Holiday Hosting with Mathilde Favier
For this week of holiday hosting, we’re inviting Mathilde Favier to join us at the table.
If you’re a host or hostess this holiday season, you may have a dream guest list for your ideal event. For this week of holiday hosting, we’re inviting Mathilde Favier to join us at the table.
As the Public Relations Manager for Dior, Mathilde works with celebrities across the globe. When we last spoke with Mathilde three years ago, we spent most of our time exploring the streets of Paris together. When not traveling the world or sharing her bubbly sass on Instagram, Mathilde invests her time in lifestyle, beauty and well-being. As such, creating a healthy home environment and preparing delicious meals are high priority. In Parisienne fashion, we are spending this interview in the dining room as Mathilde teaches us how to host like a French.
If you could invite anyone in the world, what would be the invite list for your perfect dinner party?
- My two children, Héloïse & Carlo Agostinelli
- Jennifer Aniston
- Victor Hugo
- Brigitte Bardot
- Christian Dior
- My fiancé and I!
What are your top five dos and don’ts for hosting a successful dinner?
My don’ts:
- Verrines
- Square plates
- Table runners
- Large chargers
- Too many useless things on the table (i.e. Glitter, decorative knick-knacks, jewels, etc…)
- Plate service – I like to self-serve from the serving plate onto my own.
- For me, style is above all a question of quality.
My dos:
- Chilled champagne served in a chilled glass or chilled silver goblet. I don’t like flute champagne glasses.
- I like small portions. Small glasses of wine, for example––even if you have to keep filling the glass all night long!
- I always place two or three different kinds of bread in the bread dish. Bread is served warm and toasted.
- I like to send reminders. Texting is only for last-minute dinners.
- I do not serve petit-fours. Just a few almonds, some cold-cuts, and maybe a bit of Poutargue (tuna roe). I favor an apéritif approach.
- I try to serve seasonal foods and have seasonal flowers on the table.
A memorable evening that you hosted…
- My fiancé’s birthday party last year. That was fun… A great mix of good food cooked at home by a Moroccan chef, a bar with great cocktails and the right group of people.
- My children’s birthday dinner parties.
- Christmas Eve at home with my family.
Your secret weapon to turn around an evening that’s not going as planned…
Smile or drink. Get drunk to forget!
Your favorite places to shop for the home (stores or online)…
I adore the flea market! I like to bring back all sorts of crafts from my different trips. Dior Maison, Au Bain Marie… I love Astier de Villate and Bloom Paris for table sets, Simrane for tablecloths, and Murano glasses from Marie Brandolini in Venice.
Your favorite part about hosting…
Welcoming people I love. And also introducing people I love to other people I love!
Current and future projects…
A 25-person dinner party as soon as it will be possible to do so. I’m very much looking forward to celebrating together and hugging the people I love again.
Image Credit: Sergio Corvacho
Teresa Deely is a graduate from Columbia University with majors in English and Creative Writing. She is a freelance writer and marketing assistant working for clients in the wellness, jewelry, creative, and sports industries. She believes that one’s skin is yet another canvas and vehicle for art, and has loved styling her hair and applying makeup from a young age. Spending much of her time in educating youth and leading enrichment programs for children, she is highly motivated in discovering new ways to care for herself and sharing them with others.
For me, style is above all a question of quality.
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