Annual AFDC Benefit Event | Alliance Française Washington DC (AFDC)

ANNUAL BENEFIT EVENT

Thursday, September 17, 2026

at The Résidence de France

In tribute to a woman of rare elegance, celebrating a life of style, grace, and cultural devotion

ABOUT THE EVENT

Join the Alliance Française Board of Directors for one of Washington's most memorable evenings at the historic 1910 Tudor Revival Residence of the French Ambassador in the Kalorama neighborhood. The AFDC Gala is an occasion to celebrate the excellence of French culture in its many facets and includes Honorary Guests of domestic and international acclaim.

This year, our theme revolves around Fashion and Transatlantic Dialogue as we honor the legacy of the late Caroline “Nina” Pillsbury — a former member of the Board whose elegance, generosity, and style will be celebrated through an exhibition of select American and French designer pieces from her collection. Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, will be the Key Speaker and will share a few reflections on Fashion, Memory and Cultural Transmission.

This Gala will bring together patrons, supporters, and friends of French culture for a night of hors d’oeuvres, conversations, Ken Matthews’ Band’s Live Jazz Performances, and desserts by Pâtisserie Poupon. You will be mingling with an array of personalities of the D.C. scene of the culture and the arts, of the diplomatic world, AFDC faculty and staff, AFDC members and students, and the Directors of the Board.

Dress code: cocktail or festive vintage attire.

Photography: strongly encouraged and tag us on Instagram at: @afwashington_dcand use the following hashtags:#AFDCGala2026 #FrenchFashionInDC #FrenchAmericanFashionInDC. By attending the event, you consent to photo(s) taken of you during the event being used in AFDC communication tools including social media.

Parking on the street is limited. We highly encourage you to use rideshare services.

Your contributions help to support our FRENCH LANGUAGE PROGRAMS for children, teens and adults, as well as our SUMMER CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS, concerts, conferences, book talks, the Annual Young Poet Prize, and the one and only loan LIBRARY in French Language in the Mid-Atlantic Region in order to bring the best of FRENCH and FRANCOPHONE CULTURES to Washington. A few events are free to the public because we believe that culture needs to be accessible to everybody. To do this, we need your support!

ABOUT THE LATE NINA PILLSBURY

A fluent French speaker and a true friend of France, Nina Pillsbury embodied French-American friendship with elegance, enthusiasm, and flair. In French, Nina was a "grande dame."

She loved bringing people together and did so generously for the Alliance, serving many times as Gala co-chair. Known for her love of red -the color of life and beauty- she had a kind word for everyone, from Washington's decision-makers to AFDC staff and teachers.

Her legacy is celebrated through a selection of her favorite pieces, reflecting her vision of fashion as dialogue: French and American, classic and bold, seamlessly intertwined. These pieces from well-known designers will be exhibited throughout the residence on the night of the Benefit Event.

ABOUT DR. VALERIE STEELE

Valerie Steele is director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she has organized more than 25 exhibitions since 1997, including The Corset: Fashioning the Body, London Fashion, Gothic: Dark Glamour; A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk, Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color, Paris, Capital of Fashion, and Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis. She is also the author or editor of more than 30 books, including Paris Fashion, Women of Fashion, Fetish: Fashion, Sex and Power, The Corset, The Berg Companion to Fashion, and. Fashion Designers A-Z: The Collection of The Museum at FIT. Her books have been translated into Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. In addition, she is founder and editor in chief of Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, the first scholarly journal in Fashion Studies. Steele combines serious scholarship (and a Yale Ph.D) with the rare ability to communicate with general audiences. As author, curator, editor, and public intellectual, Valerie Steele has been instrumental in creating the modern field of fashion studies and in raising awareness of the cultural significance of fashion. She has appeared on many television programs, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and Undressed: The Story of Fashion. Described in The Washington Post as one of “fashion’s brainiest women” and by Suzy Menkes as “The Freud of Fashion,” she was listed as one of “The People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry” in the Business of Fashion 500: (2014 to the present).

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE FRANCAISE

The Alliance Française of Washington DC, a non-governmental not-for-profit organization with a 501 (c) 3 status, was created in 1905. It serves as the French language and cultural center in DC, with classes for all levels and all ages, as well as cultural events and the only loan library in French language in the Mid Atlantic region. For 120 years, it's been the French Heartbeat of the Nation's Capital.

If you would like to receive an email invitation to buy a ticket, please email the Executive Director, Sarah Diligenti: director@francedc.org

Thanks to Supporting Friends of AFDC

Alexandra de Borchgrave
Melanie Brody
Thomas Fraker

VIP Patrons

Heidi Debevoise

Gala Sponsors

If you would like to become a sponsor to support the AFDC's mission and vision, inquire at director@francedc.org