Bright Young Things was the name of the book written by Brooke De Ocampo in 2000 and photographed by Vogue and Vanity Fair social lensman Jonathan Becker. It was a lavish coffee table book published by Assouline that spotlighted more than a dozen up-and-comers of society, the names you see every day in WWD (Jane and Aerin Lauder, Plum Sykes, Andrew Lauren), sprinkled with a few arty types like Damien Loeb and Moby.
Some unnamed person found the book so fascinatingly sycophantic that he created a little parlor guessing game titled “Bring Your Toothbrush,” in which players were asked to name the various sleepover guests—past, present, and future—of the luminary young and fabulous.
Bring Your Toothbrush didn’t catch on, sadly, but Bright Young Things (BYTs) continue to fascinate. Look no further than the recently re-upped reality show High Society, which features divorcée Tinsley Mortimer and her surprisingly vulgar drink-throwing friends and perennially sleeveless (age inappropriate? You be the judge) mother.
For the past decade or so, the annual Young Fellows Ball of the Frick Museum was the de facto gathering of BYTs. But I’d been hearing for the last couple of years the American Museum of Natural History’s Museum Dance was giving the Frick a run for its BYT currency, so I decided to go and take a look last Thursday.
The event had a “Spring Safari” theme this year and, like the Frick, the event had a fashion sponsor. This year Lilly Pulitzer did the honors (joining past sponsors Versace and Roberto Cavalli) and the company dressed about a dozen or so committee members, including Ivanka Kushner (née Trump), Fabiola Beracasa, Emilia Fanjul Pfeifler, and of course the ubiquitous Ms. Mortimer.
It was all about Theodore Roosevelt Jr. at first. Guests entered past his giant bronze statue and then had drinks in the rotunda entry hall that bears his name and houses a giant T-rex, which was lit in scarlet and amber hues by Bentley Meeker.
It was clear that everyone had gotten the memo: Lilly print dresses abounded. It was a tiny bit of a disconnect, since many Lilly dresses are short beach shifts, and some guests trotted out the to-the-floor evening versions. It felt like half the guests came for a luau, the other for a black-tie dinner dance. I noticed a number of ladies had what must be the newer evening version of Lilly, which features shell embroidery, but none had the old-fashioned lace trim I grew up with. I saw only one guy sporting Lilly trousers.
As cocktail entertainment, Lilly had set up a roped-off area where three colorfully dressed ladies painted large canvases. They were actual print designers for the company and were acting as brand ambassadors as well as pitching in to raise money. (Each canvas was sold later in the night for charity. A great idea, though I worry about getting the wet acrylic artwork home.) The ladies were appealing, all young and tan. They each wore a dress fashioned from one of their prints, but swore that they wear each other’s textiles “all the time.” I started to ask them, what are the preppy touchstones of the day? All three exclaimed, “We’re not rich preppies. Lilly herself really isn’t that way either. Lilly is about having fun.” Adorable.
In the first half hour the rotunda was swarmed, partially due to a giant footprint carved out for the celeb red carpet area. I saw Ivanka, a former client of mine (she was nice), but dared not approach the hyperactive media. I was surprised that the planners put all the paparazzi and their attendant noise right smack in the cocktail area, and moving around wasn’t easy. But the BYTs were buzzing, the bar was mobbed, and the scene screamed success. I recognized a lot of people, including Tinsley herself, a tiny little thing who smiles but keeps moving. She’s very pretty in person.
Dinner was served in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, which is, of course, the whale room, and Bentley lit the giant mammal in swirling blues to mimic the flamboyance of Lilly’s prints. Bentley told me that the ubiquitous LED lights were not employed, and that the LED colors are limiting for this type of effect—the first non-gushing lighting review of LED I’ve heard. I was kind of relieved; I’d been thinking I had to change the lighting in my bathroom to LED or risk feeling outdated.
The tables were covered in Lilly tablecloths, animal topiaries (some better than others), and a few very tall glass cones with cut flowers. The decor was a little all over the place for my taste, but it was busy and colorful and how could I complain when sitting in front of a 25-foot walrus?
I’m getting too old for the dancing and dessert after-party (though I spied a few social and PR types who I know to be older than me mixed in with these young philanthropists), so the DJ, Harley Viera-Newton, was not yet on hand to tell me the planned vibe when I swung by the Akeley Hall of African Mammals. There was, however, some guy from Red Bull—an event donor but not a sponsor—who said he works with Ms. Viera-Newton and predicted that MGMT, Sharpe, Depeche Mode, and the Rolling Stones would be in the mix. He told me Red Bull works with Harley “about once a week.” For some reason the Red Bull guy wouldn't give me his name. Oh well. The Lilly pillows in the dance room looked cute, if out of place.
I should disclose here that a company I consult with, Graphic Image, was a gift bag donor. I should also disclose that I didn’t stay for dinner so I have no idea what Restaurant Associates, who has the venue catering license, served. [Dinner was lemon sole Francese and rock lobster buerre blanc. —Ed.] And finally I’ll disclose that the Frick need not be worried. Yet.
