Learn more about the School of Fashion Design’s opportunities to continue your fashion education.

Meet faculty the School of Fashion Design, tour their studio classrooms, and see sketching, pattern making, sewing, and draping in action!  This open house can serve as a guided journey through the fashion design learning process from concept to finished garment!

Please note that the program begins promptly.
10 a.m. Welcome | 10:20 a.m. Tour and demos

Join Bar Boulud Chef-Restaurateur Daniel Boulud and fellow Chef Ming Tsai on April 2 for a special menu

Chef Daniel Boulud will welcome his longtime friend Chef Ming Tsai for the collaborative, one-night-only Spring Forward Dinner at Bar Boulud on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. Chef Ming Tsai, James Beard award-winner, owner of Blue Dragon in Boston and host of PBS’s “Simply Ming,” will join Michelin-starred Chef Daniel Boulud to prepare a delicious five-course dinner featuring seasonal ingredients infused with unique flavors from their cultures.

This exceptional dining experience will allow guests the exclusive opportunity to meet both chefs and celebrate an evening of food, wine and camaraderie. Bar Boulud’s Sommelier will also pour the perfect wine pairings for each dish.

The following five-course menu with wine pairings will be served:

New Style Itsumo Tuna Sashimi
Curry Oil and Crispy Rice

Nine-Herb Lobster Ravioli
Tarragon, Sauce Américaine

Poulet Aux Morilles
Asparagus, Sabayon Vin Jaune

Ginger-Citrus Roasted Pork Shoulder
Maitake Mushrooms and Spring Pea Ragu, Watercress Nage

Itakuja Ingots
Chocolate Bavaroise, Kumquat Confit, Lapsang Souchong Ice Cream

The event begins at 6:30 with a reception, followed by dinner from 7 – 11 pm.  Tickets are $254 per person and include wine pairing, tax, and gratuity.  Tickets are available here.

French Cultural Center’s French Innovation series looks at French fashion innovations.

Fashion plays a significant cultural, societal, and economic role in France. The second program in the French Cultural Center’s French Innovation series will explore this French staple, from the fashion of its royal courts to the country’s indefatigable status as a pioneer in fashion and luxury innovation today. 

Gwen van den Eijnde, of RISD, will enlighten us on French contributions to the world of fashion, from the first mentions of style in the fifteenth century to the liberation of women by Chanel and Dior. 

For a peek into new innovations in the fashion world, Christophe Guberan will introduce us to his Active Shoes research project, which explores the future of shoe production and performance with self-transforming textiles. 

Event in English. A reception with refreshments will be provided after the discussion.

Guests are welcome to explore our eye-opening French Innovation exhibition in our gallery, featuring sketches, models, and more related to this series’ programs.

About the Panelists

Christophe Guberan is a Swiss industrial designer who teaches product design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The buzzing and innovative ecosystem of the Greater Boston Area allows him to augment his practice while experimenting with new research and technological development.

In 2014, Guberan began collaborating with the MIT Self-Assembly Lab and Founder & Director Skylar Tibbits, a pioneer in 4D printing, to create “active shoes” under the Minimal Shoe project for Design London Museum. Guberan has continued his exploration of material interactions, digital manufacturing, and self-assembly processes. His projects include Hydro-Fold, Liquid to Air, and his most recent collaboration with Tibbits, Rapid Liquid Printing, which tackles speed, scale, and quality challenges in 3D printing technology by printing objects suspended in a gel-like medium.

Gwen van den Eijnde is a Dutch-French designer working in the disciplines of fashion, fine art, and theatre. Through his expressive, avant-garde clothing and costume designs, he creates captivating characters and tells enthralling stories that stretch the imagination. A professor at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), van den Eijnde’s multi-layered approach is informed by his deep knowledge of fashion history and theory; his work is a commentary on the peculiarities of life, often finding subversive humor and fantasy rooted in fact. Van den Eijnde has studied and worked with some of the most esteemed practitioners in his field, including artist Edith Dekyndt in the Atelier Textile of the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg, costume designer Olivier Bériot, choreographer Robyn Orlin, and the revered Hermès atelier, Petit h. Before joining the faculty at RISD, he was visiting professor at the Fashion department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and Head of Textile Design at the Haute École des Arts du Rhin in Mulhouse.

In this illustrated lecture, landscape scholar Judith B. Tankard surveys the inspiration, characteristics, and development of garden design during the Arts & Crafts Movement.

Tankard presents a selection of houses and gardens of the era from Britain and the United States, with an emphasis on the diversity of designers who helped forge a truly distinct approach to garden design. Her lecture is the first event in a series of exhibition programming for The Gardens of Rose Standish Nichols, 1890-1935 opening May 16, 2019 at the Nichols House Museum.

Learn about France’s contributions to aerospace.

It has been 50 years since the supersonic Concorde took flight, and France’s significance in the aerospace industry continues today. In fact, last year the French aerospace industry was ranked second in the world.

For the culmination of our French Innovation series, we invite you to learn more about this top-ranking industry. Specifically, we will focus on French on aeronautic advancements, from hot air balloons and a plane shaped like a bat to current efforts to reduce aircraft emissions.

Aaron Lewis of Ariane­space, the world’s leading commercial satellite launch provider, will tell us what it takes to reach for the stars. Vik Kachoria of Spike Aerospace will uncover the secrets of the next generation of supersonic commercial jets.

Event in English. A reception with refreshments will follow the discussion.

Guests are welcome to explore our eye-opening French Innovation exhibition in our gallery, featuring sketches, models, and more related to this series’ programs.

