Hundreds of Greater Victoria men are on a quest to track down head-to-toe, all-white outfits for Thursday’s Dîner en Blanc.
Some have togs from last year, when the international event first arrived in Victoria. Dîner en Blanc started 25 years ago in France and participants are required to wear all-white outfits. The other fun aspect is that the location is kept secret until the last moment.
It is easy for women to find white outfits but it can be challenging for men. They’ve been looking everywhere from thrift stores to high-end shops. Some are buying, others are renting. Styles run from formal to casual wear to novelty.
Shoppers have been picking up white shirts for the event at Phil Nyren Menswear and Womenswear, on Yates Street. Other white items include denims and ties. There’s not much call for white jackets for men, Nyren said.
But men holding off on jackets might want to reconsider — just think of film stars such as Sean Connery wearing a white dinner jacket as James Bond in Goldfinger, or Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine in Casablanca.
Gregory Schadt, manager of Moores Clothing for Men at Uptown shopping centre on Blanshard Street, said customers started making preparations a few weeks ago. “We’ve had tonnes of rentals for this upcoming event.”
Moores sells and rents clothing. It costs roughly $150, including shoes, to rent a white tux, he said.
Purchased items include white hats, shirts, ties, suspenders, and belts. “We have quite a few items that could work for that event.”
Sid Ezedine, owner of Capital City Tuxedo on Courtney Street, has seen a boom in business thanks to Dîner en Blanc. “It’s kind of a nice, exciting thing that happens in town and a lot of people go to it.”
Again, customers can buy or rent. Last year, the store sold out of its white shoes for men. Three men who attended last year’s Dîner en Blanc have again lined up white outfits to rent. Capital City has a large stock on hand, prepared for last-minute customers, he said.
Jordan Stout, buyer/manager of Still Life For Him on Johnson Street, said this time of year they always have basic white pieces in stock, such as dress and sport shirts, denims, and shoes.
Tobyn Sowden, co-owner of Red Brick Media and leader of a table of 25 couples at the event, will be wearing white shoes and a shirt from Value Village.
This year, 1,200 tickets ($35 each and a membership costing $5) have been sold to Dîner en Blanc in Victoria, up from 800 last year, said Aidan Henry, owner of Brink Events and Victoria organization committee chairman. He is putting the event on with The Social Concierge of Vancouver.
During the four hours of the party, “You’re forgetting about everything that is going on in life and you’re just able to enjoy amazing food, beverages, music with good friends and family in an elegant setting,” Henry said.
“It’s just this giant, secret pop-up picnic party.”
Participants meet in five locations; when the party location is announced, they either bus or walk to the site. They take their own tables, linens and decorations, all white, of course. They can either bring their own food or arrange in advance from a selection offered by the London Chef.
Henry is striving for a sand-sea-formal-casual look. He has shoes bought in the U.S., a white shirt from The Bay, pants from Le Chateau, and a bow tie from Capital City.
Tyson Villeneuve, of The Social Concierge and Western Canadian Dîner en Blanc organizer, said Vancouver’s Aug. 21 Dîner en Blanc is expecting 3,200 people.
There’s a tourism aspect to these events. Victoria’s event is attracting visitors from Calgary and Vancouver, he said.
On the Web: victoria.dinerenblanc.info/
