The Met Gala, which will be held next week, serves as the unofficial birthday party for Vogue magazine. The outfits at Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World gala, held last night at Jazz at Lincoln Center, generally don’t involve as much forethought, but it is nevertheless an opulent affair. Many of the people on the list attended, and the sparkles were plentiful this year.

Jennifer Coolidge, who hosted the event, was decked out in a black, beaded Balmain dress. She mingled with Steven Spielberg, who was honored at the seated dinner. Tiffany Haddish wore a red and black sequined gown and Natasha Lyonne was in a black Area dress with a bedazzled oyster bodice. The night featured performances from Doja Cat and Lea Michelle.

Last Friday night at the Plaza, Manhattan’s old and new guard — Rockefellers and at least one TikTok star — also dressed in glittering gowns and filled the hotel’s soaring grand ballroom for Save Venice’s annual Un Ballo in Maschera. The storied masquerade party and annual gala dinner raises money to preserve the artworks of the flood-threatened Italian city.

This year’s theme, the Byzantine ball, was inspired by the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, known aesthetically for mosaics, arches and lots of gold. The crowd included Alex and Eliza Bolen, co-chairs of the event, as well as the designers Fernando Garcia, Laura Kim, Prabal Gurung, LaQuan Smith, the model Ivy Getty and the actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. The event raised $1.2 million and transformed the Plaza into an arms-in-the-air dance party with the D.J. Olivier Meiji, formerly a resident D.J. in St. Tropez.

Here are some of the best looks from both events.

Additional reporting by Jacob Bernstein.

Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World gala

Save Venice’s Un Ballo in Maschera

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