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Have you heard of Dîner en Blanc? The Dîner en Blanc concept began in Paris in 1988 when Frenchman François Pasquier invited a group of friends to an elegant outdoor dinner at Bois de Boulogne, asking them to dress in white so they could find each other. Since then, Dîner en Blanc has become a worldwide event, spanning six continents. August 26, it took place in Washington DC.
When I first heard of Dîner en Blanc I thought it sounded like a hassle, and a pretentious one at that. But last year I decided to join and this year I was able to get tickets. I say don't judge until you've walked a mile in someone's shoes, or walked a mile to attend an all-white dinner! I had a wonderful time and hope to go again next year!
Dress: c/o ELOQUII (14) | Shoes: Bella Vita | Bag: OTAAT/Meyers Collective | Earrings: Kate Spade | Bracelet: Nadri | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Flower hair clip: Etsy | Lipstick: L'Oreal ‘Eva's Red”
ELOQUII was kind enough to dress both me and my sister for the event. I chose their Studio Flounce Tiered Dress. My sister wore ELOQUII's Textured Overlay Dress. I had a tailor shorten the straps, but that is all the alterations needed; my sister chose to tuck in the neck straps on her dress. You can see my sister in her dress on Instagram. This dress is usually above the ankle, but I liked how it became a true maxi on me. I know some reviews online say the dress is heavy but I don't feel that is the proper way to describe it. This dress is a chiffon overlay and traditional poly lining. However the way the ruffles are laid, it weighs down the chiffon so it swings and drapes instead of being a fluffy cloud. This is a good thing, it's a very swingy dress that doesn't cling, wrinkle, or tangle around your legs. For underpinnings I wore this strapless bra with Spanx Higher Power shorts both in nude to me colors.
dress | bag | flower hair clip | shoes | sunglasses
For shoes I wore my gold flat gladiator sandals from Bella Mia. We didn't have to walk too far from our meeting spot to the secret destination but it was too far to wear any sort of heel. They went well with the garden party theme I was going for without leaving my feet in pain at the end of the evening. I was glad to have sunglasses; we met at 5pm and walked from 5:30-6:00 and sometimes it was right into the sun. Also as we walked down the street tour buses were full of people gaping at us and it was nice to have on sunglasses so I could gape back!
I found this fake flower hair clip on Etsy and felt it would not only be a great accent piece, but a great way to style my hair so it wouldn't be too much trouble and wouldn't be destroyed if I got sweaty, it was humid or raining. I'll admit I got this flower before I even had tickets for Dîner en Blanc, maybe it's my lucky charm for getting me on the list this year (I read there were over 30,000 on the waitlist!). I kept jewelry simple to let the dress and flower shine. To have my wallet and phone on me if I went to the dance floor or socializing, I chose my gold leather wristlet which was perfect also for carrying my receipts and phone when standing in line to pick up the food and wine we ordered.
Dîner en Blanc is rain or shine. I planned my outfit before I knew the exact forecast, but we ended up with perfect weather – it was around 70 degrees, sunny, with the occasional light breeze. Last minute I ordered two of this fan from Amazon for me and my sister. We only used them for a bit when we were in full sun waiting to go to the secret destination, but I bet we would have really been happy to have them if it was any warmer.
Stay tuned, I'll be writing a full post about the experience and also my tips on what to wear and what to pack for a successful Dîner en Blanc!
You look beautiful!
The Minneapolis, MN event is usually in June, but was rescheduled for July due to rain. It’s organized via a private FB page and there are no tickets. The date is set well ahead of time, but the location is secret until an hour before the dinner starts. This year, we gathered at a beautiful lake in the middle of the city and it was magical! One thing people don’t understand (about our event anyway) is that each attendee has to bring everything they need for the night – tables, chairs, plates, tablecloths, napkins, glasses, food, beverages, decorations. This was our second year and our group is really planning to bring it next year! We had our checklists and easy to transport food ready to go, it was so much fun! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d837d0b7e6eb390b48c47b20dfd22b90fa8e203501faf121d606d01666b698ec.jpg
Oh you look fabulous! Yes, we too had to bring absolutely everything. I hope next week or the week after to have a post about the logistics. My sister totally went into music festival mode and had spreadsheets and did a dry run of the table setup the week prior. She was the best date since I was too busy that week at work to think about anything!
Thanks! Yes, the key to a successful night is to be organized – and bring shout wipes! 😉
Your outfit is perfection!
Thanks Lindsay!
You look Fantabulous in this dress!!
Thank you Neti!
We had DIner en Blanc here a few months ago and I read about it but did not care to investigate more. I have to say it seems like the perfect excuse to get dressed and in white. Usually long dressy white gowns are reserved for weddings and if you’re a guest, well you should not wear white… so options are limited. I love your dress and I think you looked beautiful.
Thanks Lorena!
You look beautiful! It sounds like a lot of fun!
It was a really cool experience!
Stunning!!!!!
Thanks Jaymie!
Very beautiful outfit for such a beautiful event! <3
Thank you!