A Closer Look: Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball | Cultured Elegance
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- A Closer Look: Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball | Cultured Elegance
Truman Capote at the height of his fame hosted a ball like no other. His Black and White Ball was a legendary event held in 1966 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. It was a masquerade ball attended by the elite of society, including celebrities, socialites, and artists. The guest list was carefully curated, and attendees were required to wear black and white attire. The event became famous for its exclusivity and glamorous ambiance, making it a significant moment in New York City's social history. 540 famous people of high society attended including Babe Paley, one of the most famous Swans of Truman Capote's inner circle, Slim Keith, C. Z. Guest, Gloria Guinness, Marella Agnelli, Pamela Churchill, and Lee Radzwill (Jackie Kenner Onassis’ Sister) are all depicted in a new television series known as Ryan Murphy’s “Feud”.
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Babe Paley is my favorite. Great video. Thank you.
@@Lolabelle59mine, too.
😊😊😊😊😊
Babe and Gloria Vanderbilt!
Yes I know all that. Unfortunately he Hurt himself with that book. He had a little narcissists in him.
Two years before Truman’s ball, on my tenth wedding anniversary, Lenny and I gave a ball where the ladies were asked to dress in black and white. We had a policy that no one could bring houseguests because there was limited space. At the last minute Truman called and said, “Yes, yes, I’m going to be there, but I’m bringing three guests.” Well, we didn’t have the nerve to say no to him. They turned out to be people involved in the In Cold Blood case.
It was a very glamorous affair, filled with film stars; Truman loved it. I have these incredible photographs of him dancing with Tuesday Weld, talking to Jennifer Jones. He was one of the last ones to leave. Then two years later he gave his great black-and-white ball and guess what: He didn’t invite us! - Dominick Dunne
I so miss Mr. Dunne. He was a wonderful writer and a brave man to use the tragedy of his daughter's murder to help other families who have had to live through the same horror.
Wow. And Dunne, back then, was HUGE as a writer. It just goes to show how cutting and bitchy Capote was. He SO wanted to be one of the "it" crowd, and would step on whoever he wanted to get there.
I was going to mention what Dominick Dunne had written, but you were a step ahead of me. "The Way We Lived Then" is a terrific book, one of the books that stays on my shelves while others come and go.
@@jekku4688 At the time of the Black & White Ball Dominick Dunne was still working in mostly if not entirely in television. After his life fell apart because of drugs; divorce; his wife becoming disabled and eventually dying,and the horrible murder of Dominique, Dominick Dunne retreated to a cabin/motel setting in the moutains and started writing. One of the people who reached out to him was Truman Capote who wrote a letter of encouragement (after he himself was dumped by the swans) in which he said, ""But , remember this, that is not where you belong, and when you get out of it what you went there to get, you have to return to your own life". This is from Dominick Dunne's memoir "The Way We Lived Then". If you haven't already read it, I highly recommend this book. It's one of the books that has a permanent place on my shelves.
@@andrewbrendan1579 I love it too.
I remember enjoying the coverage of the ball in Vogue. It was written in a thrilling style and I’ve never forgotten it.
The photo of James Dean was not at the Black and White Ball.
The photo is with Ursula Andress at Ciro's nightclub in 1955.
I noticed that tool. Some of the photos seemed to be from an earlier time. Fun to see them though!
@andrewbrendan1579 yes - I agree fun to see the photos.
I think the club was Cirro's but I could be wrong.
Do you mean Ciro’s nightclub? You wrote Circo’s, which I am unfamiliar with from that time period.
@@nanny287 yes my bad
Capote wearing a$ ,39 mask I think is brilliant because it’s out of breakfast at Tiffany’s where the main characters shop from a five and dime store, and they take Halloween masks❤
This was a great display of glamour as people dressed meticulously for special events. I wish we had more such occasions in this day and age.
I’m actually most fascinated by the beautiful gowns. It would be fun to have photos and info on them, but I doubt anyone stood still long enough! Thanks for sharing!
p.s. I do appreciate your lovely fashion videos!
imagine trying to get the L&M cigarette stench out of those gowns, yikes!!
Sycophants
some of them, like candice bergen's (i believe) wound up in the collection at the museum of the city of new york. i've always wanted to see images of slim at the ball, but have yet to come across one
Same here.Those ladies had impeccable taste and most of the time they were their own stylists.I wish I could have more info in the dresses aswell.All evening dresses are impeccable thanks also to who wear them But the baggy box dress with reverse stitching on the bust is a modern hit that many designers had applied nowadays.
