Inside the Feud: Capote vs. the Swans Premiere After-Party—Hosted at the Plaza Hotel, Of Course

There was only one possible venue for the after-party of the series world premiere for Ryan Murphy’s Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, and there was also only one dress code that would do: The Plaza Hotel, and black and white, respectively.

After a screening at the theater at the Museum of Modern Art, the cast and crew of the FX show (debuting January 31) made their way a few blocks north to the hotel, the scene of Capote’s famous Black and White Ball—a party as famous as the guests that attended in masquerade in 1966.

Set in the ballroom at the Plaza, Naomi Watts (who clutched a brilliantly bedazzled minaudière swan in white for the premiere, and a version in black for the after) was giving her best Babe Paley. Chloë Sevigny dazzled in a white gown (she didn’t make a change for the after-party), while Demi Moore arrived in a tuxedo-esque look having worn a gown by Balmain with a 3-D swan motif to the premiere. Molly Ringwald, Diane Lane, and Calista Flockhart also wore glamourous fits for the fete.

Elsewhere in the room was Tom Hollander (who plays Capote) show creator Ryan Murphy, the director Gus Van Sant (in a very Capote-esque scarf), Ella Beatty, Paul Sevigny, Vito Schnabel, Debbie Harry, Harrison Ball, Laurence Leamer (author of Capote’s Women), and Zac Posen. The latter designed the costumes worn in the show at the Black and White ball, faithfully recreating several of the highly documented ensembles worn to the event and real life. For the after-party, a number of these pieces were on display in a mini-exhibition.

Guests arrived to a photo opp of an old-timey New York City yellow cab decked out in the show’s logo before stepping into the ballroom. Inside, there was white lounge seating and balloons overhead in an homage to Capote’s own playful decor choice. (Let’s hope there was more than chicken hash to serve the guests: IYKYK.) Midway through the party, there was even a small show—drag versions of all the swans tore through the room in a tizzy over the release of Capote’s book extract “La Côte Basque, 1965,” which ran in Esquire magazine and caused a scandal within Manhattan society, clutching magazine copies in their hands. Then, a swan-like aerial dancer descended into the room, flapping her feathers about. What better way to kick off the show?