Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg, Photography, Video, Cinemagraphs, New York City
Once again I had the privilege to cover the red carpet with the Met Museum‘s social media team capturing what is the coined “the party of the year” for the museum’s new fashion exhibition China Through the Looking Glass. From gowns that took two years to create, to ones that appear completely see-though, it was one breathtaking moment after the next and I’m happy to share with you images from the front lines, captured using my iPhone 6, of my favorite Met Gala 2015 moments….
Last night was the School of American Ballet‘s Winter Ball in the David H. Koch theater of Lincoln Center. It was a very special night for Kevin and I as for the past couple of months we have been working closely with the team at SAB making a series of ballet cinemagraphs as well as a short film on the lives of SAB students to be shown here on this evening to the distinguished guests that donated / raised over a million dollars last night to aid in the scholarships that allow less fortunate students full of talent to attend this world class school.
It’s not often we get to experience our work “out in the world” or be present when someone sees it for the first time. It was a thrill! Walking into the gallery under dancing cinemagraphs delighting the guests in perfect poise and flawless execution was so charming and I felt, as I sat there, very respectful the discipline and study of dance. It was a great honor to be in the professional position to donate our time and talent to support something we greatly believe in, the arts, and to which we relate as far as the student experience is concerned- coming to New York with a dream and a whole lot of passion.
So honored to wear this gorgeous Ralph Lauren silk gown, diamond earrings by the event’s main sponsor Van Cleef & Arpels and a clutch by the the Winter Ball’s event co-chair Amanda Brotman from her evening bag line Amanda Pearl
(remember the last time I wore a Ralph Lauren gown in Paris…)
A starry night, a winter ball, a celebration of The School of American Ballet‘s 80 years of dedication to the field of ballet...under the golden roof of Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater, former ballet dancers, patrons, alumni, board members, corporate and social communities gathered to raise money to provide student scholarships as well as to maintain the school’s state of the art facilities and faculty. The School of American Ballet was established in 1934 by legendary choreographer George Balanchine and philanthropist Lincoln Kirstein with a dream of creating the American classical ballet company, which is today the premier ballet academy in the United States, training the highest of elite dancers at the New York City Ballet and other leading U.S. and international ballet companies.
In a room full of gowns, we sipped on cocktails, dined on classic American fare with tables aglow with starbursts and watched a beautiful performance by the advanced students of the school, choreographed by Silas Farley. It was a dazzling night, but when is it not when it’s made of ballet dreams and Lincoln Center sparkle?…
It was only a year ago Kevin and I headed out in a tux and Valentino gown to LeBal in Paris. One of those nights, the ones you’re aware you’ll never forget. It was his birthday – we rode Veleb’s at 2am after the ball to drink champagne and split a French burger. It was one of the best nights of our life, riding home past an empty courtyard of the Louvre and in the shadow of night – silhouettes of iconic buildings guiding our way.
So here we are again. Another beautiful crisp fall evening in Paris, another view of a sparkling Eiffel Tower reflecting off our champagne glasses and catching the crystal droplets of this evening’s earrings. This time was different though…this time, we were celebrating the arts. Celebrating the luxury we have as Americans at the height of our success to use our fortune for good. Models, artists, celebrities, and royalty came out on this autumn night to support Ralph Lauren, congratulate him on the beautiful world which he has created for us all in a spectacular showcase of his fall collection on the runway, and say thank you for his latest commitment to restore the L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts, one of the most influential art schools in France, Amphitheatre d’honneur in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Pres. The renovation will help bring the institution’s teaching capabilities into the 21st century while also preserving the classical Beaux-Arts style for future generations. We raised our glasses and toasted: to the new future that comes from saving the past.
