Of all the opportunities for ostentation that accompany the Cannes Film Festival, the annual amfAR gala is by far the biggest—and the sparkliest. Last night, a string of cars extending from the gates of the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc almost into the neighboring town of Juan-les-Pins (and punctuated by at least 17 tank-like Rolls-Royces, by my count) announced to anyone stuck in the traffic that amfAR had descended upon Cap d’Antibes. And if last night felt a little like a prom, then Katy Perry was undoubtedly the prom queen. In a ruby-colored flamenco dress from Marchesa, Perry hosted the most fun table in the room before opting for sequins (the clothing article of choice last night) to perform a set of her record-breaking songs.
Lest anyone forget the purpose of the evening, dinner was accompanied by a live auction made all the more lively by Simon de Pury. Outsize lots included a vacation on a yacht with a staff of 24, a monumental Damien Hirst sculpture, and a weeklong stay at Leonardo DiCaprio’s Palm Springs house. The climax was a fashion show of more than 30 dresses, each from a different designer and modeled in a Studio 54–themed runway show by the likes of Karlie, Jourdan, Bella, and Doutzen. Talk about #gangsallhere. The “disco collection” raised more than $1 million and the benefit took in $25 million for AIDS research, in all.
It was in that environment of conspicuous donation that Harvey Weinstein delivered a speech that called upon the considerable power in the room to defeat a variety of enemies, from HIV/AIDS to climate change to Donald Trump. It was funny, rousing, and not at all frivolous.
