Underdressed attendees in miniskirts kicked out of white-tie opera ball in NYC
Waltz wrong with these people?!
Underdressed guests — in miniskirts and short dresses — were turned away from the strictly white-tie Viennese Opera Ball at the famed Plaza hotel in Manhattan Friday, sources tell us, for not adhering to the dress code.
The invitation for the society and debutante ball, where top-tier tables go for $25,000, specifically said the dress code was “white tie” and “long ball gown.”
But, a source said, “Many people — but mostly women — were turned away from the door because their outfit for the night was not up to the the standard or dress code.”
A witness added that the underdressed guests — and how they got invited — were the talk of the night.
“Guests were told to come in white-tie attire,” explains an attendee. “But some women came in miniskirts and very short dresses. Perhaps they came looking for a rich husband.”
The insider continues, “One woman came in a short orange skirt with these dreadful black pantyhose. Her look was totally off for a party, let alone a gala.”
The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of “white tie” is an event where “formal evening clothes consisting of white bow tie and tailcoat for men and a formal gown for women” must be worn.
Horrified onlookers figured that many of the scantily clad visitors “were plus-ones.”
But women were not the only ones who arrived in inappropriate garbs.
“Some men did not come in the proper attire, as well,” the insider adds.
A rep explained that the pandemic could have contributed to the dress code confusion.
“During COVID, people have largely forgotten about dress code. A white-tie gala opera ball would be called an athleisure ball if it had no dress code. Some guests simply did not get it.”
The 67th Viennese Opera Ball gathered upper-crust international attendees, including notable names such as Archduke Géza and Archduchess Elizabeth von Habsburg and Alexander Van der Bellen, the president of Austria.
Always more-than-properly dressed philanthropist Jean Shafiroff was honored at the ball, where she also served as chair with Austrian singer Denise Rich.
Among 300 guests, some top socialites were in attendance to debut their daughters to the world in white gowns.
Guests included Maribelle Lieberman, Stephen Costello, Nathalie Pena-Comas, George Gagnidze, Joyce El-Khoury and Johanna Will.
Top opera singers performed, and a live auction raised money for the music therapy program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center with the support from Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research.