Katharine Graham wrote in some detail about the party in her autobiography from the late 1990s. That’s the first time I had heard of the ball, as I was 3 years old at the time. She was at Kenneth’s Salon and they were busy with many clients attending a ball. She told them she was the guest of honor, and they said in that case Kenneth himself would do her hair. Her hair did look the best I’ve ever seen it look. Kenneth was Jacqueline Kennedy’s hairstylist, incidentally.
Whomever did Meryl Streep’s hair for her portrayal of Graham in “The Post” nailed the do.
If I were at the Black & White Ball (fat chance I'd be invited!) I'd like to talk with Slim Keith and Mia Farrow. --- I have mixed feelings about the whole event. It was remarkable and has a place in social history, but it's so connected to the suffering and the horrific deaths of the Clutter family whose murders are the reason for "In Cold Blood" and so soon after the execution of the murderers that I find the timing inappropriate. Maybe if this had taken place a book or two later.... --- One of the most enjoyable books I've ever read is Nancy Keith's autobiography "Slim --Memoirs of a Rich and Imperfect Life". A lot of the book deals with Truman Capote and his friendship with Lady Keith who was one of the "swans". There's a little about Babe Paley in the book also.
Do you think Sinatra was in a pissy mood because Lauren Bacall was there? Actually, there were almost 600 hundred attendees.
I’ve always wanted a film to be made of that evening. It was a night I wished I could have been part of. Since I was only 6 years old, I don’t think I would have made the cut. I did meet one of the guests many years ago, Andy Warhol was charming and friendly.
Yes. That's a great idea. The one episode treatment in B&W was more of a novelty than an interesting re-creation. You're lucky to have met Warhol. I bet he was an interesting person to talk with.
These photos are fabulous!
They sure are!
Truman's ball was also a funeral for an entire era. 🤔
And his funeral was a ball for everyone else.
one sadly missed
Exactly.
@@johnryskamp2943Absolutely
A funeral pyre, as it were.
NYC was the center of the Universe back then. Truman was “catty”. His downfall was inevitable.
Walter Cronkite is the person I would have wanted to talk to. Carol from California
Me too. Carol here on UA-cam there’s old interviews from Mike Wallace from the 60’s and 60’s with every famous person you can think of. Very revealing interviews. Frank Lloyd Wright was quite good and surprising. So many.
I love the clothes, not one over weight person there.
Fabulously done video. Thank you so much!
Thank you for showing the actual invitation.
I would have LOVED to have spoken with Princess Luciana Pignatelli (later known as Luciana Avedon), the blonde woman with the huge diamond dangling from her headdress. That picture of her smiling at the dark-haired woman became THE iconic image associated with the ball, yet hardly anyone ever mentions her. I hope she’s featured in the FX series. 🙏
Luciana Pignatelli was such a beautiful lady - I was always interested to read about her in the society pages. Exquisite. Sadly I think she has now passed.
Brilliant and incredibly interesting ❤
I love this!!! Thank you
Love the video, thank you!
I like Babe Paley and Lee Radziwill best. None of these women seemed to eat. They only drank and smoked cigarettes.
Babe Paley died early (and painfully) of lung cancer.
You can’t put on even half a kilo or you’ll not fit into those corseted dresses! Puff away!
Yes! Lol. One can never be too thin or rich.
Anjolia Jolie
Cigarettes had more chemicals.I guess it is not the "not eating".It is simply due to the fact we had less processed food around.Time were slower.What I mean is cooking was an art.I eat junk food aswell but I know I would not eat the entire box of chocolate or sweets.I do not believe into radical diets.I believe people should just know how much to eat.
I must say the late and great Seymour Hoffman aced his portrayal of Capote in the Oscar winning biopic .
If you follow trivia about how he died, it may not have been due to drug or alcohol overdose! There is speculation that when he portrayed the main character in "The Master" it was too similar to L Ron Hubbard who was the founder of Scientology. Those folks don't like being shown in a negative light and may have taken steps to show "their disapproval" to having made that movie! I know this new leader David comes down with an Iron Fist on members for any small reason that provokes him! Power hungry narcissist alert!
Wonderful video ❤❤
Ladies were so elegant, feminine and chic at this time 💝 It's the generation of my parents.
