On the pinnacle of the Nelson Mullins Law building located at Atlantic Station, the Alliance Française d’Atlanta hosted a most unforgettable and elegant Soirée Blanche Bastille Day Celebration and fundraiser with members, invites and business sponsors present.
Every year, in celebration of France’s July 14th Independence Day aka Jour de la Bastille, the Alliance Française d’Atlanta hosts an all white party and fundraiser that, this year, managed to raise over 40K. AF is by no means a rookie when it comes to hosting major cultural events in the city as they have been doing so for over a decade now. This, being my first year participating in the Bastille Day celebration with AF was from beginning to end, an absolute treasure that I will never disremember. Speaking with other guests at the event including one of the volunteers, Mr. Dasef Weems who has participated for many years, he states that this is by far his favorite event and that most everyone's most common reaction of the event always goes reverts to this one thing: "The view is super classy and perfect for a classy event". Classy indeed, it was! The look of everyone dressed uniformly in their fine white ensembles really created an ambiance of anticipation and respect for this annual Bastille Day event.
The first thing that I remember upon getting off the elevator was hearing the sounds of the acoustic instrumentalists resounding in the hallway. Musicians Keith Cooper and Donald Rogers were playing their hearts out on the guitar and provided the perfect background music for this caliber of an event. This year’s Bastille Celebration featured a wide host of sponsors and support including but not limited to: The Atlantan, Dyptique, l'Occitane, UPS, Le Jardin Français, Trinity Productions, Dior and Anne Fontaine. And the food selection absolutely wowed us!
There were two exclusive rooms that quickly filled up with guests. One of which had a king's buffet of some of the most common French cuisine items such as coq at vin, smoked salmon, ratatouille, vegetable crudités and more. The second room held an array of delectable French-Inspired deserts such as Macaroons as well as other creamy, quick-bite sweets. There was also a silent auction that took place during the course of the night, which worked very favorably toward raising funds for the benefit. All proceeds go toward the year-round educational and cultural programs organized and hosted by the Alliance Française d’Atlanta.
As the evening progressed and the announcement came for the guests to move toward the outdoor terrace for the opening of the fashion show, there seemed to be a general sense of anticipation to see these handpicked models strut down the catwalk in their all white elegant Anne Fontaine ensembles. The rooftop stage and seating was lined up flawlessly to accommodate the on-lookers as the music began to play. One by one, these stunning ladies walked down the catwalk with total confidence and poise representing the Anne Fontaine brand as if it were their own. There were applauds and gazes of fascination throughout the course of the show. Needless to say, their makeup was perfectly done by The 2015 Bastille Day Soirée with Alliance Française exclusive Dior events stafffrom out of Phipps Plaza’s Sax 5th Avenue.
As the event came to a closing and people began to wind down, there was a gradual growing of people borrowing that same terrace runway to dance the night away! When you see the LIVE rose gold sunset at a view like the one we saw on the Nelson Mullins rooftop with the amazing skyline of Atlanta, you can't help but want to take advantage of every moment dancing and enjoying each otherspresence. Simply put, this event was nothing less that remarkable! Another huge félicitations to AF for putting together yet another winning event! Soirée Blanche was held on the evening of a beautiful Saturday, July 18, 2015.
DRESS LIKE A GENT