What do Madonna, Harvey Weinstein and Valentino have in common? They all spend the holidays at the same exclusive Alpine town, which over nine days in December swells from 7,500 to 30,000 people Every year, Maurice Amon, the billionaire head of the banknote security firm Sipca, holds a massive Christmas party in Gstaad, Switzerland: bowls of cigarettes, bottomless champagne, table after table covered in colourful salads, smoked salmon and meat skewers, all perfectly untouched. Last year, Madonna reportedly left the party with her tearful daughter, Lourdes, and a tart message as she departed: “This party isn’t happening.” It is not possible to understand Gstaad until you have spent a Christmas season there. The mountain air loses its typical crispness, robbed by the social angst that comes with keeping up with the uber-wealthy. It’s a game of hoping you will not get caught out in the tale of your not-fabulously-rich upbringing. Even the millionaires are adrift in a sea of billionaire guests: the Latsis family of Greek shipping heirs, the American property tycoon André Balzas … They’re all here to do one thing: celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or a non-religious equivalent. Continue reading...
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