Carolina Herrera and the Frick Have a Last Night of Disco

“I never thought I’d see a disco ball in the Frick!” exclaimed one guest Thursday night at the Frick Collection’s annual Young Fellows Ball, this year sponsored by Carolina Herrera. She wasn’t alone in her observation, but it wasn’t a facetious decorative flourish: the evening’s theme was Palladium Nights and the dress code called for “Last Days of Disco, Black Tie.” And so, framing the museum’s serene courtyard were a string of disco balls, that provided a humorous contrast to the van Dyck portraits on display in the inner galleries. Attendees in all manner of attire from silvery columns to full Scottish gear (“Perhaps that’s what he looked like in the ’70s?” queried a woman rhetorically) sipped martinis, gimlets and champagne as Carolina Herrera, who attended the 1985 opening of the Palladium nightclub with Studio 54 impresario Steve Rubell (in a white tuxedo, no less), surveyed the scene.

“The lighting here is incredible. Everybody looks good. That was the success of the disco nights. And look at the disco ball going around and everyone looks fabulous,” exclaimed the designer. “And after one or two drinks, I suppose they look even better!”