Whhere We’re Eating
Words Salma Abdelnour
GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WHITE All you need to know about the super-exclusive Dîner en Blanc
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The invitation pops up in my email inbox one rainy New York City morning: “Want to go to Dîner en Blanc next week?” I know my answer. No way. Huge outdoor events packed with massive crowds aren’t my thing. But I don’t automatically hit “send.” Dîner en Blanc events are famous for their gigantic waiting lists, so an invitation is definitely something to consider, at least for more than a half-second. I’ve seen the Instagram pics: thousands of guests wearing all-white and clinking Champagne glasses in front of gorgeously backlit monuments all over the world. After a few minutes and a quick check of the forecast – sunshine next week – my curiosity wins. Will this turn out to be super-cheesy, or kind of fantastic? I delete “No thanks” and type “Yes.” Here’s the thing about Dîner en Blanc: not only are you required to dress in all white, but you also have to bring your own tables, chairs, picnic baskets and tablecloths: white, white, white and
white. The official list of rules is almost comical: “The table must be square, foldable and easy to carry. The size must be between 71 and 81cm.” Also, you have to dress “head to toe in all and only white, and elegant. All white means no ivory, no cream or any other color!” The rules are widely ridiculed, but enough people love the challenge and are game to haul their white-clad selves and furniture, knowing they’re among the few who get to go.
Dîner en Blanc’s origin story is that the first one happened in the summer of 1988, when a bunch of friends in Paris decided to get together for an evening picnic in the Bois de Boulogne. Guests wore white so they could find each other in the giant park. The picnic was such a success that it turned into an annual event. Aymeric Pasquier, whose father Pascal was one of those original Paris picnickers, brought the idea to New York City,
