Sitting at the table with Vanity Fair’s Top 50

Vanity Fair France has just unveiled its list of the 50 most influential French people in the world. Scientists, businessmen, sportsmen and artists: the magazine compiles every year the personalities who have made and are making France shine abroad. A subjective list, which can however pride itself on playing the eclecticism and parity card to the full and raising the colours of the tricolour flag high. At the head of this fifth edition: the great digital guru Xavier Niel receives honours for his considerable influence in Silicon Valley. The best coach in the world Zinedine Zidane takes second place, just ahead of Brigitte Macron, declared by Karl Lagerfeld “the most popular French cultural object abroad since Brigitte Bardot”.  At the bottom of the top 5, astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Deniz Gamze Erguven, the director of the almost Oscar-winning Mustang, are not surprised. And because no top 50 without dinner, Xavier Romatet, Michel Denisot and Anne Boulay invited members of the 2017 power list to the table at the Salomon de Rothschild Hotel last night, set up by Albane Cleret. The crème de la crème is brought together in a single place, at the initiative of the magazine, which, more than ever, focuses on highlighting the most creative personalities of their generation. Charlotte Gainsbourg, Arnaud Valois, Thierry Gillier, Xavier Veilhan… they were all there. Review.