First edition, Paris, September 2023
On September 21st, 2023, Dandy Magazine celebrated their 20th anniversary at the prestigious Automobile Club de France at the place de la Concorde in Paris. The 18th-century building which originally comprised of two town houses became ‘l’Auto’ in 1895 and welcomed Dandy’s beloved readers and most elegant persons to celebrate the Swann Awards. The spectacular event saw universally renowned tailors and masters of elegance and will now be hosted annually as an event that aims to honour undying elegance.
- Video of the evening : https://youtu.be/3mWnHQME5IY?si=17nIF7-dnGvGoPj9
- Short video of the award ceremony : https://youtu.be/oTNqHfFiCsc
- Long video of the award ceremony : https://youtu.be/4-LxfYg61zI
- Short video of cocktail reception and awards ceremony : https://youtube.com/shorts/QUG0JFNhFKY
Tentirely behaving like true men and women of elegance. Incessant conversation and laughter filled the Salon de la Concorde, an ambience created by names synonymous to British elegance with Savile Row men such as Anderson & Sheppard and distinguished European names such as Camps de Luca, Cifonelli, Rubinacci, Jean Manuel-Moreau, Degand and Hartwood. Alexander Kraft, Marc Guyot and the Mocchia di Coggiola siblings also contributed to the lively climate therefore setting the tone for an informal yet classy atmosphere for the event – an ambience that the amiable Paul Feig and talented storytellers Stépahie des Horts and Mathieu Bock-Côté contributed to. A community of personable lawyers which included Ardavan Amir-Aslani, Gilles-William Goldnadel and Grégory Levy also punctuated the vibrant soirée. Following the cocktail which oversaw an incredible view of Paris, guests were invited to enjoy delightful courses where they sat at their respective tables that bore the names of dandy icons such as Brummel, D’Annunzio, Baudelaire, Des Esseintes, Montesquiou, Castellane, Rédé, Fitzgerald etc.
UNDERSTANDING ELEGANCE
Our esteemed guests and hosts were invited to enjoy the latter half of the soirée in the club’s impressive library with a musical introduction executed by the Cleasy Chanel sextet before our hosts opened the second phase of the evening with compelling topics. Charlotte Tapiro looked marvellous in her smoking as she co-presented alongside the founder of Dandy Magazine and Swann Awards Yves Denis. Prior to the exciting award ceremony that would take place later during the night, the duo reminded the crowd that elegance is an attitude that is reflected in both one’s morals and fashion sense and cannot solely exist with the latter, before swiftly transitioning into a crucial discussion on the importance of remaining environmentally friendly when investing in fashion pieces. The presenters commented on fast-fashion as the world’s second-most polluting industry (the first being the oil industry) and lauded the slow-fashion industry which encourages one to pass down traditional know-how all while adhering to environmentally friendly production practises. On the other hand, fast-fashion prioritises mass production using about 2,700 liters of water for some 5 billions t-shirts produced throughout the year and further exploits man-power from developing countries. As stated above, elegance is first and foremost a moral matter, which should be fulfilled in a non-performative way, and as a magazine that values sustainability Dandy has had the honour of having sponsors who value sustainability, such as Arvind Bhundun, the Director of the Mauritian Tourism Authority (1). As the evening’s main sponsor, he touched upon Mauritius (his country of origin – where Ralph Lauren polos had been manufactured for decades) as an island that prides itself on its green industries and eco-responsible tourism. It is further important to note that the Mauritian government is the only one in the African continent (Indian Ocean) to actively battle against climate change whilst increasing more sustainable approaches.
Yves Denis had promised to invite the ten most elegant men to the soirée – a promise which he fulfilled as Guillaume Bo and his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen introduce the much-anticipated awards following the eco-conscious note. The gentlemen were received with great enthusiasm by the 220 guests and were no less than a symbol of dandy elegance and timeless fashion. The awards were as follows: Charlotte Tapiro held precious envelopes revealing the names of each category’s winners which were elected by Dandy’s Committee; and an external jury of elegant experts.. Each winner received a statue which served as a physical prize to reward their inherent elegance. The winners were as followed: Ardavan Amir-Aslani as the most elegant lawyer of the year, Sanjiv Ramdanee won the Lifestyle category, Jean-Daniel Lorieux won the photographer’s category, Hugo Jacomet received a statue for the Influencers’ category, Daniel-Salvatore Schiffer received one as most elegant author, Albert Goldberg won the award of Elegance, Paul Feig was elected as the most elegant producer and lastly, Cifonelli won the best tailors’ category.
40 NOMINEES FOR 8 STATUES
There are universal symbols of accredited artistic talent which range from golden statues to golden globes. As for winners of the Swann Awards, each category’s elected person was presented with our very own statue to congratulate them on their unbeatable elegance. With impressive contenders, such as Gilles-William Goldnadel (who looked distinctly handsome in a three-piece suit with lined lapel) and Ardavan Amir-Aslani in the lawyers’ category (which was won by Ardavan!), the jury were faced with difficult decisions. To name a few more, prominent storytellers such as Hugo Jacomet, Wei-Koh from The Rake, Julien Scavini (a writer for Le Figaro Magazine) and Justin Fitzpatrick (founder of TheShoeSnob) were nominees in the Press and Influencer category, with Hugo Jacomet as the winner. Xavier Aubercy (known for his expertise in elegant shoes) was an equally fierce competitor in the lifestyle category but could not measure up to Sanjiv Ramdanee’s elegance – a hotelier who is a regular in Savile Row and in Paris’ most fashionable stores – a fine businessman who is also known for the epicurean lifestyle that he promotes. One of the soirée’s most touching instances were cheers following the announcement of Albert Goldberg’s win – who went against Degand, Hartwood, and Alexander Kraft. Due to health complications, the founder (85 years old) of casual chic and Façonnable could not attend the evening but submitted a video which received the loudest cheers and applauds out of all the announcements – it was a moving and exceptional moment to witness. Other masters of elegance were also competing against one another with Anderson & Sheppard, Camps de Lucua, Caraceni, Cifonelli and Mararo for the best tailors’ awards – the prized statue was ultimately given to Cifonelli. Lastly, the film category featured Charles Dance, Bill Nighy, and Paul Feig as nominees with Paul Feig being the sole attendee and winner of this category. Due to ongoing strikes in the film industry led by the SAG-AFTRA, we were deprived of Dance and Nighy’s presence (as will be the Venice Film Festival) but were blessed by Paul Feig’s wonderful presence (who produced Ghostbuster, A Simple Favor…) whom we would like to thank for attending our special evening 24 hours prior to the installation of his next film.
As we inched closer to end of the night, Florence Foresti took place on the stage and led an auction with all funds going to the Women Safe & Children charity – an organisation which sheds light on domestic violence against women and children and aims to put a stop it. True elegance also consists in one’s ability to support one another and find compassion for others. Ultimately, with one such exemplary guests, nominees and hosts, the Swann Awards was no less than a worldly evening gathering its most elegant and amiable persons in the Auto Club.
PARIS MATCH
https://www.instagram.com/p/CxsYzgPMvIT/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
SAY WHO
TRIBUNE JUIVE // Daniel Salvatore Schiffer
DISCUSSIONS SARTIRIALES par PARISIAN GENTLEMAN
RTC TELE LIEGE
OPINION INTERNATIONALE
