The Apollo Circle held its annual gala at the Temple of Dendur wing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 9:00 pm to Midnight on November 5th. The evening’s theme was “Vice and Virtue” and contained dancing, cocktails, and treats with tickets costing a paltry $300.
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| Max Defforey and Audrey Adams in Oscar de la Renta |
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| Geoff Rizk, Caroline Hawkins, Meg Davis, Holger Staude, Pete Hansen and Stephanie Wentworth |
The black tie event contained more than 950 young art enthusiasts with DJ Chelsea Leyland spinning tunes ranging from Fleetwood Mac to Madonna. The evening was sold out weeks in advance and continues to be one of the highlights on the calendar of the twenty something social set.
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| Cameron Mehr, Indira Cesarine and Andrew Toner |
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| Jennifer Farrell, Krystn Hammond, Tiffany Frasier, Katie Ho and Jun Ge |
The Apollo Circle, founded in 1997, is a membership group created for young donors to the Museum and this is its most visible event of the year. The night provides an opportunity for the young adult crowd to come out wearing their best attire and jewelry and this evening did not disappoint with guests appearing in fashion forward choices including jumpsuits, sequined gowns, and sheer dresses.
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| Anna Pyali and Lana Smith |
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| Claire Eckstrom and Giulia Modenese in Alberta Ferretti |
There were some trends that were worth noting, including a large amount of guests appearing in various hues of red, and the ubiquitous black and white combination continuing to be a popular dress choice. Moreover, white continues to be a consistent winner long after the summer months have passed.
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| Holly Cornell, Claire Delap, Jenny Gallagher, and Ram Shankar |
The warm temperature outside made me long for the Hamptons but thankfully resulted in a bearable coat check line and an extremely friendly crowd- a welcome divergence from the unpleasant Guggenheim party I attended last night. New York is a city that never stops partying and this evening I spotted many of the same attendees I have encountered at galas in the past month.
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| Sophia Staley, Gwen Tilghman and Milena Rome |
Apropos to the theme of vice vs. virtue, I asked some of the guests what there greatest vices were and the overwhelming response was drinking and sex. Some other funny responses were binge watching of reality television shows and overconfidence in social situations.
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| Dancers Stephanie Schariatpanahi and Karl Yeh |
Professional ballroom dancer Stephanie Schariatpanahi wowed the crowd with her graceful moves and said overexercising to the point of exhaustion was something she needed to change.
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| Ashley Harriman in Ralph Lauren and Megan Keenan |
As the evening came to a close the guards ushered the crowds out to the surrounding beauty of Central Park and the grand Museum staircase – all elements of the environment that beautify the invigorating city of New York.
– Lieba Nesis
