Over 600 Party People Flocked to the Frick for the Young Fellows Ball

“Who knew New York’s hottest club...is The Frick,” quipped designer Bach Mai. Outside the freshly renovated Upper East Side institution, hundreds of guests in tulle and tuxedos lined Fifth Avenue, eagerly awaiting entry to the first Young Fellows Ball since the museum’s reopening. Tickets had sold out in just five days, with supporters eager to see the Gilded Age mansion’s new look—and to party in its hallowed halls once again.

It was a milestone evening for Mai. A lifelong admirer of the museum, the Texas-born designer once created pieces inspired by its masterpieces as an undergraduate. Now, serving as both Honorary Chair and Fashion Chair, Mai had come full circle—many of his clients arrived in custom gowns inspired by their favorite Frick artworks. Among them was Baroness Allison Ecung von Arnim, whose icy-blue halterneck gown evoked the Rococo opulence of The Fragonard Room. (The Young Fellows book club had just finished reading about Madame du Barry, Louis XV’s mistress and the original recipient of the Fragonard panels.)

The evening’s dress code—“Porcelain Garden”—gave way to a sea of sky and cobalt blues, delicate florals, and bone-china-worthy embellishments. The theme paid homage to Ukrainian-born artist Vladimir Kanevsky’s eerily lifelike porcelain bouquets, currently on view at the museum through October. Lizzie Asher, a loyal supporter of the museum, could be seen directing guests toward the intricate displays—though her own ensemble turned just as many heads.

Clad in a Bach Mai-designed gown and carrying a fringed Jimmy Choo Bon Bon bag, Asher topped off the look with a flower-adorned headpiece shipped from Australia in record time. “The milliner said it would never make it on time—but I knew it would. Thank you, DHL!” she laughed, posing before Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres’s 1845 portrait of Louise de Broglie—now installed in what was once Henry Clay Frick’s bedroom.

Downstairs, guests gathered by the marble fountain, dripping in Bucherer Fine Jewellery diamonds (notably Misty Copeland and Lola Tung) and dressed in everything from Reformation and Carolina Herrera to Oscar de la Renta, while DJ duo Angel + Dren kept the music going. “It’s so meaningful to see such a diverse crowd,” Mai told Vogue. “It was really important for us to show the new face of The Frick—and what young supporters of the museum look like today.”

By 10 p.m., the party was in full swing. Cowboy hats mingled with feathered headdresses—worn notably by The Muses’ Jack James and Daniel Walters, who shimmied across the marble floors. Guests included Copeland, Tung, Paul Arnold, Laurence Ross Milstein, and Arielle Patrick, all serving as benefit chairs alongside Mai.

The designer wasn’t just hosting—he had also spent weeks prepping looks for roughly 15 attendees, including Copeland and Patrick. Amid the frenzy, he decided to bleach his hair “porcelain blonde” just hours before the event. Why not?

“What I love about Bach is that he designs for the woman standing in front of him,” said writer Casey Kohlberg, who wore a personalized version of Mai’s ombré paillette gown famously worn by Amal Clooney. “Not for anyone else—or any other idea.”

“It’s giving Bridgerton, no?” one guest mused, surveying the scene. And while the setting felt delightfully transportive, the evening had a very modern purpose: proceeds from the Young Fellows Ball benefit the Frick Art Research Library and the museum’s education initiatives, which serve public school students across all five boroughs.