The Frick Collection’s Young Fellows Ball Was a “Bejeweled” Affair

Indre Rockefeller, Paul Arnhold, Ivy Getty, Wes GordonGeorge Koelle

While the Frick Collection continues to call Madison Avenue’s Breuer building home, the famed brutalist structure played host to the museum’s annual Young Fellows Ball last Thursday. Embracing a “Bejeweled” theme—inspired not by Taylor Swift but by the Frick’s current special exhibition, “The Gregory Gift,” which showcases 28 fine and decorative artworks recently bequeathed to the museum by collector and publisher Alexis Gregory—guests arrived just so.

Prada’s crystal-encrusted loafers could be spotted on several attendees, and even the most minimalist black-tie partygoers winked at the theme with a slight shimmer. On the arm of Wes Gordon and Paul Arnhold, Ivy Getty wore a slinky white Carolina Herrera gown with a pair of chandelier earrings, while Charlotte Groeneveld understood the assignment with glittery Manolo Blahnik Hangisi pumps and a demure Khaite dress.

Down in the basement of the museum, the former Flora Bar served as the party’s HQ. However, if guests felt like the proceedings—for which jeweler Irene Neuwirth was honorary chairwoman (the event committee’s commitment to the theme is laudable)—were lacking in a bit of rococo romance, they could pop up to the museum’s fourth floor for a “Step into a Fragonard” photo experience—and many did.

Event chairpeople such as Gordon, Arnhold, Getty, Drew Garrison, and Indré Rockefeller brought out a creative guest list, including up-and-coming designer Bach Mai and The Gilded Age star Louisa Jacobson.

Proceeds from the Young Fellows Ball provide essential support for the Frick’s many activities, including the programs of the Frick Art Reference Library and the Education Department, which serves students from New York City public schools in all five boroughs as well as digital audiences around the country and the world.