What I Wore to Dîner en Blanc DC

I went to Dîner en Blanc DC a few times over the years. This is what I wore to Dîner en Blanc in 2018 when it took place at Nationals Stadium. This was my second year attending and I think my friends and I had it totally dialed in with what to wear and what to take. I know Dîner en Blanc DC is returning this September 2024 so I wanted to update this post for some style inspiration.

This post may also make you feel better or worse about this year's Dîner en Blanc DC secret location. Because 2018's Dîner en Blanc was not it. Had a blast, looked great, we packed well, weather was good, but the venue was not.

What is Dîner en Blanc?

Dîner en Blanc is a pop-up white dinner party. The concept started 30 years ago and now takes place across six continents.  Attendees bring their own food, tables, chairs, and meet at a secret location for an impromptu posh event of dinner and dancing in a beautiful location.  I think all attendees can agree that this year's Dîner en Blanc DC was not the best.  

Dîner en Blanc DC at Nationals Stadium

Dîner en Blanc DC has been in some really cool locations: Freedom Plaza, the Navy Yard, and last year we dined right in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue. For 2018, Dîner en Blanc DC was at Nationals Stadium. This was a poor decision.

One of the magical parts of Dîner en Blanc is being part of the community but this venue separated us into clumps, unable to see the beauty of the rows of tables of other people from your city. Many ended up seated under the stadium seats, surrounded by concrete and the fluorescent lights and trash cans ruining the typically elegant ambiance.

This was not a chic, elegant, or picturesque setting. Nor was it even functional. It felt extremely claustrophobic and the event team didn't properly expect how long it would take for folks to setup and dine. And to have a dancefloor be a baseball diamond? We're all wearing white,. and we all got filthy while getting down.

That being said, reading comments on the DC Dîner en Blanc's Instagram I see that our lackluster experience at Dîner en Blanc DC at Nationals Stadium was leaps and bounds better than that of the majority of the attendees.

This was my second year attending Dîner en Blanc DC but I registered the year prior to that so I had access to Phase 1 tickets.  My sister and I were going to sit in my friend Brea‘s group, but when I finally got into the site to buy my tickets, I couldn't see her as an option (later found out for some reason she was temporarily locked).

We then chose to go in Diego‘s group; I didn't know any of Diego's available table leaders so I chose Jennifer just because.  This was a random but smart decision.  Jennifer was phenomenal. She managed us and all the issues with poise and professionalism and truly cared that we had as good a time as possible.

We felt we were one of the last groups to enter Nationals Park, but from reading on social media, some didn't get in the stadium until 7:30 or later. It seemed we were seated in the entrance area because the rest of the stadium was full. We were almost finished setting up when the official spinning of the napkins took place.

Our section started clearing out after everyone ate, so we decided to follow suit and go down to the field.  Most of the stairs down were blocked, we found a line up on the concourse forming to go down the one set of open stairs and joined.

A woman walking up the stairs let us know they weren't allowing any drinks, even water down on the field so my friends held our place and I ran back to our table to leave our drinks.  When I got back, we were at the front of the line and heading down the stairs.

There was a line to get onto the diamond/dance floor. It looked like there may have been a second entrance behind the stage so we decided to walk along the perimeter in the dirt to the other side. Yeah, white jumpsuit, open-work sandals, and dirt don't mix. We stopped to get photos with The Presidents; they had Nationals staff there just to hold our phones and snap a few shots.  We got to the other side… no entrance to the dance floor.  

I text my friend who didn't sit with us to ask where she is.  She says they won't let her down to the field; they've shut down all the stairs.  We walk back to the only entrance to the dance floor; there's another line.  We get in line.  After a few minutes, they let us onto the dance floor.  

It's not packed, and we easily move up to the stage where the DJ is.  The dance floor was the baseball diamond (AKA more dirt) and it was extremely well lit (like a baseball game at night) but the vibe of the people dancing was awesome and we had a blast.

Around 9:30 the dance floor starts thinning out big time to the point that we decide to leave as well. We get back to our section and it's about 1/3 already packed up and people are leaving in droves.  We decided to pack up and hopped into our Uber around 10 p.m.

Not the chic event I expected.  However, my three friends and I had a blast.  We came into this year treating it less like a posh dinner and more like a music festival.  My sister and I have been to several fests and treated packing and planning of Dîner en Blanc DC like a mini Bonnaroo but with fancier clothes.

The four of us had mile-long email and text conversations discussing food, supplies, and outfits. The night prior we met for dinner and had a “dress rehearsal” of the setup of our tables and the packing of our supplies to be able to cart up to a mile by foot.

The planning and strategy paid off with a quick setup and cleanup, easy transportation, a beautiful table, and a delicious meal (see my Dîner en Blanc tips post). We only knew each other in our table group, but we met many awesome new people and saw some of the most amazing outfits and tablescapes.

What I Wore to Dîner en Blanc DC

White One-Shoulder Cocktail Jumpsuit

The jumpsuit is Adrianna Papell and I found it on Amazon of all places.  It isn't pure white, more like a winter white but it was perfect for the event. It is a crepe fabric that wasn't shiny but looked quite dressy. I loved the bow on the one shoulder.

It wasn't a petite fit, so I took it to my tailor, who removed the shoulder bow to shorten the strap/top underneath and then did a little nipping and tucking on the sides.  

Using Fairy Lights to Accentuate my Dîner en Blanc DC Outfit

To make the look more fun for once the sun set, I took a strand of fairy lights and wrapped it around the shoulder bow and made some bow-shaped twists so it would light up.  

Dîner en Blanc DC provided us with battery-operated “sparklers” since flames weren't allowed in Nationals Park; after shaking it at dusk with other guests, I tucked it into the shoulder of my jumpsuit for a bit more sparkle.

Glamming up with Gold Cuff Bracelets and Vintage Oversized Earrings

For accessories, I wore two of the Secret Garden Cuffs from cabi, one on each wrist.  At dusk, I wrapped each of them with fairy lights.  The earrings are vintage from Etsy and you've seen them before on the blog in this post and this post.  

Gold Leather Wristlet for a Dîner en Blanc DC Purse

Again this year I took my gold leather ring handle bag to carry my phone and essentials (this is what I wore last year). With the ring handle it's easy to slip on my wrist and still be able to dance. My shoes were my gold flat sandals from Bella Vita.  Nothing spectacular, but good for having to walk to the venue and dancing on dirt.

Managing Humidity Hair at Dîner en Blanc DC

Beauty wise, I planned to wear my hair all full crazy curls but my hair decided to protest that and go full-on middle aged Kip Winger.  So I decided to take the front part, tease it a bit, pin it with four clips and sprayed it to stay in place and reduce flyaways. This was a great hairstyle for Dîner en Blanc DC because it survived all night even with me getting down on the dancefloor.

Long-Wear Makeup with Shimmer

For makeup, I wanted it to still look good when I got sweaty. I used a primer and instead of foundation, I just used concealer and tapped it in well and used a grip spray to hold it in place. Then after doing that, I did a shimmery bronzer, gold glitter liquid liner, brows, and lashes. Since I knew I would eat it off, I just stuck to a tinted lip gloss.