Beautifully bejeweled: Ellen MacNeille Charles and her aunt, Ann Close. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
Proudly showing off her diamonds: Washington philanthropist Adrienne Arsht. The cuffs are from Cartier. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
Birthday girl Ellen Charles with, from left to right, her grandson, Geordie Iverson, who is spending the summer studying at Georgetown University; her son, George Iverson, who lives in Massachusetts; and the French Ambassador, Francois Delattre. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
Gabrielle Bekink, Sophie Delattre, and Rudolf Bekink, the Ambassador of the Netherlands. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
Dinner is served: Susan Gage Caterers presented a meal that was an authentic homage to Parisian bistro cuisine. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
Dressed for a party: This year the Hillwood gala dress changed from business to black-tie, and these women obliged beautifully. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
French Ambassador Francois Delattre and Penny Peacock. Delattre called the evening “exceptional.” Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
The gala’s co-chair Amy L. Bondurant, standing, with Nancy Palmer. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
