The American Friends of Versailles hosted a black-tie gala at the Palace of Versailles on Monday night, drawing 280 guests in couture and high jewelry. Titled Legacy of Light, the event raised funds for the restoration of the Salon de Diane.
The benefit capped a four-day program of tours and parties at historic sites including the Quai d’Orsay and Château de Champlâtreux. Grand patrons David and Sybil Yurman joined France’s Minister of Culture Catherine Pégard and other guests such as Prince Charles and Princess Camilla de Bourbon des Deux-Siciles. President Alicia Bryan wore Oscar de la Renta and highlighted new under-40 benefactors joining the group. Honorary chair Becca Cason Thrash noted her return to the palace in a vintage Galliano-era Dior blouse paired with an Alexis Mabille skirt. A dinner in the Galerie des Batailles preceded a live auction that included a $95,000 Nile cruise and a $260,000 David Yurman bracelet. The evening ended with fireworks on the Grand Terrace, where one guest proposed, followed by an after-party in the Galerie Basse. The palace is scheduled to open a Gallery of American Independence on July 4 as a preview of a larger renovation project.