Great video, I’m just learning about TC. Heard his name, just never knew what he was famous for. Loving the series on him and the swans, great acting 😊
This will be featured on Feud: Capote Vs The Swans episode 3
I just read an entire one hour episode is dedicated to it! Can’t wait!
I was born on that date.....11/28/1966
Thank you for the beautiful retelling. It was very well presented. A joy to listen to. But: LOL!! That ball did definitely not look like fun. Laughter, magic, and exuberance glaringly absent! Looked almost boring.
In the FX Feud episode there was much bitching about the chicken hash!
Fascinating! Thanks!
Dominick dune threw the FIRST black and white party
Truman attended that soiree.
Thank you so much - this is wonderful!
Currently the ball is the annual Met Gala, without masks.
It looks trashy compared to Truman’s ball
No
😂😂😂😂
I watch the Met Gala every year. I love the high fashion!
Hey AI, you show a pic of James Dean at this party in 1966, but he died in 1955.
This channel is all run by me, Faith. There is no AI involved. And I never did said they were at the party. It’s only a reference to a glamorous occasion
You are a jerk.@@CulturedElegance
In that part of the video, there is also a yacht with brightly clad people and then another foto of 3 women next to a piano. None of those were alleged to have been at the party. Those pictures match the narration where she discusses Capote’s desire to celebrate his own success. James Dean is part of the fantasy I think.
The voice of the narrator makes me think it is AI. I think placing other people who dont have anything to do with this era and Capote makes this a less accurate portrayal of history. Although, it is wonderful that you are making this effort and I applaud you for your efforts. You might consider more accurate images for credibility. @@msalazar413
@@CulturedElegance I thought it might have been Chistopher jones.
Gordon Parks comment: Hilarious!
Wow! This is so weirdly timely for me. I’m currently reading “Vanderbilt: The rise a fall of an American dynasty” cowritten by Anderson Cooper, and I just finished the whole fascinating section about Truman Capote.
I'd love to see the Windsors, what they wore etc.
I love the jewelry collection of the Duchess of Windsor!
@@ann5765 You CAN'T HAVE IT so take it off your bucket list!
love this
the entire kansas contingent was there, and helped look for a precious gem at the very end of the night.
It appears that Katherine Graham had Capote's number when she surmised that the party in her honor was only an excuse so Capote could throw a party for himself. I'm sure more people were on to Truman than he realized.
I call this a "semi-guilty" pleasure. I have serious interests and concerns, like everyone, but I admit this is riveting. This was a party that had so much, it was large,very famous, glamorous, a wide mixture of guests, visually distinctive and beautiful, extensively photographed and documented, and ultimately iconic. What other party measures up to the "black and white?" It was probably one of the most brilliant things Truman ever did. After that, Truman probably never "hosted" any gatherings of more than a handful of people for the rest of his life. He really didn't need to, since he had plenty of invitations and interesting friends, although people say he felt like an orphan and an outsider.. He was brilliant but tempermental. It must have been hard to be his friend when he was out of sorts. I wonder if he had people he could really confide in?? Would he allow himself to do that?
Your retelling of that time is wonderfully told, the best I've read_your recalled memories are much like mine.being a young college boy at the time of the summer of Love, I saw it as a time of Magic & loss ! Hugh Stephenson
I would love to know the entire guest list.
I hadn’t heard about most of these people until the hype around ‘Feud’ but I am now OBSESSED! Btw, ‘Feud’ is dedicating an entire one hour episode to the ball, and it’s the best reviewed episode as well! 🎉 🎈 🎊
It was black and white and seemed to deliberately not focus on any beauty or celebrity
I bought a fabulous book named The Power of Style about 20 years ago. This book had The Swans in it and others. It’s such a great book and the photos. This book is when I learned of the Swans. Btw, my beautiful maternal grandmother was a smoker and drank coffee to stay slim. She was of the era of the Swans.
At 8:46 you see a picture of Candice Bergen holding the rabbit mask. Around the same time this video was posted she was on CBS in the morning and she was specifically asked about the Truman Capote black and white ball. She was 19 years old and the only reason why she was there was because Halsted needed some woman to wear the mask he made for another model who found something she liked better and she said that she as a nobody was chosen to fill the mask. She said it was not particularly a pleasant ball. It was overwhelming She doesn't think people there really were having a good time and it was all for show.. She was asked did she have a good time and she said All I remember is I was 19 years old and I had to stay "focused, focused, focused". Hearing that from her mouth and then seeing her standing there with that mask while the narrator is saying everyone had a good time and literally hearing Candice Bergen 2 days before this was posted say she does not think people had a good time just highlights the importance of actually hearing from people who were actually present. The narration of this ball versus what she said is illuminating.
