the Met Gala’s dress code and marched to the beat of their own drum-like when Jennifer Love Hewitt wore a marabou-feathered ball skirt to the 1999 rock and roll-themed gala. Vogue is rounding up the 61 best moments where individuality ruled."
• 130 Best Met Gala Looks of All Time - "The Met Gala is where celebrities ascend to style icon status. On the first Monday in May, stars don’t just walk the red carpet, they climb the steps of the Metropolitan Museum in statement couture presenting their interpretation of the exhibition’s theme to the entire world. Unlike an awards show or a premiere, the goal isn’t to shine for a moment, it’s to create a look that resonates for decades."
• Everything You Need To Know About The 2022 Met Gala - "The 2022 Met Gala theme, In America: An Anthology of Fashion, is built around the tenets of American style, and celebrates unsung heroes of US design. Even though only eight months will have passed since Kim Kardashian climbed the Met steps in her Balenciaga mask by then, this year’s ceremony will take place on May 2nd - a return to the event’s traditional first Monday in May slot after two years of COVID chaos. The 2022 Met Gala will take place on Monday, 2 May in New York City."
• Met Gala 2023 Dress Code Is Announced - In case you missed it, this year’s Costume Institute exhibition is dedicated to the legacy of fashion’s most hyperactive and prolific mastermind, Karl Lagerfeld—a polymath designer who put even the most adroit multitaskers to shame, and whose uniform (staunchly starched collars, Ancien Régime-esque ponytail) became the stuff of legend. With 'Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,' Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s Wendy Yu Curator in Charge, and longtime Lagerfeld collaborator Amanda Harlech, the exhibition’s creative consultant, have the tall order of synthesizing the designer’s career into about 150 looks. But thankfully, at this year’s Met Gala, paying tribute to Mr. Lagerfeld is not solely a task for the curators, as the 2023 dress code is 'In honor of Karl.'
• Only at the Met: An Oral History of the World’s Most Glamorous Gala - "It was once the Party of the Year, now it’s the Met gala or the Met ball, and sometimes it’s the Costume Institute Benefit. Either way, it’s an event that no one forgets. But don’t let us tell you - in 2020, we compiled the memories of the people who know it best. To honor its heralded return to the first Monday in May, here is our oral history of the Met gala - from staffers, producers, starry attendees, and all sorts of characters in between."
• Rarely seen photos from the Met Gala show celebrities letting loose - "The Met Gala, known as fashion's biggest night, returns to its typical slot - the first Monday of May - after two years of disruptions due to the pandemic. The event, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City coincides with the opening of part two of the exhibition, 'In America: An Anthology of Fashion,' hosted by the museum's Costume Institute. Guests have been asked to dress in 'Gilded Glamour and White Tie,' referencing the lavish Gilded Age, a three-decade period at the end of the 19th century that transformed American infrastructure and society life."
• What Exactly Goes Into the Met Gala Seating Chart? - "Every successful party planner knows the key to a good event is good company. Eaddy Kiernan, the woman tasked with organizing Vogue’s Met Gala, takes that concept to a whole new level while masterminding the seating chart for the high-profile event that attracts hundreds of actors, singers, and society swans each year."
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• THE OSCARS - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards. Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A. As one of the most prominent award ceremonies in the world, the Academy Awards ceremony is televised live in more than 100 countries annually. It is also the oldest award ceremony in the media; its equivalents, the Grammy Awards (for music), the Emmy Awards (for television), and the Tony Awards (for theater), are modeled after the Academy Awards. ASSOCIATED EVENTS: The 8th annual "Night Before", traditionally held at the Beverly Hills Hotel (eight years running in 2010) and generally known as THE party of the season, benefits the Motion Picture and Television Fund, which operates a retirement home for SAG actors in the San Fernando Valley. Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party airs the awards live at the nearby Pacific Design Center. The Governors' Ball is the Academy's official after-party, including dinner (until 2011), and is held adjacent to the awards-presentation venue. In 2012, the three course meal was replaced by appetizers. The Vanity Fair after-party, historically held at the former Morton's restaurant, since 2009 has been held at the Sunset Tower.
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• TIME100 Gala 2022 - "A Night With the Most Influential People." See the biggest moments from the 2022 TIME100 Gala.
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• VIENNA OPERA BALL | DER OPERNBALL - Annual Austrian society event which takes place in the building of the Vienna State Opera in Vienna, Austria on the Thursday preceding Ash Wednesday (a religious holliday). Each year, almost overnight, the auditorium of the Vienna State Opera is turned into a large ballroom. On the eve of the event, the rows of seats are removed from the stalls, and a new floor, level with the stage, is built. Together with the New Year Concert, the Opera Ball is one of the highlights of the Viennese carnival season. The dress code is evening dress: white tie and tails for men; ususally white floor-length gowns for women.
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• Wimbledon - The oldest tennis tournament in the world, and widely considered to be the biggest and the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. Wimbledon traditions include a strict dress code for competitors, the eating of strawberries and cream by the spectators, and Royal patronage.