Across the Pond: A UK/US State Dinner

Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama
in the Oval office
 via yfrog, Number10gov, ca. March 14, 2012 [App'tly public domain]

YESTERDAY evening Barack and Michelle Obama hosted a dinner for the UK's Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha and 370 guests under an enormous tent on the South Lawn of the White House.

Among the cultural luminaries who were invited were Idris Elba of the HBO series The Wire and George Clooney; Carey Mulligan came along with the eponymous Mumford of the Mumford & Sons who were performing music (folk rock according to the White House); John Legend (the other performer) came with his girlfriend Christine Teigen. Miramax studios executive Harvey Weinstein was present with his London-native wife Georgina Chapman, who is also the codesigner with Keren Craig at Marchesa, which created the dark blue dress that the First Lady wore. Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern of the historical television drama Downton Abbey arrived with their partners, and US Vogue editor Anna Wintour attended with the investor Shelby Bryan.

"Expected Attendees at Tonight's State Dinner" [White House] (March 14, 2012)

Hugh Bonneville raised the satirical possibility of more interesting attire when he tweeted, "Dressing for dinner. I'm thinking Union Jack: red eye shadow, white moob tube, blue culottes #StyleIcon #AtTheWH." Yet in the end the sartorial choices of all attendees — as they figuratively waltzed across a checkerboard-floored room through the flashes of the press cameras on their way to their tables — were, if not thrillingly patriotic, suited.

Samantha Cameron does British fashion proud at White House dinner - in pictures [Guardian], Commentary by Imogen Fox (March 15, 2012)

These (along with the political guests including the customary throng of campaign contributors and financial titans like Warren Buffett and born Briton Andrew Sullivan of the Daily Beast, as well as veteran press figures like Gwen Ifill of PBS and Katty Kay of the BBC) then dined on a menu of fried halibut, salad, bison, boiled lemon pudding and American wines — off amethyst-and-gold, candlelit table settings with planters to 'evoke the American backyard' which was a theme and with roses as a nod to an emblem of both countries.