Inside the Save Venice Byzantine Ball at The Plaza Hotel
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Save Venice returned to the Plaza Hotel on Friday night for its annual black-tie “Un Ballo in Maschera.” As usual, the evening was an excuse to get dressed up and go all-out with accessories. This year’s theme was “Byzantine,” which manifested in gold-tones and ornate details.
“Am I the only one wearing a mask?” asked designer Bach Mai during the packed elevator ride up to cocktail hour. Far from it: several guests flashed the masks held at their side, assuring him he was in good company.
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There were masks of all varieties on display during the cocktails: half masks (a la the recently closed “Phantom of the Opera”); masks accented with feathers and pearls and beaded strands; mesh masks, and full-face masks that completely obscured the wearer’s identity.
“My panoramic vision isn’t so good right now,” remarked one masked man after bumping into another guest on the staircase en route to the third floor ballroom for dinner.
Guests included actresses Maggie Gyllenhaal and Cara Buono; socials like Lizzie Asher, Marjorie Gubelmann and Rena Sindi; designers Dennis Basso, Brian Atwood, LaQuan Smith, Phillip Lim, Prabal Gurung, Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia (who were tasked with selecting the best masks of the evening); Eliza Bolen, Cindy Bruna, Tina Leung, Dorothy Wang, Ezra J. William and Beverly Nguyen.
“I love Venice, and it was the place where my film ‘The Lost Daughter’ was really born,” said Gyllenhaal, who attended the event as a guest of Lafayette 148, wearing a suit designed by Emily Smith and a black mesh birdcage face mask.
“Because we were cutting [the film] during the pandemic and pre-vaccine, I never had a screening of the movie before I screened it in Venice during the festival,” added Gyllenhaal of her 2021 Oscar-nominated film. “The first time I sat in a theater and watched it with an audience was when we presented it at Venice, and it basically was the birth of my movie. I feel like that city gave me so much, and I feel definitely motivated to give back, however I can.”
As guests meandered to find their dinner seats, Basso took a panoramic video from the center of the room, capturing the sartorial scene and opulent room design by Bronson van Wyck, which included large-scale Byzantine arches.
The evening’s “Byzantine” theme was a nod to the organization’s current mosaic conservation project on the island of Murano. Save Venice has funded the restoration of nearly 2,000 works of art since it was established, and Friday’s fundraiser, sponsored by Bulgari and Oscar de la Renta, was the second highest-grossing gala to date.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to the city’s cultural legacy,” said president Charles Tolbert, who donned a full-face golden lion mask (with attached crown) for part of the evening. “To preserve the artistic heritage of Venice and share it with the entire world.”
After dinner, Kim and Garcia revealed the winners of the mask contest: Rebecca Vanyo and Di Mondo won individual prizes, and Karin McKinnell Leidel and Peter Leidel won the couple’s award. Prizes included Bulgari accessories and a stay at Venice hotel The Gritti Palace.
“It’s beautiful all of the conservation and restoration that [Save Venice has done],” said Di Mondo, offering an unprompted acceptance speech before the crowd flooded onto the dance floor. “Venice is one of the most beautiful and emotional cities in the world. I just want to say thank you.”
Launch Gallery: Inside the 2023 Save Venice Gala
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