Out & About

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

At the Central Park Conservancy’s Halloween Ball on Wednesday night, members of New York’s glitterati morphed into wolves, angels, bees, and fairies.


For some, these identities marked a departure from their personalities. Others were more themselves than ever.


When the ball started 10 years ago, few dressed up, and those who did just threw on a Venetian mask.


At this year’s ball, more guests were in costume than not, with most returning to the sweet creatures of youth: Little Red Riding Hood, Alice in Wonderland, the Princess and the Frog Prince.


The judges, among them Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin, Frederic Fekkai, and Nicole Miller, were even treated to re-enactments of the fairy tales during the costume parade.


The most clever costumes riffed on events in the news: Kate Moss and friends with white powder under their noses, and the president’s stacked Supreme Court, in which all of the justices wore Bush masks.


Some achieved brilliance in the name of their costumes, such as Susan Shin and cohorts who called themselves the Pirates of Park Avenue and had the designer clothes and jewels to show for it.


The most serious thing about the event was the money raised: more than $875,000.


***


Many women covet Chanel clothing, perfumes, and jewelry. Now they can covet Chanel meals, too. On Tuesday, the third floor of the flagship store on East 57th Street was transformed into a dream dining room. Preston Bailey created the flower arrangements – jumbo Eiffel Towers made of roses – and the menu was impeccable: grilled halibut with citrus chive beurre blanc, served with sauteed spinach, and for dessert, three sorbets on a plate painted with a flower made of colored chocolates. Between courses was a runway presentation of Chanel’s 2006 cruise collection, and afterward, a tour of a special exhibition of Chanel’s Elements Celestes jewelry collection, featuring an installation by the French artist Xavier Veilhan.


So what’s the tab for a Chanel lunch? It’s probably one of the least expensive items you can buy. The ticket was $500, with proceeds going to the New York Botanical Garden.This was Chanel’s first “Camellia Luncheon” to benefit the garden.The chairwomen of the event were Sloan Barnett, Nathalie Kaplan, Julia Koch, and Melania Trump. Most guests wore Chanel suits.The luckiest guest was Anne Grauso, whose name was drawn by the president of Chanel USA, Maureen Chiquet, to win a white Camellia ring.


The New York Sun

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