'Tis the season to wrap up, get glam and ingest your body weight in food and drink. No better time, then, for ASMALLWORLD's utterly fabulous multi-day 10th birthday party in Gstaad, Switzerland. And so it was that our Alya Mooro joined a rolodex of some of the most alluring individuals, the likes of Dianna Agron, Caitlin FitzGerald, Pixie Geldof, Tali Lennox and the utterly charming Carey Mulligan - who hosted the Saturday night charity gala in aid of War Child - to descend upon the Palace Hotel in Gstaad for a weekend that positively oozed glamour. We round up some of our highlights of the trip below...
Eating & Drinking... Lots
The Palace Hotel acted as ground zero for the weekend, hosting a number of fabulous gatherings including welcome cocktails on the Friday night ahead of an epic dinner at in-house restaurant Gildo's where guests got to know each other over wine and three courses of superb cuisine before decamping to the basement club (more on which later).
Gstaad'd From The Bottom...
While some of the more ambitious of individuals spent their morning after the night before taking to the slopes in their ski gear, the rest of us took a more leisurely approach in the form of a chairlift to the top of Wasserngrat mountain, where we were greeted by a beaming sun, ridiculously Instagrammable views and cauldrons and cauldrons of bubbling cheese. And our lives were basically complete. Having wrapped up in Mountain Warehouse's cosy thermals and piled on ski jackets and faux-fur galore for our trek skyhigh, we were soon giddy from having ingested a lifetime supply of cheese and wine, spending the remainder of the afternoon concoting the best hashtags to accompany our fairytale-perfect snaps. Our favourite? 'Gstaad'd from the bottom now we here.' Yup, we think Drake would be proud of that one, too. All credit to the altitude. And the wine.
Reckless & Generous...
Snow boots and gigantic fluffy hats safely tucked away, guests descended upon the Palace ballroom in a dizzying array of black tie extravagance. With trailing dresses in any and all colours imaginable, glittering jewels and a collection of headdresses that frankly make Blair Waldorf's look preeeetty pitiful, guests took their seats for a five course meal that was overseen by none other than Carey Mulligan and ASW Chairman Patrick Liotard-Vogt. 'I am begging you to give recklessly and generously,' said Mulligan in her impassioned address. And who could turn her down? With help from raffle prizes from the likes of Hublot, Maiyet, Tinker Tailor, and even a peck on the cheek from Dianna Agron, $100,000 was raised for War Child - a charity that provides support to children in high conflict zones around the world.
Take It To The Basement...
The Palace's basement nightclub - hailed as one of the most exclusive in the region - hosted the afterparties that concluded both festive evenings, and almost contributed to many a missed flight on the Sunday morning! Shoes in hand and fists pumping, attendees of the soirees quite literally let their hair down, dancing into the morning with a little help from the DJs who alternated between the latest in chart topping hits to never forgotten classics, pleasing just about everyone in the process. As attendees from literally all around the world revelled in the moment, we realised just how small a world it is, and how happy we are to be a part of it.