By Krishna Purohit

French Tuesdays with its custom vintage of élégance and New York attitude has Francophiles swooning on their well-heeled feet. The brainchild of Pierre Battu and Gilles Amsallem, is a runaway hit across the nation and caters to over 4,500 in Manhattan alone. Marketing & Communication Manager Veronique Berkeley and Technical Director/Coordinator Fabrice Calmettes give EGO a peek into the intimate workings of a cultural prodigy.

With golden Laurent-Perrier sparkling away in their glasses, the chic crowd that packs the old bank vaults of club Element has a certain je ne sais quoi tonight. Beautiful women in curve hugging dresses and dashing men in tailored suits are all here to attend the hottest Francophile event in the nation- French Tuesdays. What began in 2003 with a modest crowd of 40 attendees is now one of the most sought after events in New York City and host to hottest venues on the market. The parties, which are held on alternating Tuesdays, have already expanded to Miami and Los Angeles, with four globetrotting ambassadors to boot. If the snazzy beverage selection and beautiful people watching doesn’t entice, then the freshly imported Euro house is sure to set ears on fire. Resident DJ’s spin everything from nostalgic classics to pulsating club mixes, which should satisfy even the most finicky of dancers. FT serves up a decadent slice of France à la New York in a surprisingly fraternal setting that may be the best thing to happen to Tuesdays since the Mardi Gras.

Forgive me for asking the obvious, but why pick Tuesdays?
VB: It was a very quiet and easy day to find venues than Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It was mainly more convenience.
FC: The concept was to privatize all the events. Everything was based on the guest list and membership. On Fridays they would be a natural crowd, so they wouldn’t privatize all the space for you.

What makes French Tuesdays distinctive from the other French parties out there?
VB: It’s the mix of population and the quality of the crowd. We tend to keep the right balance in terms of age, gender and social background as in jobs. We don’t want it to be a French thing only. We want French, American, and people from all over the world. The uniqueness comes also from the dress code. We want people to be elegant, which is unique for the United States-even in New York. We found that people like to be in an environment with well-dressed people. They like to have the occasion to dress up. It makes the atmosphere a bit nicer. Another thing is that we change venues every time. We want people to discover new venues through us.
FC: I think it’s also the fact that we do it every other Tuesday, so that people don’t get bored. It’s only twice a month, so it’s something that people are waiting for. Also, the fact that we are always trying to find exclusive places. It’s mostly trendy clubs that sometimes people can not really access themselves, because it’s high-end or requires a membership.

How do you get in?
VB: You have to be a member or be invited by a member to attend. We personalize and don’t invite people who are not mainly on the guest list. We create a real community, a spirit. We really want them to interact together. We try to build a very nice relationship with them and they know that they aren’t just one in many. It’s sort of fraternal. Also, I think we are very generous with members. You can attend a party for free and most of the time you can find complementary free food buffet. We have special champagne from our sponsor as well.

What is it that gives your events their distinct French flavor?
FC: The champagne! The music. We have a resident DJ. People enjoy it because they identify with the music. It’s sometimes a part of their past and in an atmosphere that they can’t find anywhere else in the city. But we don’t really want to add the stamp - we are 100 percent French. We are open to the rest of the world. New York is a very eclectic city and we don’t want to be categorized.

You have successfully established FT in both Miami and Los Angeles, but what makes the New York nights so unique?
VB: The size. It’s becoming huge now.
FC: The fact that New York City is where French Tuesdays was born. We decided to develop the cities later on. You can’t make a party from 40 people to 2000 people in a week.

How would describe the French Community and atmosphere in New York?
VB: I think you have two main categories, maybe more. You have a lot of young ex-patriots that come here to start their careers. They are just here for a couple of years and then go back. You have another category of people who just left everything in France to start again here.
FC: Like us.
VB: You have more established, family-oriented ex-patriots, who are still not very old and many are single. As for the spirit of those people, they miss France to some extent, but at the same time the French thing does not appeal too much. They want to be French, but in a New York way. It’s very complex and peculiar.
FC: I would say professional, because most of us are here for professional reasons. They didn't find what they were looking for in France. They are like workers, who mostly want to party and be with people with whom they can identify.

So tell me then, what is it that makes the French so darn attractive?
FC: We are very open people and I think that’s what makes us more attractive than the rest of the world. Also, there’s always the natural attraction that has existed for centuries. It is a very established reference in terms of luxury products, fine food, beautiful cities and the French mentality.

Do cultures and trends outside of the French way of life ever influence the parties?
FC: I think we have our signature. It’s a bit of French, a bit of European in general. I can’t say we got the influence of anything else, expect our personal point of view of how we want the parties.

Then, do you ever see French Tuesdays doing a cross-culture collaboration, say Bollywood style?
FC: I don't think so, because it would be totally out of our concept. It would be too international and we would lose our French touch. We want to be open to the rest of the world and expand, but we also want to keep our strong French identity. However, we are in the process of expanding the parties internationally. We with probably go to Asia to city like Hong Kong or Singapore.

Give me some advice. As event experts, how do you throw the perfect party? Where do the chemistry and the crowd come from?
FC: The first thing is the quality of the crowd, because if people aren’t willing to dance, you can’t have a party. They [our members] are from a homogeneous crowd, so they think that they belong to each other. It’s what makes the party a success, because there is no tension. They will go speak to each other even if they don’t know each other, because they from the same professional and social fields. The recipe is good people, a good place with good music and a good spirit.

Website: French Tuesdays

Images Courtesy French Tuesdays