This historic photo was found in Brazil in the Museu da Moda
(Casa da Marquesa de Santos)
and sent to VB.com by Michelle Kauffmann Benarush
an International fashion expert
and the Secretaria de Estado de Cultura do Rio de Janeiro.
The photo was published by Vogue August 15 1939
but did not come to the eyes of VB.com until August 2012.
The editor of VB was fascinated to see the legendary necklace
which was one of Aimeés favorite and very first jewels,
once a present of
the inventor
Thomas Edison.
(Unfortunately the necklace
was stolen in the 1950s and all what was left from Thomas Edison
is a
pearl broach which does also have quite a story ...)
The Circus Ball was given July 1 1939
at the Villa Trianon,
the beloved Versailles home
of the American decorator
Elsie de Wolfe (Lady Mendl).
The Villa located on Boulevard Saint Antoine had a huge park
adjoining the gardens of the Chateau de Versailles.
The guest list of 700 people
(if anybody sould have the list please mail it to b "at" vb.com so that we can enhance the article)
included the writer Somerset Maugham,
the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor (Wallis Simpson),
Prince Jean-Louis de Faucigny-Lucinge, his wife Princess Baba
Coco Chanel, Elis Schiparelli
Baron Hubert von Panz,
Baron Nici von Guenzburg,
Armand de Gramont,
Photographer Cecil Beaton,
Mme Jean Bonnardel,
Elsa Maxwell, the Countess Mona von Bismarck
and the textile magnate Marcel Boussac.
 |
| Lady Mendl's Party |
|
|
 |
| Lady Mendl's Party |
| William Vandivert |
|
 |
| Lady Mendl's Party |
| William Vandivert |
|
 |
| Lady Mendl's Party |
| William Vandivert |
|
 |
| Lady Mendl's Party |
| William Vandivert |
|
 |
| Lady Mendl's Party |
| William Vandivert |
|
 |
| Mrs. Ronald Balcom and Elsa Schiapare... |
|
|
 |
| Lady Mendl's Party |
|
|
Held at the dawn of World War II the Ball
was the last great party of the Season,
and in some way, the last great party of it's era.
The park of the Villa Trianon was full of Topiary plants
which
Aimée admired and later planted
at her Villa La Roseraie in Biarritz.
According to Edouard de Lobkowicz
who was allowed to assist the Ball as a teenager
Aimée de Sa Sottomajor just having arrived from Brazil
(where her beauty had caused a "little" scandal)
was in the center
of the public eye.
According to Aimée de Heeren,
Christian Dior himself was a little sad
not to have been invited.
Only very few fashion clients, excluding Lady Mendl,
knew his name.
... fame had to wait for the war to pass to come to him.
Another detail of the Ball is that
either Aimée herself or Coco Chanel
had a last minute transportation problem;
The car of one of their compagnons had a problem.
Living next to each other,
Aimée at the Hotel Meurice, Coco walking distance at the Hotel Ritz,
the Ladies decided to take the same car go to Versailles.
Apparently Aimée was a little furious
because
Coco was quite late ...
knowing Aimée the contrary could also have been the case ...
more about Aimée and Coco Chanel
At the Ball
Coco Chanel introduced her to Marcel Boussac,
a french textile magnate.
Boussac was fascinated by Aimée's dress & look
over and over again
until Aimée had finally given him
the name of the designer .... Christian Dior
 |
| Christian Dior (1905-1957) |
| |
|
Aimée
wearing a dress of the,
at the time unknown Christian Dior,
might have been a little help in his later caréer ...
The dress was seen by everybody
and 7 years later,
right after the end of the war
Boussac
financed the launch of the Dior fashion house .
