Last Thursday, the New York City Ballet gathered patrons to the David H. Koch Theater for the premiere performance of "Plainspoken," a new ballet by the company's principal dancer Benjamin Millepied, and the launch of its fall season. To create an appropriate design for the 550-person gala—an event chaired by a committee that included Sarah Jessica Parker (newly elected to the ballet's board of directors), Maria-Cristina Anzola, Jane Carroll, Barbara Evans, and Carol A. Smith—director of special events Christine van Kipnis tapped Ron Wendt and his partner Philip MacGregor. The duo looked to deviate from the autumnal themes of years past, and selected a crisp black-and-white scheme for the grand Lincoln Center venue.
Oversize bell-shaped shades embellished with a black-and-white damask pattern and seven-foot-long columns of black fringe hung overhead in the grand promenade, filling the space above the dance floor and dinner tables. The simple color scheme also extended to the patterned tablecloths, complemented by white phalaenopsis orchids in glossy black globe vases, black-stemmed wine glasses, white napkins tied with black-and-white plaid cloth holders, and black plates.
