GHOULS, GLAM + the GILDED AGE at the Frick Collection
November 03, 2025
“Axel Rüger, the director of the Frick, wears a suit and top hat reminiscent of candy corn, a confection he explains was a popular Gilded Age treat.”
Arielle Patrick and Axel Rüger
Casey Kohlberg
As a cochair of the Frick Collection’s Gilded Age costume ball “All Hallows’ Eve,” I draw inspiration from my favorite portrait of Prince Camillo Borghese by François-Pascal-Simon Gérard to reflect the elegance and grandeur of the Gilded Age. As a fan of history and costume balls (whose popularity surged during the era when Henry Clay Frick and his family made their mark), I feel a thrilling connection to the past.
Ivy GettyLaurence Milstein
There is a cavalcade of Instagram-worthy experiences: a concert by a string quartet from Juilliard in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Auditorium, tarot card readers offering glimpses into the future, roving magicians, a Pearl Street Caviar tasting and a vintage candy bar. It’s a parade of costumes from spooky to spectacular: Dorinda Medley as a vampiric baroness, Laurence Milstein sporting a Bloody Mary headpiece, Casey Kohlberg wears a couture jellyfish-inspired dress by Reagan Vaross and Natalie Jackson and Alexandra Kittle are inspired by Gainsborough paintings. Axel Rüger, the director of the Frick, wears a suit and top hat reminiscent of candy corn, a confection he explains was a popular Gilded Age treat. – ALEXANDER HANKIN
The MusesOlga SorokinaDaniel Goldstein and Alexander HankinErick BrocoyEmira D’spain
