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53-605: The first event was a celebration of the 2,000th birthday of the city of Paris and was held in 1951. When it was decided to make the ball an annual event, the name was changed to the April in Paris Ball. The April in Paris Ball was the brainchild of Claude Philippe , the banquet manager of the prestigious Waldorf Astoria, with the chief goal being to improve Franco-American relations, to share cultures, and to help provide assistance to US and French charities, aside from commemorating

106-439: A Renault Dauphine , a TV Hi-Fi system, an electric typewriter, 25 cases of expensive French wines, original paintings and porcelains, jewels, clocks, evening bags and a pedigree poodle, with gift boxes given to guests which included gold key rings and jewelry, champagne and brandy, Maxim ashtrays, pipes, silver bottle openers, hats and scarves, and flowers. Every guest was said to have gone home with at least one gift in return. In

159-509: A US$ 5000 bracelet and other jewels, expensive furs, perfumes and even cars. It attracted many of the most famous people of the day, including Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich . By the mid 1970s his balls were charging $ 185 per person; the 1974 ball netted roughly $ 175,000. During his career at the Waldorf Astoria it has been estimated that Philippe was responsible for his clients spending $ 150 million alone on banquets. Philippe

212-597: A Versailles , with costumes by Nina Ricci and Arturo López Willshaw  [ fr ] , Cendrillon de Paris , a fashion show featuring gowns by Balenciaga , Balmain, Desses, Diro , Fath, Givenchy, Gres , Lanvin , Patou and Schiaparelli and hats by Gilbert Orcel , Legroux Soeurs , Paulette and Caroline Reboux , and finally a François Rabelais play, starring Walter Slezak as Rabelais, Tom Ewell as Panurge, Betsy von Furstenberg as Lady Dantern, Albert Hecht as Friar John, and John Cromwell as Bird. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus provided

265-504: A benevolent dictator and a kindly father" at the dinners according to George Lang. The ninth dinner featured a menu of "heroic proportions", 17 inches (430 mm) high and 12 inches (300 mm) wide, with over eight pages. On 10 May 1965, Claude Philippe threw a party for Chevalier off his usual site, this time in the Oscar's Delmonico wine caves. By 1972, however the dinners had begun to lose their appeal. New York Magazine noted that

318-909: A casino, a theater, and an eighteen-hole golf course in Guadeloupe in the 1960s. Philippe was born in London in 1910, the son of a chef, and was trained at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris. By age 20, he had settled in the United States and was an assistant to the Waldorf's Oscar Tschirky . Upon Oscar's retirement in 1943, Philippe stepped into this position as Maître d'hôtel . He went on to become "one of New York's cuisine kingpins". In July 1948, Philippe hired Alexis Lichine to buy wines in Europe for

371-522: A fashion show of forty creations by Dior , Fath, Balmain , Dessès and Givenchy ". Most of designer Jean Desses' mid-season collection was shown at the ball before his Paris showings in May. Court jesters, singers, numerous dancers, dwarf wrestlers, jousters, trained animals loaned by John Ringling , and three dozen Scotch pipers were also a feature. French stars Juliette Gréco , Jean Sablon , Beatrice Lillie , John Loder , and many others were flown over for

424-555: A gymnast, dwarf, a juggler, a gargantua and animals. Roger Dunn , Tyrone Power and Reginald Gardiner were invited to conduct the master of ceremonies, with special mention to French actress Suzy Delair . Furniture, tapestries and banners from 17th and 18th century France were provided by French & Co., Lace and Tulle by the Federation Nationale Francaise de Dentelles Tulles Broderies et Passementeries, and jewels by Cartier . Robert Joffrey fitted out

477-1018: A l'Opéra de Paris , the show featured a series of tableaux entitled L'Elegance de Paris , with costumes by Revillon , La Couture , with designs by Pierre Cardin , Jean Desses, Christian Dior , Gres, Jacques Heim , Hermès , Guy LaRoche , Nina Ricci and Jean Patou, La Couleur Opera , featuring "La Cabaret de l'Aurore" and the Lester Lanin orchestra and the US premiere of the 1735 Jean-Philippe Rameau French opera-ballet " Les Indes Galantes ", starring Mony Dalmes , Jean-Pierre Aumont and Jean Jacques Strauss , Les Fleurs , with Parisian and European opera and ballet stars such as Claude Besny , Pierre LaCotte , George Zoritch , Judith Raskin , and Madeleine Rizzo , and finally Les Savages & La Chaconne , featuring Cathryn Damon , Dorothy Straiger , Constance Carpenter , Gretchen Wyler , Charlton Heston and Myles Easton . Several ball committee members felt that

