haut monde
/əʊ ˈmɒ̃d
/noun (the haut monde)
Fashionable society: the haut monde’s artificial hypocrisy...
- Settling in Paris, she sold her merchandise to the haut monde, and cultivated people who could do her some good.
- Today it is not only the haut monde getting nipped and tucked, but also the average American.
- Tech stocks may tumble and recession may loom, but the appetite for le Birkin in the haut monde seems insatiable.
Origin
French, literally 'high world'.