A CHARITY MASQUERADE BALL HELD TO SAVE VENICE                      

Last month, celebrities, socialites, and luminaries like Sienna Miller were seen attending the annual ‘save Venice masquerade ball, hosted at the stunning Pierre Hotel in New York’s upper east side.

Aside from being the masquerade party of the season, and one of the highlights of the New York social calendar, this ball is particularly close to our hearts for two reasons:  Firstly, because all of the proceeds are donated to a group that’s dedicated to preserving the culture, history and art of Venice. And secondly because it’s always an incredibly decadent affair, with all manner of costumes, a star-studded guest list, and a prize for the hottest masquerade outfit.

By all accounts, it was everything a masquerade ball should be. There was a multi-course banquet, entertainment and hours of dancing in a space that’d been transformed into an pseudo-oriental paradise with the help of elegant paper lanterns, ornate screens and dazzling displays of contemporary eastern art.

The couple that host the event,  are doing everything that they can to keep the traditions of the masquerade alive, and they’re really committed to ensuring that there’s a showstopping event every year which is something that we think is really positive. Some people (including Vogue) think that future iterations of the save venice masquerade ball may even eclipse the Met Gala, and become one of the fashion-capitals most important event.

If you’re looking for a good source of inspiration, you’ll definitely be interested in some of the costumes worn to this spellbinding affair. The outfits worn by Jessica Hart and Zani Gugelmann and are both shoe-ins for charity balls and masquerade functions of the black tie variety, and  Saudi princess Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz’s oriental take on more traditional masquerade garb too – perfect for fancy dress affairs! Browsing through W Magazine’s photos of the event, you’re sure to spot some absolutely stunning inspo pieces and some absolutely gorgeous masks.

But the best bit? In just one evening, the event raised over $1 million in donations. This money will be used to preserve the artistic heritage of Venice; restoring damaged paintings, rennovating the cities’ historic buildings and funcing work designed to educate the world about the unique history of the area.

Since parts of the city are slowly deteriorating, this kind of work is absolutely essential, particularly if we want future generations to enjoy the splendour of Italy’s most beautiful and unique locale.

If you’d like to read more about the charity’s work, you can visit their website here. And if you’d like to attend a similar event here in the UK, our list of 2018’s hottest masquerade balls may well be of interest.