About the Panelists

Aaron Lewis is Vice President Corporate Communications & Government Relations at Arianespace, a leading satellite launch company. Aaron is also Associate Director of Future Space Leaders, a foundation aiming to advance learning and professional enrichment of young space professionals and future leaders pursuing careers in the fields of space and satellites.

Prior to joining Arianespace, Inc., Aaron was a press secretary and legislative assistant for U.S. Representative Dana Rohrabacher – who is Chairman of the Space and Aeronautics subcommittee. Aaron graduated from St. John’s College Annapolis, Maryland where he studied the History of Math and Science, and Philosophy.

Vik Kachoria, CEO of Spike Aerospace, Inc., is a seasoned aerospace executive with 30 years of industry experience. Vik’s career has included management of, and consulting for, high-growth ventures including supersonic jets, VLJs, air taxis, charter flights, sub-orbital rockets, and solar-powered satellites.

The French Cultural Center is proud to host the Boston regional competition of the French Founders Worldwide Startup Tour.

The French Founders Worldwide Startup Tour, a global competition for entrepreneurs wanting to expand globally. Join the French Cultural Center to hear pitches from five local startups looking to advance to the final competition in New York.

Selected Boston startups will pitch to a jury comprised of Consul General, Arnaud Mentré; Laurent Audoly, President & Founding CEO of Kymera Therapeutics; Yannick Ouvrard, Chief Financial Officer at Keolis Commuter Services; and Damien Balsan, General Partner at Conexo Ventures.

Event in English, followed by a cocktail reception with complimentary refreshments.

About The Startup Tour

The Startup Tour is a unique opportunity for startups to connect and pitch in 12 cities in front of a powerful audience of business leaders based in Europe, the Americas, and APAC. The three regional competitions are supported by the strong network of the French Founders community with its 3500+ members and leaders.

In the Americas, a French Prize will be awarded to a Francophone entrepreneur willing to expand in the Americas and an Americas Prize is awarded to an Anglophone entrepreneur willing to expand in France.

About French Founders

Founded in 2014, French Founders is a next generation business club that connects global Francophone leaders with one another through a digital platform enhanced by a team of more than 20 relationship managers. Their mission is to facilitate business exchanges within their exceptional community of CEOs, top executives, and entrepreneurs. French Founders is headquartered in New York, New York but exists in San Francisco, London, Paris, Shanghai, Montréal, and São Paulo.

Del Frisco’s newest wine experience features an exclusive five-course menu to complement an impressive selection of wines.

Featuring a selection of wines from some of the most noteworthy wineries, Cade, Odette and Plumpjack, the evening’s fare will feature dishes including Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops, Grilled Australian Lamb Loin and Duck Confit Meatballs – just to name a few.  To view the full menu, please click here.

Expect a collection of varietals from Sauvignon Blanc to Cabernet Sauvignon; expertly paired flavors, for an unforgettable celebration.

Availability is limited. Reserve your table now by clicking here or by calling Del Frisco’s Back Bay directly at (617) 259-1568.

Join Sommelier Jaimie Puckett and Chef Brian Arruda for a four-course wine dinner.

On August 22nd, join Head Sommelier Jaimie Puckett and Executive Chef Brian Arruda in welcoming Vokel Cellars owner & winemaker Dana von Sternberg for a seasonally-inspired tasting menu featuring limited-production Vokel wines from Sonoma.

Vokel Cellars was born from the concept that the best wines are made in the vineyard, not the winery. Dana focuses on small lots from sustainably farmed vineyards, using minimally invasive winemaking practices, allowing the vineyard sites to speak for themselves.

FEATURED MENU

Reception with Canapés
2015 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

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FOIE GRAS TARTE
apricot, grapefruit, chrysanthemum
2016 ‘Starscape Vineyard’ Russian River Valley Chardonnay

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CHORIZO AND CLAMS
tomato, roasted garlic, rouille
2015 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

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SWORDFISH EN PAPILLOTE
Olive medley, rosemary, sweet pepper
2016 ‘SHV’ Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

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SELECTION OF LOCAL CHEESES
Chef’s accoutrements
2016 ‘Eastside Ranch’ Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Join the French Cultural Center for a wine  tasting and dinner with La Voile.

Epicureans rejoice! To kick-off the French Cultural Center’s season of wine tastings, they will explore the lovely wines of Alsace with a wine tasting, followed by a separate three-course pairing dinner.

Come discover the lesser-known wines of Alsace, presented by Alexandre Sojfer, Resident Sommelier at La Voile and 1855 Bar à Vins. Alex will share his expertise working with vineyards from Alsace and why this region’s grounds are so prolific yet less available to the American market than other varietals.

Event in English. Advance RSVP strongly recommended. The general tasting is a standing event – this is not a sit-down seminar. Please email culture@frenchculturalcenter.org to request a seat/chair, if needed.

The following dinner is a sit-down three-course dinner in the French Cultural Center’s Library.

In celebration of Chinese New Year, the Five-Star Mandarin Oriental, Boston offers an Asian-inspired Afternoon Tea in the comfort of the hotel’s Lobby Lounge.

Exclusively available from January 4 to February 9, 2020, the experience begins with a Champagne toast, followed by an aromatic presentation of five natural, loose leaf tea blends and a tiered Asian wheel adorned with an assortment of sweet and savory bites. Menu items include Bai Yu, Cucumber and Tofu Sandwich, Dan Ta, Egg Tarts and more.

Part proceeds from each Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea booking will be donated to the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center.

Price includes gratuities and taxes.

To learn more about the Mandarin Oriental Boston, please click here.