EVENTS | HAPPENINGS | WORLD OF CABANA


On a luminous evening above Cannes, Caroline Scheufele gathered an elegant circle of women for an intimate Chopard soirée celebrating feminine creativity, Riviera glamour, and the Maison’s enduring bond with the landmark Film Festival.

 

BY JULIE HAENTJENS | HAPPENINGS | 25 MAY 2026

Carla Bruni, Caroline Scheufele and Estelle Lefebure. Image © Chopard. 

 

As the French Riviera slipped into golden-hour during the Cannes Film Festival, Chopard Co-President and Artistic Director Caroline Scheufele welcomed an elegant circle of guests for an intimate soirée devoted to women. Atop the Hôtel Martinez, the historic French Maison gathered inspiring figures to celebrate feminine creativity and empowerment, and Chopard's enduring love affair with the Film Festival and, of course, the Palme d’Or itself, whose iconic trophy has been crafted by Chopard since 1998.

It was one of those uniquely special Cannes nights: intimate, luminous, somewhere between Old Hollywood glamour and the romance of a Mediterranean summer evening.

Guests arrived just as the last traces of sunlight lingered across the terrace, illuminating tables dressed in mirrored reflections and overflowing florals. Arrangements of blush garden roses, creamy Peruvian lilies, and delicate sprays of lilac and coral blooms stretched down the length of the table, creating the feeling of a garden indoors.

Among them were cinema icons Kelly Rutherford, Elsa Zylberstein, Sidonie Dumas and Anna Ferzetti, former French first lady Carla Bruni and model Poppy Delevingne. Each embodied her own expression of Cannes elegance, while conversations moved between French and Italian, accompanied by the clink of crystal glasses catching the same shimmer as the sea beyond the windows. Far from the formality of a gala, the evening settled in with the intimacy of a beautifully orchestrated dinner among friends.

And then came the music. Between courses, Carla Bruni rose for an impromptu live performance that softened the room into silence. Her voice, smokey and intimate, filled the room from Quelqu’un m’a dit to a tender Moon River. Nearby, an artist created watercolor portraits and scenes in real time, offering guests whimsical aquarelles to take home as memories of the night. There was something deeply charming about the gesture.

Dinner itself, imagined by chef Fanny Rey alongside La Palme d’Or, celebrated the Mediterranean lifestyle. Green zebra tomatoes and sea lettuce opened the menu, followed by a generous seabream and a dessert with an unexpected touch: grilled vanilla with sand carrots and wild thyme. Paired with Domaine Vacheron Sancerre and Château Lilian Ladouys Saint-Estèphe, the dinner carried the evening beautifully into the night.

By night’s end, the table was scattered with half-finished glasses, and guests still locked in conversations. Clearly, no one wanted to leave the dream Chopard had composed.

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