530-514: A large parcel of undeveloped land in the French portion of Saint Martin around 1964, Philippe's dream had been to build a luxury resort called La Belle Creole which would be like a tiny portion of France in the Caribbean. Philippe's intended guests were the people he had been acquainted with through his hotel work. His plans were also for a casino, a nightclub and various luxury shops as part of

583-534: A ringmaster in trousers, a waistcoat, top hat and white gloves. Dietrich sang two Maurice Chevalier songs, "Louise" and "Mimi". Cecil Beaton designed a big top of ruby velvet with a "hedge of colored fountains" and thousands of purple flowers. Due to conflict between Philippe and the Waldorf-Astoria staff, he was exiled from the Waldorf in 1960, and the ball was moved to the Hotel Astor that year, where

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636-558: The Council of Fashion Designers of America awarded Theyskens the International Award. However, Theyskens' focus on " demicouture " (special pieces too costly to mass-produce but which may not meet strict couture rules regarding hand-stitching and numbers of fitting) was questioned by fashion insiders as a viable business strategy. His gowns, some of which were priced upwards of $ 20,000, were often out of reach for all but

689-545: The Hotel Astor in 1960, the Seventh Regiment Armory in 1961, and other venues. The ball was designed to cater for "very, very high-class people" according to Vaccaro. Raffle tickets cost US$ 100 per person and offered opulent prizes such as a US$ 5000 bracelet and other jewels, expensive furs, perfumes and even cars. In the 1960 event, prizes given included a Ford Thunderbird car, a Chinchilla coat,

742-638: The 1978 ball in October and died by Christmas of that year. Philippe had numerous business interests and investments, and was responsible for building at least three restaurants, a casino, a theater, and an eighteen-hole golf course in Guadeloupe in the 1960s. By 1960, Alexis Lichine and Philippe owned an extensive stretch of beach called Jacks Bay near the East End of Saint Croix in the United States Virgin Islands . They bought

795-502: The 1979 event, some US$ 106,000 worth of prizes were given out. Over its history, the ball, which was exempt from tax, earned millions of dollars, which went primarily to over 20 American charities such as the American Cancer Society , with 15 to 20% going towards French charities. A staff of three people were paid full-time throughout the year to organize it. Of the expenses of the ball, founder Philippe stated "We charge

848-516: The 2000th anniversary of the founding of Paris. The first ball was called the Paris Birthday Ball and was held on May 7, 1951. When the ball became an annual event, its name became the April in Paris Ball. While the hotel's management handled invitations and publicity, other details were coordinated by socialites . Elsa Maxwell was given the primary responsibility in organizing it. Mrs. William C. T. Gaynor served as general chairman of

901-502: The April Paris Ball until his death in 1978. Philippe was the head of a group of investors who bought the noted Le Pavillon in 1967. The restaurant came on the market after the sudden death of its previous owner, Henri Soulé, in 1966. However, Philippe and his investment group did not own the restaurant very long; it was forced to close in October 1972 due to a lack of patronage. He was taken gravely ill three days before

954-559: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor attended as well. The Duchess and Elsa Maxwell had reportedly had a major falling out at another ball four years earlier and sat far apart from each other and didn't speak even when they were in the elevator together. The Duke and Duchess were the guests of honor and were seated at the most visible table in the ballroom. One article in The Times Standard even claimed that Maxwell had invited Monroe to

1007-535: The Federal prosecutor believing him to have collected $ 300,000 in gratuities in 1952-55 alone. He pleaded guilty to one count of the indictment, and was fined a maximum $ 10,000. Philippe was a womanizer and was extremely popular with women; when visiting the hotel, "nearly every society lady in New York of the 1950s insisted that she either knew or was served personally by the great Claudius Charles Philippe". He

1060-494: The French government, who eagerly sought a buyer. Potential new investors were interested in the property, Club Med and Marriott among them, but lost their interest upon learning of the financial tangle. Aristotle Onassis also thought about La Belle Creole, but changed his mind after his representative had inspected the property. The resort began to slip into deterioration and theft was very common-resort furniture could be easily found in many local homes. Two men set up shop at