Search "Candice Bergen, Truman capotees black and white ball" to hear her take.
je m'évanouis °~•.☆.•~°
Thank you!
Your videos are all good, and filled with great details and information. There is one major flaw throughout all of the videos I've watched so far and that is your chyron written below the pictures is riddled with misspellings, non-capitalization of last names, and on and on. If you want to present high society without being mocked for the many ridiculous errors that most people are aware of who actually lived through those times, you need to sharpen your eye and correct the details of your stenographer. There's no excuse for it! It doesn't rise to the level of what you are presenting.
Thank you for putting that to my attention! Its automatically generated, I do not type it out. I shall fix it.
I'm confused. If the ball was in 1966, and La Cote Basque came out in 1965....how were 'the swans' all in attendance still??
The piece ran in Esquire in 1975.
It was at the time to be too vague to be recognized for what it was.it was only one chapter
It was published some time later as book Answered Prayers _,, that's when all Hell broke out!
Why is there a photo of President John F. Kennedy in your collection? He was not alive when the party was held.
I have to be honest… I think almost all of the hairstyles in the 60s were pretty frightening. Just my two cents though!
I would have loved to have spoken to Gloria Vanderbilt,Lauren Bacall and Walter Cronkite. But I was only a month old at the time of the party. So speaking would have been difficult. However, I think I could have been an amusing distraction for about ten minutes. People either genuinely like babies or want to be seen as liking babies.
.
Being a child of 1960s & being a young college guy at the time I was taken with Candace Bergen.I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.She was Magic!! To a impressionable young boy of the time ! I remember Truman said,"she was Spencer like" at the time _which I thought was strange at that time, not knowing Truman .
Hugh Stephenson
Thank you for your comment! It was lovely to read
8:38. Isn’t Candace Bergen the most gorgeous women who ever lived?
@@Angel-ts8rc Around that time, she was a student at University of Pennsylvania. (She didn’t graduate.) The husband of a friend of mine was at school then. He said she showed up at a party and everyone just couldn’t stop looking at her. She was so beautiful.
Beautiful then, beautiful now. A very lovely lady, always. @@GiftSparks
And her great sense of comedy is charming.😍
@@GiftSparks She dated Doris Days son who brought her over to Sharon Tates house before The Manson Family got their instruction to go over and kill everyone. Terry was a record Producer who listened to Charlie sing to supposedly see if he was worthy of making a record at his Studio.
Where was Jackie Onassis?
Does anyone know why Jackie Kennedy didn’t attend?
Jackie was above them.
I wonder if this type of party would be a good idea for a prom theme? Or would it be a bad idea?
Excellent tho pricey idea.
HA! Gordon Parks’ observation for the win.
why was I not invited!!!
America at it’s apogee of chic. Downhill from there to here.
Truman naturally to discuss the south. And Sammy Davis Junior in Spanish.
Imagine the good these people could do with what they waste on looking FABULOUS DARLING. Certainly a different world to the average person. They have the same problems.
I bet you're fun at parties.
Episode. The selfishness and self centeredness is astounding.
It would be so nice we lived in a world where those with so much were ABLE to find joy in being gracious, generous & thankful for how blessed they have been & find their bliss in empowering & helping their fellow human beings.
I have heard that during The Gilded Age that people like the Vanderbilt's, Astors, and their peers spent much much more on balls than the $16k that Capote spent on his. I once heard someone say that they didn't feel guilty about spending a lot of money for lavish entertaining because they were supporting local businesses like florists, caterers, musicians, etc.
Your moral judgment on what people do with their money is none of your business! It is THEIR MONEY, NOT YOURS!
@@bryanspindle4455 That's a good point: those parties and that lifestyle served to spread the money around and created jobs or kept them going.
Truman C. was brilliant but he betrayed the Swans by writing terrible things about them.
I still wonder why he did it. He loved Babe Paley, Slim Keith, CZ Guest, Lee Radziwill.
@@cindymaceda2999
Because he had writer's block.
His finances were running low and he needed more money so he desperately chose to reveal those "secrets" his Swans shared with him.
Although he fictionalized the stories, everybody knew! 😮
So, he betrayed those who cared for him.
Truman was a great writer but terrible friend.
