In these fancy dress times, there is one, and indeed the only, masquerade party that I would like to rewind time for. The Rothschild family, one of the wealthiest families of its time, held a truly lavish party at their Chateau de Ferrières castle in France in 1972, with an equally lavish guest list. Maybe you’ve seen a photo of Audrey Hepburn wearing a birdcage on her head, or of Salvador Dalí not dressed at all? These two names and many more were invited to what could be called the party of the year? party of the decade?
The theme was Surrealist Ball and the dress code was: black tie, long dresses and surreal heads. Dalí designed the invitation which he made as a mirror image. Upon arrival at the party, waiters were ready dressed as cats and the exterior of the castle gave the illusion that the building was on fire. Dinner was served with plates covered in fur and the cutlery replaced with dead fish. An experience to say the least. If I remember correctly, Dalí kept wearing some form of headdress, arguing that his brain or head was a genius. Ingenious haha. However, the entire castle was surreally decorated and designed with a touch of dark symbolism, as well as several works of art and art installations signed by Dalí. Entrance to the party was through a kind of “hell sport” and then into a dreamlike and surreal atmosphere.
Other guests on the list included Brigitte Bardot, Yves Saint Laurent and Grace Kelly. I can’t believe anything other than that the masquerade must have been absolutely crazy and crazy fun. It is also said that Stanley Kubrick was inspired by the party when he created Eyes Wide Shut. A surreal ball is a good party theme, in other words it sucks, hehe.
If you want to read more about this, search for The Surrealist Ball 1972 or Rotschild Surrealist Ball.
xx
Charlotte
#Surrealist #Ball #October