Dinner to honor Archi Lanús...

Apart from Gardel, there are, and there's been, few Argentine so loved and respected here in France as Archibaldo Lanús.

Along the decade he spent in Paris, as Argentine Ambassador, Archi created strong bonds of friendship with an important part of the French society, and his invitations to the residence on Ave. Foch, be it to celebrate the 9th of July or to listen to a Tango ensemble, were all very cherished.

As no one he knew how to interest his French friends in Argentine culture and when he left, in 2005, there's been at least 30 farewell dinners... Never seen before!

Now, he returns every year, in June, and the French ladies call for themselves the right to offer him dinners and lunches months ahead.

This week was the turn of Francoise Gallimard, heir to the publishing house Gallimard, who gathered in her floor on Rue de Lille around 30 guests, among whom were the Princess María Pía de Savoia, Princess Alix Napoleón, the Bragance, Michel de Bourbon-Parme, Prince Amin Aga Khan, his Royal Highness Michel of France, Baroness Hottinguer... It felt like a dinner out of "The Recherche du Temps Perdu," by Marcel Proust, from 1911, not from 2011. It must have been quite hard for the host to arrange the sitting order respecting a certain protocol with so many aristocrats... I was lucky: in spite of being younger than other princesses, I was placed in Archi's table.

Archi brought a latin touch, hiring a band of musicians from Paraguay, who played such songs as "El Rey" and "Guantanamera."

As I left, they were inviting guests to dance to the rhythm of "Marina," a hit from the 60s...

PS: And now that we are pretending to be Proust, let me tell you that I wore an Oscar de la Renta black dress, with huge white sequins details on the skirt... Before you ask!!