Capote's ball was kind of the death knell of civility, fashion and fun. The following year was the atrocious Summer of Love when the hippies came on the scene, Bobby Kennedy was killed along with other figures and fashion and fun were in the rearview mirror. Anger took over the land and people really didn't care about their grooming or fashion. Everyone was mad..the war, Womens Lib, Black Panthers, etc. It was pretty boring. The 70s were the years that fashion forgot and we have devolved from there. I remember those days so we ending in the mid sixtiesl, when we were young Mods who followed fashion and followed anything about Jackie Kennedy and her sister in the monthly movie magazines.. We had the Beatles and all the great music and culture was at its height. We who were there miss those times. I think Altamont where the Stones appeared and the Hells Angels murdered a fan was the bitter end of the swingin' sixties, ushering in a very dark time.
My father detested the hippies. His much younger brother was a hippy but still got a college degree. He cleaned up nice.
@@ann5765 I live 40 minutes from Woodstock and could not be coaxed into going that weekend. No thank you. I was a Mod..very into fashion and baths!
@@bethvirginiaphillips4583 I think the mod look was cool. Like Twiggy and the Mary Quant minis
Can someone please tell me who is the lady in the picture with Truman and Babe on minute 1:37? On Google they say it is Gloria Guinness but it is not. Is it Gloria Vanderbilt?
According to Elle magazine that’s a photo of Gloria Guinness, Truman Capote, and Babe Paley in 1957.
Yes, obviously not Gloria V.
@@cindymaceda2999 she doesn’t look like Gloria Guinness either
Jeanne Murray Vanderbilt
@@PepperPotPavilion yes!!! Thank you
YOUR VOICE IS SUITABLE FOR SUCH VIDEOS COMPARED TO OTHER VLOGGERS AROUND HERE. IYKWIM…
I assume it's a computer generated voice. That's why the emphasis on wrong syllables sometimes
I would have liked to have spoken with Lauren Bacall and Mia Farrow, for starters.
🍃💐🍃
Didn't Truman's parents drop him off at an aunt's place as a child to live there? No wonder he felt like an orphan😢
There is a good movie when Truman was a child and he lived with relatives. You should see it. Geraldine Page is in it too. It’s titled A Christmas Memory.
Interesting..
Culture then….vs. Kulture now 😮…. What happened?
People had taste in those years. Today, celebrities just want to be outrageous. Even if it’s in bad taste.
One has to remember the era. We would find the couture and decorations horrid by today's standards. But for then, it was the cat's meow 😅
May I beg to differ in opinion? The gowns at this event were pure class and elegance, feminine and alluring, unlike the outrageous burlesque grotesquerie that “famous people” wear to formal events now. 😮
@@cindymaceda2999 agreed
Wrong information. He threw the party to celebrate the success of his book “In Cold Blood” He didn’t want to put himself in the spotlight because he thought he would be criticized for a big ego. So he chose the editor of Washington Post to take the limelight off himself.
The menu sounded really awful
They didn’t eat anyway lol
A photo of some high class dinner party with JFK in the photo?
Good grief..
Superficial, shallow people.
Oh my! Did you know them?
It could have been in the 19th century...
$116,000 in 1966 You are saying that is $150k in todays money??!!I DO NOT think so!! It would be well over a million....
I don't think he invited Jackie either, probably either at the behest or not to upset/upstage Lee.
I'm wondering if Gore Vidal and his significant other were invited..lol
Spelling in commentary is appallingly bad.
It’s automatically generated by ai
God my father was born 28 Nov 39
Bunch of silly people
ANDY WARHOL...HE WOULD HAVE BEEN FASCINATING TO PARTY WITH!!!!
very dull honest
FOMO started here.
Lmao!
An ultra exclusive party given by a hypocritical, vicious man for shallow, over-rich “society” doyennes. Yes, they were beautiful and graceful. Yes, our culture has devolved in some ways. But this was rich,bored people celebrating themselves.
He was a great writer, though. The real deal.
@@nicolascott6514 yes, fair enough
‘The Party Of The Century” looked boring as shit.
What a bunch of boring nerds.
Capote was a theif hence his fallout along wth his addiction - theres more than one way2skin a cat ;-) theif
I before e except after c thief
Obviously
It’s spelled thief.
@superchops5150
LOL ... As an elementary teacher, I was reciting this in my head...it has been a constant mantra in my classroom! AND some NEVER get it...obviously .😊
This is grotesque .