1113-400: The Paris Ball "remains the most prestigious, with its national and international guest list, but not necessarily the most social". Claude Philippe Claudius Charles Philippe , also known as Philippe of the Waldorf or The Host of the Waldorf , (10 December 1910—24 December 1978 ) was a British-born French-American restaurateur, catering director, hotelier and businessman, who

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1166-505: The Waldorf Astoria; the two men would become close friends and business partners. In 1951 Philippe founded the April in Paris Ball at the Waldorf. It was initially held annually in April 1952, but according to Ann Vaccaro, former executive director of the ball, it was changed to October because "Mr. Philippe decided that because there are so many balls in the spring he would make it in October". After being changed to October, it often marked

1219-505: The ball in 1954-57. It was initially held annually in April, but according to Ann Vaccaro, former executive director of the ball, it was changed to October because "Mr. Philippe decided that because there are so many balls in the spring he would make it in October". After being changed to October, it often marked the start of the US fall social season. It was staged in the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf for eight years before moving to

1272-474: The ball to publicly embarrass the Duchess; when Monroe arrived more than 30 photographer abandoned her to photograph Monroe. After the ball, a wealthy New York broker offered to donate $ 50,000 to charity if Maxwell and the Duchess would abandon their feud and shake hands in front of press photographers. Maxwell was most willing to end the quarrel in this way, but the Duchess declined the offer. The following year,

1325-673: The ball. Maxwell and Lillie, dressed as a beturbaned maharajah from India and a harem girl, arrived with brooms and buckets, following an elephant. The coatroom charge was a surprise to the guests; instead of the usual two bits, it was raised to US$ 0.35 per item. The second ball, held on 20 April 1953 was organized to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the death of French Renaissance writer and humanist François Rabelais . A spectacular of six tableaux were put on, consisting of Le Moyen Age , with costumes by Marcel Rochas , Le Cardinal aux Chats , with costumes by Jacques Fath , Dans les Jardins de Marly , with costumes by Jeanne Lanvin , Les Chinois

1378-609: The ballroom as the court of Versailles for the 1954 ball, with students from the Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theatre as performers, and Victor Borge cast as Louis XIV . With Audrey Hepburn too ill to perform as John Paul Jones , Gloria Vanderbilt stepped in at the last minute, which impressed Gilbert Miller . Jacqueline Kennedy was an attendee. The 1957 event, attended by Senator John F. Kennedy , his wife, Jackie , and Marilyn Monroe , included 1300 guests, who paid $ 100 each and donated $ 130,000 to charities;

1431-532: The ballroom was decorated with 30 feet (9.1 m) high chestnut trees. The event brought in US$ 170,000 for charities. The 1959 ball, the final one to be held at the Waldorf on 10 April 1959, centred around the theme of the Parisian circus of the 18th century. 1000 people attended, paying $ 150 per ticket. Genuine circus costumes from the period were flown over from France, and the ball featured Marlene Dietrich as

1484-593: The brand to take on the role of Creative Director at the House of Schiaparelli . From 2014 to 2020, Alessandro Dell'Acqua served as women’s wear creative director at Rochas. Dell'Acqua's first show for Rochas was set to take place in February 2014. In 2015, Interparfums announced it would buy Rochas from Procter & Gamble for $ 108 million. In 2017 Rochas unveiled its first menswear collection, created by French designer Béatrice Ferran . Charles de Vilmorin

1537-415: The closure, "That sort of perfect, made-to-measure business can't exist today, which is really too bad. Everything is about business now, and fashion shouldn't have to follow normal economic models—that's not the point. What happened to investing in beauty?" News emerged in 2008 that there were plans to reopen the fashion house. On November 3, 2008, Marco Zanini was named new artistic director for

1590-430: The dinners were still appreciated for their "enormous stocks of wine" but that it no longer seemed to "have the appeal of the other groups". They nonetheless continued. After Philippe's death, his wife, Helga, took over planning the gentlemen's dinners, as well as coordinating the wines and greeting the attendees; she was the only woman present at these events. After being sacked from the Waldorf Astoria in 1959, Philippe

