{"id":367810,"date":"2026-07-10T03:52:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T03:52:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/367810\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T03:52:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T03:52:34","slug":"fete-accompli-the-american-friends-of-versailles-gala-orchestrated-by-three-texans-rocks-the-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/367810\/","title":{"rendered":"F\u00eate Accompli \u2014 The American Friends of Versailles Gala, Orchestrated by Three Texans, Rocks the Night"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the annals of grand soir\u00e9es, The American Friends of Versailles\u2019 A Legacy of Light gala will surely rank among the summer\u2019s most glamorous. Just ask the posh clutch of European nobility, social swells, and Texas gentry who flocked in for the\u00a0 evening.<\/p>\n

\"GrantGrant Wood, Chase Musslewhite, John Goodman, Gillian Sarofim, Betsy Goodman, Walt Fortney, Saskia Connery (Photo by Catalin Vutcariov)<\/p>\n

Designer gowns, black-tie finery, and high jewelry were de rigueur as the 280 guests entered the Sun King\u2019s palace for an evening of fanfare, fireworks and a 7-foot tall birthday cake celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States and the alliance between the U.S. and France that facilitated independence. It was in Versailles that King Louis XVI formally recognized U.S. independence in 1778 and approved the military\/financial aid that enabled the American victory against the British.<\/p>\n

Trumpets heralded the arrival of the throng that first strolled through the Royal Apartments and on to the famed Hall of Mirrors, where they were greeted by the gala\u2019s distinguished honorary chair, native Texan\/Paris resident Becca Cason Thrash, recipient of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and a Chevalier de la L\u00e9gion d\u2019Honneur, who is known for her remarkable fundraising prowess.<\/a>\u00a0It was no surprise that under Thrash\u2019s tutelage the evening reaped $3.5 million.<\/p>\n

The funds are allocated for restoration of the Salon de Diane, where the recently restored hand-painted ceiling, created during the reign of Louis XIV, enthralled attendees. The extraordinary work, noted for its gilded brilliance, provided inspiration for the gala\u2019s A Legacy of Light theme.<\/p>\n

\"PeterPeter Brant Jr., Jean-Joseph Pani (Photo \u00a9 Franc\u0327ois Goize\u0301)<\/p>\n

While champagne was served and air-kisses flowed in the Hall of Mirrors, The American Friends of Versailles president Alicia Bryan, scion of one of Texas\u2019 leading energy families, visited with France\u2019s Minister of Culture Catherine P\u00e9gard and Laurent Salom\u00e9, director of the National Museum of the Palaces of Versailles and Trianon.<\/p>\n

Rounding out the trio of Texas leadership was Paris resident and creative director Lucas Somoza<\/a>, event planner extraordinaire, who created and executed the grand floral- and candle-infused tableau. The evening would be a hallmark of success for his namesake firm, which is widely recognized for Somoza\u2019s beautifully executed celebrations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"AFV-20260368__Catalin.vvDinner in situ (Photo by Catalin Vutcariov)<\/p>\n

The distinguished clique moved on to the vast Galerie des Batailles for cocktails until trumpeters sounded the call to dinner at the opposite end of the hall. Dinner served, remarks made.<\/p>\n

The gustatory highlight was the presentation of the remarkable 7-foot tall birthday cake by renowned French cake designer Bastien Blanc-Tailleu<\/a>r. The towering pastry embraced the dual celebration featuring flags of both countries; red, white, and blue bunting; gilded baroque trims; and emblems of the United States side-by-side with those of the French monarchy. The massive cake required 300 hours of preparation by a team of 10 pastry chefs.<\/p>\n

\"ShannonShannon Ralston, Phillip Risalvato (Photo \u00a9 Franc\u0327ois Goize\u0301)
\nAn Auction Like No Other<\/p>\n

As dessert was served the auction of wildly extravagant lots commenced. The pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance was the David Yurman<\/a> one-of-a-kind white gold Liberty Cable<\/a> bracelet set with more than 25 carats of diamonds. This beauty, provided by the event\u2019s grand patrons, Sybil and David Yurman, commanded a generous $260,000. French designer Christian Louboutin made the high bid on the beachfront escape to the Zanzibar Collection\u2019s Baraza Resort and Spa<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bidding was also enthusiastic for the cruise from Luxor to Aswan on Louboutin\u2019s luxury sailboat; the private South African safari; and a behind-the-scenes experience on the set of Netflix\u2019s popular series Emily in Paris. Artist Hunt Slonem upped the bottom line by contributing one of his paintings.<\/p>\n

With fundraising sealed, the crowd moved to the terrace overlooking the prized Versailles gardens for a lavish fireworks display accompanied by classical music. The hardier among the celebrants then moved on to the after-party in the Galerie Basse, where a DJ kept the revelry churning until 1 am. For the die-hard Texans, the party continued next door at Airelles Le Grand Contr\u00f4le, where New York\/Palm Beach interior designers Lance Scott and Cecily Waud had booked a suite for the occasion. That celebration lasted deep into the morning hours.<\/p>\n

\"AFV-20260553__Catalin.vvJada Tusha, Ava Truan (Photo by Catalin Vutcariov)<\/p>\n

The Versailles evening was the grand finale of several days of The American Friends of Versailles activities in Paris that included launch festivities at H\u00f4tel de Talleyrand, dinner at Quai d\u2019Orsay,<\/a> and brunch at Ch\u00e2teau de Champl\u00e2treux<\/a> \u2014 three spectacular venues not typically open to the public.<\/p>\n

A Versailles Fashion Note<\/p>\n

Bryan wore Oscar de la Renta, while Thrash chose a Galliano-era Dior tulle couture blouse topping a floor-length pink skirt by French designer Alexis Mabille, who was among the 280 guests. The ever-dashing Somoza donned a white-dinner-jacket tux by esteemed London tailors Cad & The Dandy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Houstonian Gillian Sarofim stepped out in Alexander McQueen, while Meg Goodman wore Oscar, and Ceron sported an overflowing Dior Collar and Gucci coat with Christian Louboutin<\/a> shoes.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe 7-foot tall birthday cake celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States and the alliance between the US and France that facilitated independence (Photo by Catalin Vutcariov)<\/p>\n

PC Seen: Prince Charles and Princess Camilla de Bourbon des Deux-Siciles, Baronesse Louise de Rothschild, Marie de Noailles and Prince Charles-Henri de Lobkowicz, Stephane Gerschel, Tracey Amon, Thierry\u00a0 Wasser, French art historian Diana Widmaier Picasso, Fabrizio Casiraghi, Fortune\u0301 Penniman, Guillaume and Delphine F\u00e9au, American socialite and model Peter Brant Jr., fashion designer Alexis Mabille, Decades founder Cameron Silver, Paris Opera Ballet principal Hugo Marchand, and, in from Houston John Thrash, Ceron, John Goodman and Walt Fortney, Gillian Sarofim, Betsy Goodman, Maha Khan, Cheryl Byington, newlyweds Elizabeth Petersen-Buais and Gregoire Buais, Joyce Echols, Melissa and Michael Mithoff; and, in from San Antonio, Shannon Ralston in couture Valentino, accompanied by Phillip Risalvato, aka The Gucci Cowboy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the annals of grand soir\u00e9es, The American Friends of Versailles\u2019 A Legacy of Light gala will surely…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":367811,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,58,57],"class_list":["post-367810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}