Events: Diner en Blanc DC

Dîner en Blanc started as a simple picnic in Paris with a group of friends twenty-five years ago. Three decades later, it has expanded to be one of the most unique social and culinary experiences in the world. From Paris to Singapore to New York City people congregate to create a communal table of style en blanc. Carlis and I shared with you our inspiration for Diner en Blanc with fashion and food. Now, we share our recap of the magical evening.
It all began at the Dupont Circle metro where Carlis and I arrived with our white outfits ready for our party. Carlis wore a gorgeous Free People dress which flowed perfectly with her petite frame. I chose a crop top from Violet Boutique and a white cotton ball skirt I had custom made for the event. As we began our journey, we realized the evolution was not as simple as we had envisioned.
Given the location was secret, all the participants had to meet in different points of the city. As we had to carry everything for the picnic to include table and chairs, many of us were slightly annoyed by the logistics of the transportation as we had to change over in Chinatown during the middle of rush hour. Like any death march, a special camaraderie was built amongst the fellow participants which made the process a little more tolerable. We finally arrived at the Navy Yard metro to be welcomed by an out of order escalator. Sigh. Carlis and I put a smile on our faces and kept on marching.
The trek was worth it once we arrived to our secret location. There was a lovely jazz band playing and we admired our fellow diners with their creative outfits setting up equally creative tables and meals. There were fascinators made out of feathers, white linen three piece suits, white gloves, and even a bird sitting atop a beautiful diner’s head. We were lucky to have Mykl Wu who shared his crab stuffed deviled eggs and homemade ceviche with us and the manager of Olivia Macaroons shared her colorful and delicious treats which worked as a centerpiece. As for us, we deviated a bit from what we posted on our food inspiration post with a watermelon feta salad, cheese, caviar, prosciutto wrapped bread sticks, and crepes. Our table was decorated with a large bunch of hydrangeas and vintage glassware.
As we waved our napkins in the air, we smiled in acknowledgement that it was all worth it. The music, beautiful sunset, and the diversely beautiful crowd made the moment truly inspiring. As we culminated our dinner, we were all given sparklers to commemorate such as special occasion. We drank, danced, made new friends, but most importantly, we left inspired. We are grateful to have been part of the first Diner en Blanc in DC!