Une Nuit à Phuket

Party Night in Punta del Este...

As every year, Chandon gathered the "tout Punta" for their traditional all-white party.

This year it was held at the new facilities of the splendid new private neighbourhood called Pueblo Mío, on the route 104, behind Manantiales.

Official guests? 800.

Party-crashers? Many...

This is one of Punta's favorite summer sports: crashing at parties everyone is talking about when you are not invited. This summer we had crashers at the parties of Shakira, of the financier JP Bailey on December 31st and of the Libanese magnate Laith Pharaon last saturday. So security crews here have a big time screening people at the entrance, checking whether they have the mandatory colored bracelet that enables the entry to Paradise...

Sometimes these people get to physically fight their way in... it's just something that adds to the mythology of summers in Punta.

But back to Pueblo Mío and the Chandon party, the dress code at the invitation was rather intriguing: all-white with a touch of Thai.

I was perplexed... a Thai detail?

I've never been to Thailand, nor to the world-celebrated beaches of Phuket.

The only Thai thing I know is the food...

A friend called at night to suggest that the Thai detail had to be orange...

Orange? Why? So that we could pass as one of the Dalai Lama's followers?

Bah. A white and gold long Marchesa saved the night for me, as an embroidered Azzaro (with some orange stones in fact) did the trick for my sister, my best partner for this type of excursions...

The party was great... Many friends and Punta's usuals: Franco Macri, Cristiano Rattazzi, Adolfo Cambiaso, Sebastián Eskenazi, many models with never-ending legs, young good-looking men and the last Europeans enjoying their time here before hitting the cold weather of the old continent. All the journalists and paparazzis working here showed up to see who was coming and who wasn't.

Champagne à gogó, white and rosé, and lots of music. Of course, we all wore white.

Oh... and what about the Thai detail? Well, some wore necklaces, others chose pashminas, some preferred hindu shirts...

There was such a party mood... it was hard to think of the situation in Yemen or the possible new war, of the existing wars, of the recession, of the cold or the efforts some must make to earn their living...

So much white got me thinking on Angels. Was this really Paradise on Earth? Is this why there were so many party-crashers fighting their way in.

It's hard for some to go back to reality.

As for myself... I went back home early, as usual.