Swarovski x Chanel ANDAM Dinner

As previously mentioned, the past couple of weeks have been something of a whirlwind to put it very mildly. For months on end I’d been psyching up for my first time at Paris Couture Week. Attending the Haute Couture shows has been a dream of mine for a very, very long time and this season the time seemed right to go. Originally I was planning on heading out to The City of Lights on Sunday in time for my first show that evening. Having had a week of non stop shooting (ok, and partying) the weekend had been set aside to prep my looks, sort out my schedule and generally get my self together. Then I received an email from Swarovski informing me that they would be supporting the ANDAM Award for the 15th successive year, this time in partnership with Chanel, and would I be able to come out to Paris on Friday to join them for an intimate dinner and the winner’s announcement. Well, I mean, you just don’t say no to that do you?

Nadja Swarovski

That wasn’t a question, not even a rhetorical one. The second Swarovski asked me to be involved and attend the dinner in Paris I began to get very excited and mentally plan my outfit, after punching the air that is. Swarovski and Chanel are two of the most important, influential brands on the planet and the ANDAM initiative is one that has played a crucial role in maintaining the dynamism of the French fashion industry through their support of fresh design talent. Launching an independent fashion brand is just about one of the toughest mental, creative and financial challenges a young person can take on, perhaps more so in Paris than anywhere else in the world. Competition is fierce, costs are enormous and the production/sales/PR cycle necessary is  both daunting and riddled with potential pitfalls. Without ANDAM, there’s a strong chance that designers including Gareth Pugh, Giles Deacon, Hakaan Yildrim, Felipe Oliveira Baptista and Jeremy Scott wouldn’t be the globally renowned creative driving forces they are today. This year saw the addition a new Fashion Accessories Prize, with a 30.000€ endowment, who is to profit from Nadja Swarovski’s mentoring through personal guidance and expert advices for a one-year duration. That’s on top of the First Collection Prize which offers a raised financial retribution of 90.000€ and the Major Award consisting of a global endowment of 250.000€ and a 2-year privileged mentorship by Bruno Pavlovsky, President of Chanel Global Fashion. As if I needed to state it, ANDAM is a crucial programme with the power to utterly transform the career of a young designer and that plays such an important role in not just the French, but the global fashion industry. So it was truly an honour to support it even in the smallest of ways.

Aymeline Valade, Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye et Anne-Sophie Mignaux

Caroline de Maigret et Pierre Yves-Roussel

Renzo Rosso, Caroline de Maigret et Haider Ackermann.

I arrived in Paris to 40 degree heat, exhausted, after the worst packing experience of my life – never, ever end up in a situation where you find yourself packing for Haute Couture 20 minutes before leaving for Paris the morning after The Serpentine Party – where instantly my mood lifted as I thought about the evening in store. After the briefest of pitstops at The Mayfair Hotel which would be my home for the next couple of nights, I was off to the Hôtel France-Amériques. Outfit wise I’d opted for the least Parisienne look imaginable; a pink, slightly sparkly, embroidered Matthew Williamson cocktail number paired with my beloved Valentino Logo Go back (also pink), colour pop lips (yup, also pink) and silver heels. By the time I arrived the hotel courtyard was already packed with ridiculously chic attendees. With Caroline de Maigret, Aymeline Valade, Yaz Bukey and Anna Cleveland just the tip of the iceberg glamorous guestlist wise, the style stakes pretty damn high and I even had a momentary confidence lapse about my own outfit. The moment passed, I grabbed a glass and got stuck into mingling, outfit ogling and marvelling at the sheer magnificence of our location. Seriously, the Hôtel France-Amériques is an utterly incredible place, I would definitely recommend checking it our if you’re in Paris.

Anna Cleveland et Yaz Bukey

Moi et Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye

Nadja Swarovski, et Suzy Menkes

A couple of champagnes and chats later it was time for the main event, the announcement of this year’s ANDAM Award recipients.

Charlotte Chesnais et Nadja Swarovski.

The new Accessories Prize went to 30 year-old French designer Charlotte Chesnais. A protégé of Nicolas Ghesquierè’s with previous experiences at Kenzo, Balenciaga and Paco Rabanne, Charlotte is undoubtedly headed for big things. The debut collection of her cooly elegant contemporary jewellery is stocked in Colette and The Webster and has been worn by Laetitia Casta. With this prize and Nadia’s mentorship behind her, I can’t even imagine where Charlotte Chesnais

Award winners Charlotte Chesnais, Léa Peckre et Stephane Ashpool de Pigalle Paris avec Nadja Swarovski

The First Collection Prize was awarded to Léa Peckre for her outstanding work as a young French company worthy of international attention. After looking at her work in more depth after the event I can definitely understand why her Acne-esque brand of subtly directional cool and masterful tailoring made Lea a more than worthy recipient of such an award.

Stephane Ashpool de Pigalle Paris et Charlotte Chesnais

Last but certainly not least, The Major Award has been granted to Pigalle Paris, a contemporary menswear label by Stephane Ashpool whose unique collections and imaginative presentations have been garnering a lot of attention over recent seasons. With a huge funding boost and 2-year mentorship from the President of Chanel Global Fashion, I think it’s safe to say that we will be seeing a lot more of Pigalle Paris in the not so distant future.

Dinner is served…

Prizes awarded, the courtyard began to empty until there were just the forty or so of us who would be attending the intimate dinner. I won’t mince my words here, it was spectacular. Just a few groups of us gathered around round tables beneath the chandeliers, frescos and golden sculpted walls. The food was utterly sublime – lobster and perfectly seared beef, the dream – and when the plates were cleared we all gathered in the courtyard again where platters of dessert had been laid out and champagne uncorked.

Huge thanks to Swarovski and Chanel for having me be a part of this amazing night and such an important award. Find out more about the ANDAM Award online here and my Haute Couture show diaries will be coming very soon!

Love Ella. X

Images c/o Atelier Swarovski