Un Ballo in Maschera: Inside Save Venice’s La Primavera Garden

Last Friday, New York was finally showing some signs of Spring. While temperatures are rising outside, they were also rising on the dancefloor of the Plaza Hotel’s Grand Ballroom for Save Venice’s annual Un Ballo in Maschera. This year’s theme, La Primavera, brought out florals aplenty, mostly thanks to fashion sponsor Oscar de la Renta and its Creative Directors, Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia. Kim presided over the evening in a tea length dress cascading in sparkling crystals while others wearing the brand included Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Ivy Getty, Dr. Lara Devgan, Dorothy Wang, Tina Leung, and Jacquelyn Jablonski, who wore a stand out floral gown with a long, elegant train. Not all were in the latest Oscar de la Renta confections, however. Micaela Erlanger dazzled in an embroidered floral number by Danarys, and Polomi Chande stunned in a sleek Tom Ford number.

The black-tie affair also saw guests immersed in the celebration of springtime elsewhere. Thanks to Save Venice Co-Chair and party mastermind, Bronson Van Wyck of Van Wyck & Van Wyck, the Plaza was majestically transformed into a Venetian garden. The evening’s ambiance evoked a warm spring night in the “Floating City” with trees, flowers, and foliage adorning the Terrace Room and Grand Ballroom, reminiscent of the flora and fauna depicted in Veronese’s paintings in the Church of San Sebastiano. All in the name of charity, Friday’s event raised an astounding $1.2 million for the preservation of historic art and architecture in Venice, Italy from the over 400 guests in attendance, which included such notables as Anna Van Patten, Julian Schnabel, Huma Abedin, Jordan Roth, Ryan Lobo, Emily Smith, Bach Mai, Jonathan Cohen, LaQuan Smith, Todd Snyder, Daria Strokous, Emily Ratajkowski, Eniko Mihalik, Maria Borges, Ezra Williams, Dalia Oberlander, Jenna Lyons, Beverly Nguyen, and Kate Young.

Jordan Roth

Emily Ratajkowski

Halfway through the seated dinner, the Ceremony for Outstanding Masks began, where Kim and Garcia awarded prizes to Jordan Roth, who won in the category of Most Creative, Andy Yu, for Most Venetian, and Lisa Sher-Chambers for Most En Theme. Once the Ceremony and dinner concluded, it was straight to the dancefloor for Chairmen Cassie Arison, Lauren Levison, Alexander Hankin, Casey Kohlberg, and Anita Saggurti, which was so densely packed with partying guests, one may wonder how any dancing could actually ensue. And yet, the see and be seen party continued on into the wee hours of the night, perhaps because it was officially the start of the weekend. Thank God it’s Friday, indeed, Cass Bird.

Jenna Lyons, Cass Bird

Nicky Rothschild, Tina Leung, Dorthy Wang

Elizabeth Kurpis

Images: BFA (Courtesy) 

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