New York City Ballet Fall Fashion Gala Boasts Stevie Nicks and Three World Premieres
Sara Jessica Parker was also in attendance at the autumn edition of the highlight NYC social event
The City Ballet Gala, a twice-annual highlight of New York’s social calendar, staged its fall edition last week at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. New York City Ballet held the preliminary cocktail reception and the red carpet arrivals under skies balmy for the first night of October, rendering wraps unnecessary for anyone who wore a sleeveless dress. Champagne was supplied by Maison Ruinart.
Honorary Chair Stevie Nicks, wearing a flower crown, was among the last to arrive on the red carpet. Nicks later welcomed applause from the first ring when the spotlight made its way to her after the second performance. Founding Chair Sarah Jessica Parker arrived in a sheer ballerina-pink embroidered and beribboned dress by Galerie Creative Mind Simone Rocha, who also designed the costumes for the Justin Peck’s Mirror/Sky, the second performance of the evening.
Fashion is a central focus of the fall gala, which saw three world premieres costumed by participating designers. The first, Alysa Pires’s Auspicy, featured wardrobe designs from Viktor&Rolf that derived from gold and burlap designs in their recent collection. Dancers first appeared from under a giant gold dress (worn by a performer positioned high up in the air) that was itself evocative of the moment in The Nutcracker when Mother Ginger’s children appear from under her one of the most beloved moments in classical ballet.
Mirror/Sky was set to music by Gabriel Kahane, performed by City Ballet’s Orchestra which segued into a performance of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” by guest vocalist Haley Heynderickx. This was followed by Jennifer Archibald’s Shared Rain, which is her first piece for City Ballet. There were audible “oohs” in the audience on the first view of the dancers in Robert Wun’s costumes, which were topped with headpieces resembling sparkling navy blue eight-pointed starfish.
In addition to Parker and Nicks, the evening’s leadership included Visionary Chair Emily Blavatnik and Gala Co-Chairs Laila Blavatnik, Carmen Busquets, Bridget Everett, Julia Fox, Emma Gray, Desi Lydic, Margaret Morse, Nicole Ari Parker, Zanna and Mazdack Rassi, and Scott Wittman. Among the guests were Matthew Broderick, Fran Drescher, Amy Sedaris, Elizabeth Perkins, Ubah Hassan, Jessel Taank, Christian Cowan, Wendy Whelan, Kyle Abraham, Jonathan Stafford, Charlotte Moss, Jill Kargman, Murray Hill, Ugo Mozie, Jean Shafiroff, Diana Taylor, Donya Bommer, Katherine Brown, Coco Kopelman, Liz Peek, and dancers from New York City Ballet.
Since Sarah Jessica Parker conceived New York City Ballet’s Fall Fashion Gala in 2012, the annual benefit has become a meeting place for two visual and kinetic disciplines. The 2026 event brought in $3.45 million, pushing the total raised since the Gala’s founding to more than $40 million.