1643-530: The fashion for padded shoulders in 1931. Rochas had been known primarily for its signature perfume, " Femme ," which was packaged in a pink box with black lace . Rochas had existed only as a fragrance from the time that Marcel Rochas died in 1955 until Wella , which made its classic Femme scent, brought back a clothing line in 1990 with the designer Peter O'Brien. The company found new recognition for its fashion design when it chose Belgian-born Olivier Theyskens as its creative director in 2002. (In

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1696-512: The fashion house, in partnership with the Italian company GIBO. He showed his first collection during Paris Fashion Week in February 2009. His ambition to build "brick by brick" and season after season the foundations of a renewed House of Rochas, his insistence on making each new collection "unpredictable", confirm the renaissance of Rochas in fashion. In September 2013, it was confirmed that Zanini would be leaving Rochas after five years with

1749-500: The hotel in 1959. The balls were major events in the US socialite calendar, and raised millions of dollars for American and French charities over the 28 years of its existence. His Lucullus Circle dinners also attracted some of the wealthiest businessmen of the day to feast on six to eight course meals. During his career at the Waldorf Astoria it has been estimated that Philippe was responsible for his clients spending $ 150 million alone on banquets, which led him to be referred to as "one of

1802-544: The likes of Dietrich, Maurice Chevalier , Joan Crawford and organizer Elsa Maxwell helped transform it into the Paris Opera House . A photomural of the Paris Opera House was "mounted on plywood and superimposed in front of Astor Hotel creating the illusion of [the] actual opera house", and photomurals of the interior completed the transformation. Held on 9 April 1960 under the title of Un Bal Masque

1855-447: The most difficult hostess". He was a "strange, extremely creative, intelligent, but a somewhat warped individual"; yet one, according to George Lang , who was "an amazingly generous person" who would frequently invite guests to his country estate at Watch Hill Farm . Victor Borge referred to Philippe as a "one-man atom". A workaholic, and a sometimes controversial figure, in 1958 he was indicted on four counts of tax evasion, with

1908-481: The most fabulously wealthy. Theyskens took a purer approach to fashion and did not rely (like many fashion houses) on accessory sales and cheaper sister lines for a steady stream of revenue. In July 2006, Procter & Gamble announced the discontinuation of Rochas' fashion division, shocking many in the fashion industry. One "longtime designer," commenting anonymously in The New York Times , said of

1961-525: The most, give the most, and make the most — it's a success formula". Bernard F. Gimbel served as chief treasurer. The initial show, held on 9 April 1952, featured a "three-hour spectacular of five tableaux, directed by Stuart Chaney ", [depicting] a twelfth century scene of troubadours at the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine , Henry VIII 's meeting at the Field of the Cloth of Gold, Louis XIV at Versailles , and

2014-420: The name of the ball should be changed, since it was no longer held in April, but in the fall. In 1968, the ball's name was changed to Bal de l'Amitie. The new name lasted only one year and it once more became known as the April in Paris ball in 1969. Moune de Rivel fr was invited to the 1970 event, while in 1973, Josephine Baker was its star. Russell Edwards of The New York Times stated that even in 1974

2067-415: The project would now result in a more modest resort. Philippe was highly insulted and told the investor offering the additional funding, "I have created a Cadillac. You want to put into it a Chevrolet engine." By the summer of 1970, funds to continue building were exhausted; work stopped on La Belle Creole and Philippe was forced to abandon his project. The resort eventually went into the receivership of

2120-406: The re-budgeting and additional loan would complete at least half of the resort and allow it to open for business, but Philippe continued to make expensive changes in the project such as adding more windows to all of the suites. When it was evident that the project was once again in financial trouble, one of the investors in the property offered Philippe a loan for an additional $ 750,000, provided that

2173-438: The resort plans. However, Philippe's funds ran out by 1969 and work on La Belle Creole was suspended. Philippe was able to get an emergency loan of $ 250,000 from a Lebanese company, but this did not go very far to completing the work on the project. He got some help in redrawing his budget and a larger loan of $ 500,000 from a large Paris bank through J. Jay Frankel, a financier on Wall Street. Philippe's investors believed that

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2226-451: The resort with the claim that they were liquidating the property's assets for its creditors, but they had no connection to the investors or the resort. Philippe refused to admit failure with La Belle Creole and until his death in 1978, continued to tell friends that his glorious resort would open soon. It was not until 1989 that the resort was completed and opened for guests for the first time. The casino and nightclub never materialized and

