Les Poupées!

It’s not every day that you go to a party and find a bunch of dolls passed out on the lawn along side of empty bottles of Champagne; but such was the case at the residence of The Ambassador of France Gérard Araud who hosted a brilliant evening in honor of Montreal-based Coton Mouton. There were installations everywhere from the pool to the terrace to the garden and most importantly the staircase which is becoming a Washington landmark. In December, artist-photographer Pascal Blondeau lined it with Penguins to tell a story about climate change and the Polar Vortex. “The first victims of our beautiful planet are Bears & Penguins,” he told us at the time. This week it was lined with poupées, as they say in French. The Coton Mouton movement is sweeping the doll industry, generated by the enthusiasm of owner and founder Aude Le Dubé.

Guests weren’t reticent about getting selfies on the staircase or removing the stanchions to get a joint photo, including former Lt. Governor of Maryland Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Ambassador of Ireland Anne Anderson as well as former DC council member at large Carol Schwartz, Izette Folger and Susan Toffler.