Elegance in Bloom: Celebrating 15 years of Dîner en Blanc in Montreal

Dîner en Blanc Montreal celebrates its 15th anniversary this Friday with a night of elegance.

As tradition goes, the location remained a closely guarded secret until just hours before guests arrived.

“I love celebrating Dîner en blanc because it celebrates our city. Every year there’s a different spot and we get to see how Montreal is beautiful today we’re right in the heart of old Montreal and I mean we couldn’t find like a better spot” said fashion journalist & Dîner en Blanc’s muse, Lolitta Dandoy.

“The location is simply sublime!” said Sandy Safi, director of Dîner en Blanc Montreal and owner of the brand and Dîner en Blanc International.

On Friday night, Montreal’s Place D’Armes has been transformed into a canvas of art, fashion, and gastronomy.

This year’s theme is Elegance in Bloom brings refined floral touches everywhere, from costumes, to drinks and décor.

“We really wanted people to push their creativity so we launched a contest to create the most beautiful crown,” added Dandoy.

“This year is Elegance in Bloom so certainly we’re trying to incorporate the flowers in but we also wanted something a little bit different,” said Rudolph Czekalla, a seasoned participant of the Dîner en Blanc, along with his partner. “We thought we’ll do a period outfit and we knew it was going to be a struggle again doing it all in white, but we sort of got it all together mostly at the last minute at a hotel actually.”

Everyone plays a part in bringing the vision to life. Dressed head-to-toe in white, guests arrive with their own tables, white linens, dinnerware, and picnic baskets filled with gourmet bites —and bottles of wine or champagne— to honour the event’s French roots.

“The crowd spirit like everyone just gets so into it and every time we go back to Toronto we try to explain this and we just can’t do it justice,” said one participant, accompanied by her friend who added “We thrifted everything and we assembled it all together just for this event because it’s so much fun.”

Ève Salvail, DJ, actress and international style icon, known for her work with Chanel and Jean-Paul Gaultier, brought her energy to the decks.

“It’s so much fun watching the people come in it’s so impressive,” said Salvail. “I’ve done many many events around the world like in LA and New York for years and years and this is special. It’s such an honor to be here.”

Led by Sandy Safi, Dîner en Blanc International has grown from a Montreal-based initiative into a global movement spanning over 120 cities in 40 countries since 2009.