Thylane Blondeau made quite the impression during Paris Fashion Week when she stepped out at the Palais de Tokyo, the venue for Australian brand Zimmermann’s fall-winter collection presentation. The French model, who was famously dubbed “the most beautiful girl in the world” by Vogue Enfants, had confirmed her engagement to boyfriend Ben Attal just one day earlier through posts on her social media accounts. The couple’s news spread quickly among her more than six million followers, catching many by surprise. Attal, a DJ whose Instagram profile remains private, reportedly proposed to Blondeau during a romantic getaway in Greece.
The ring that set social media abuzz is far from ordinary. Benjamin Khordipour, a jeweler and gemologist from New York-based Estate Diamond Jewelry, took a closer look at the piece and described it in detail for the Daily Mail. “Based on the photos, I would say it’s an E color, VVS1 clarity diamond. The design is very modern and minimalist, with a simple four-prong setting in 18-karat yellow gold,” he explained. Khordipour estimated the ring’s value at roughly $43,000, and noted that the piece’s appeal lies entirely in the purity of its central stone.
Khordipour also pointed out a broader trend the ring reflects. “Interestingly, this minimalist style is reminiscent of the late 19th century, when solitaire engagement rings were particularly popular and valued precisely because they highlighted the beauty of a single diamond,” he told the Daily Mail. Oval-cut solitaire rings have been a favorite choice among celebrities in recent years, and Blondeau’s choice fits squarely within that tradition. The simplicity of the design, he noted, ensures that all attention stays on the diamond itself.
The engagement comes after nearly six years together for Blondeau and Attal, a relationship the pair kept largely out of the spotlight. Although Attal rarely appeared on Blondeau’s social media pages, the two were frequently spotted vacationing together in Saint-Tropez. Before Attal, Blondeau had shorter relationships with YouTuber Raphaël Le Friant and French DJ Milan Meritte, with the latter relationship confirmed publicly on Instagram in January 2019.
Blondeau’s path to fame began at an unusually early age. She was only three years old when she was spotted in a crowd along the Champs-Élysées by an agent working for legendary designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. By the time she was four, she was already walking the runway for Gaultier, and at ten she became the youngest model ever to appear in the pages of Vogue Paris. Vogue Enfants went on to name her “the most beautiful girl in the world” on two separate occasions, a title that brought her both international recognition and significant controversy.
The editorial that earned her that title drew criticism from many who felt the imagery was inappropriate for a child her age, given the short dresses and makeup she wore in the shoot. Her mother, fashion designer Veronika Loubry, publicly defended the spread. “The only thing that shocks me in that photo is the necklace she’s wearing, which is worth $4.3 million,” Loubry told French media. Blondeau’s parents, Loubry and retired soccer player Patrick Blondeau, were married from 2002 to 2016, and Veronika later began a relationship with producer Gérard Kadoche.
Blondeau’s modeling career reached another milestone in February 2017 when she made her official runway debut in Milan, wearing Dolce & Gabbana at Milan Fashion Week. The debut was successful enough that the design duo brought her back just months later in September of the same year. She went on to appear in Dolce & Gabbana’s spring 2017 campaign alongside Zendaya, Lucky Blue Smith, and Presley Gerber. Over time, she also became an ambassador for L’Oréal and the face of French designer Lolita Lempicka’s perfume, while building a portfolio that includes collaborations with Miu Miu, Versace, Ralph Lauren, and Hugo Boss.
Despite all the attention her early fame brought, Blondeau has long been measured about the “most beautiful girl” label. In a 2018 interview with The Telegraph, she pushed back on the idea with disarming directness. “People still tell me: ‘You are the most beautiful girl in the world,’ and I answer them: ‘No, I’m not. I’m just an ordinary person, a teenager,’” she said at the time. It is a grounded perspective that has followed her as she has grown from a child model into one of France’s most recognizable fashion faces.
Paris Fashion Week is one of the four major international fashion weeks, held biannually in Paris alongside New York, London, and Milan. It showcases both ready-to-wear and haute couture collections and draws models, designers, celebrities, and press from around the world. The Palais de Tokyo, where Zimmermann held its show, is one of Paris’s premier contemporary art venues and a frequent backdrop for high-profile fashion events. Engagement rings featuring oval-cut diamonds have seen a surge in popularity over the past decade, partly driven by high-profile celebrity choices, as the shape tends to elongate the appearance of the finger while maximizing the stone’s visual presence.
Feel free to share your thoughts on Thylane Blondeau’s engagement and her incredible journey from child model to fashion icon in the comments.