2279-416: The resort. The French government was interested enough in the project to assist Philippe by providing a desalination plant and a paved road leading to the potential resort. Philippe hired architects and designers who estimated that it would cost about $ 5.5 million to make the dream a reality. It was decided to break ground after an investment of $ 2.5 million, which was enough to construct buildings and begin

2332-422: The size of the property was reduced to 25 acres. In 1995, Hurricane Luis forced the closing of La Belle Creole and the resort has remained closed since that time. Philippe was described as being tall, dark and lanky of frame, with an aquiline nose, long bony fingers and an acid tongue. He was cited as being of a "suave" and "polished" demeanor, and Life magazine remarked that he was "suave enough to charm

2385-526: The start of the US fall social season; the balls were major events in the socialite calendar, and raised millions of dollars for American and French charities over the 28 years of its existence. It was staged in the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf for eight years before moving to the Hotel Astor in 1960, the Seventh Regiment Armory in 1961, and other venues. The ball was designed to cater for "very, very high-class people" according to Vaccaro. Raffle tickets cost US$ 100 per person and offered opulent prizes such as

2438-430: The truly great men this industry has ever produced" by George Lang . The suave Philippe led a colorful life, with many lovers including Grace Kelly and Barbara Walters , and three wives. He was investigated for tax evasion in 1958 and admitted guilt one count, for which he was fined the maximum $ 10,000. He had numerous other business interests and investments, and was responsible for building at least three restaurants,

2491-648: The years leading to his appointment, its clothes had not been considered notable. ) Theyskens, within his first few months, was credited as creating an "entirely new silhouette for the house" that was French -influenced and elegant. His first full collection, for Fall 2003, was praised by style.com as "ravishing" and "nothing short of magnificent." For the next several years, Rochas continued to garner praise among fashion critics and to attract loyal followers. Rochas' clients included Nicole Kidman , Jennifer Aniston , Kirsten Dunst , Kate Bosworth , Jennifer Lopez , Rachel Weisz , and Sarah Jessica Parker . In 2006,

2544-432: Was "probably the outstanding creative sales catering director of any hotel. He knew also when sat on the client side how to get the very best for the client". Marcel Rochas Rochas is a fashion , beauty , and perfume house founded in 1925 by French designer Marcel Rochas, the first designer of 2/3-length coats and skirts with pockets and one of the two designers, along with Elsa Schiaparelli , who launched

2597-399: Was also noted for his Lucullus Circle dinners and women-only luncheons, which were both very popular. The Lucullus Circle dinners, inaugurated in 1951, brought about a "new golden age of gastronomy", attracting some of the wealthiest businessmen in the world at the time to feast on some "six to eight food courses and two wines with each course". Philippe "enjoyed acting like a cross between

2650-686: Was appointed executive vice president of the Zeckendorf Hotels Corporation for two years, which at the time owned the Commodore , the Manhattan and Drake hotels. From 1961 until 1963 he worked as executive vice president of Loews Hotels , and was responsible for the planning and building of six new New York hotels, including the Summit Hotel . After 1963 he presided his own consulting firm, taking responsibility of

2703-504: Was married three times, first to food writer Poppy Cannon from 1941 to 1949, with whom he had a daughter, Claudia; Cannon went on to marry Walter White . His second wife from 1952 to about 1961 was Comédie-Française actress Mony Dalmès , who incidentally doubled for Marilyn Monroe in a number of films, and his third and last wife was Helga in the 1970s. He was romantically involved with numerous women, including Grace Kelly before her marriage and Barbara Walters . In 1977, Philippe

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2756-579: Was said to be writing his memoirs; it is not known if he intended them to be published. George Lang of the Waldorf believed that the hotel tried to cover up his misdemeanors, noting that he had a "kind of arrogance, an unnecessary arrogance very often, which was counterproductive". However, he referred to Philippe as "one of the truly great men this industry has ever produced". Alphonse Salamone similarly remarked that "Claude Philippe brought an ingredient to this industry that I don't think has been surpassed". Jorge Hansen of Hilton Hotels stated that Philippe

2809-419: Was the hotel banquet manager of the prestigious Waldorf Astoria New York hotel in the 1940s and 1950s. From 1961 until 1963 he worked as executive vice president of Loews Hotels , and was responsible for the planning and building of six new New York hotels. Philippe is best remembered for founding the April in Paris Ball at the Waldorf Astoria in 1951, which he ran with Elsa Maxwell until his sacking from

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