Halloween inspiration: The most luxurious and mysterious masquerades of the 20th century

No effort, time or money was spared in creating these balls. Overnight they became the main center of power for all bohemians and the intelligentsia of the 20th century. They prepared for them for months and thought through every detail: both the guests with their costumes and the organizers of the decorations and invitations.

Today, on the eve of Halloween, we will tell you about the four most important masquerades of the 20th century, which have gone down in history forever and become examples to follow.

Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball (1966)

On November 28, 1966, one of the most luxurious and, so to speak, most ambitious events of the 20th century took place at the Plaza Hotel in New York. We are, of course, talking about Truman Capote’s black and white ball, to which all the high society of that time were invited. The guest list consisted of more than 500 people, and its compilation was personally supervised by the host of the party. They say he organized it more than 20 times.

The main theme of the masquerade ball was the gavotte scene from the movie “My Fair Lady” (for those who don’t know, this is the name of a French dance). According to Truman Capote, women were supposed to come to the prom in white or black dresses, and men were supposed to come to the ball in formal suits. And everyone, without exception, wears a mask. After invitations with the dress code were sent out, this carnival accessory sold out almost immediately.

On the day of the celebration, all the intelligentsia gathered at the Plaza Hotel: Jacqueline Kennedy’s sister Lee Radziwill, Henry Fonda and his wife Shirley Mae Adams, editor-in-chief of French Vogue Andy Warhol Francoise de Langlade and her husband Oscar de la Renta and others.

The Oriental Ball of Baron Alexis de Rede (1969)

On December 5, 1969, Baron Alexis de Rede realized his long-time dream and organized one of the main parties of the late 60s at the Hotel Lambert estate in Paris. To do this, he turned the space of the building into a real oriental fairy tale. Guests walked on carpets, were greeted at the entrance by elephants and pages full of fans, and inside the mansion, the entire interior was redesigned with an emphasis on an oriental motif.

It took more than a year to prepare the masquerade ball, and invitations were sent six months before the celebration. Among the guests were Salvador Dali and Amanda Lear, Baron and Baroness de Rothschild, Countess Jacqueline de Ribas, Princess Margrethe of Denmark and even Brigitte Bardot. “About 400 guests attended the ball. The action started at 10 in the evening and lasted until 5 in the morning,” recalled Baron Alexis de Rede.

Proust’s Ball (1971)

In 1971 Marie-Hélène Rothschild took over the management of high-profile parties. On July 10, a masquerade ball was held at Ferrier Castle to mark the centenary of the birth of French writer Proust. This event became his victory in secular society. 350 famous guests were invited to the ball, including Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, and Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. The theme of the event is a journey to the Proust era and the dress code is the exquisite dresses of those times.

“When you arrive in Ferrières, you feel as if you are falling into the past, only a more glorious past, you find yourself in a society with incredibly refined tastes… Women were wearing dresses, corsets, incredibly large headdresses, crowns, diamonds. It was the real Proust period,” said model and actress Marisa Berenson.

Surreal Ball (1972)

Marie-Hélène Rothschild did not stop at Proust’s ball and a year and a half later she again gathered the entire high society in one place. On December 12, the already familiar Ferrier Castle hosted the Surrealist Ball dedicated to Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte.

It took more than a month to prepare the scene, but the result surpassed itself. The facade of the castle glowed with red light; At the entrance were large sleeping cats that allegedly guarded it. Inside the Chateau de Ferrières, a real labyrinth of black ribbons resembling a spider’s web awaited guests.

Dismembered dolls and split skulls lay on the tables, and the guests’ plates were made of fur (yes, we were right). By the way, later for this reason the ball was called Satanic.

The creation of invitations was also approached with special care. Since the writings on it were printed upside down, their contents could only be read with the help of a mirror. The dress code for the ball was also stated there: “Black tie, long dresses and larger-than-life heads.” By the way, Dali himself created the latter for some guests. Baron Alexis de Rede, for example, wore an original two-faced mask made by the artist.

Other guests did not lag behind either: Audrey Hepburn appeared at the celebration with a birdcage on her head, and the hostess of the ball herself greeted the guests, wearing a mask of a deer crying with diamond tears on her head.

The only person who ignored the dress code was Salvador Dali himself.