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Beautifully bejeweled: Ellen MacNeille Charles and her aunt, Ann Close. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
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Proudly showing off her diamonds: Washington philanthropist Adrienne Arsht. The cuffs are from Cartier. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
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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.
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Gabrielle Bekink, Sophie Delattre, and Rudolf Bekink, the Ambassador of the Netherlands. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
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Dinner is served: Susan Gage Caterers presented a meal that was an authentic homage to Parisian bistro cuisine. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
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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.
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French Ambassador Francois Delattre and Penny Peacock. Delattre called the evening “exceptional.” Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
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The gala’s co-chair Amy L. Bondurant, standing, with Nancy Palmer. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.