Horse Latitudes
A Fashion-Focused Crowd Descends on Governors Island for the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic
There's something for everyone at the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic: "Champagne," Hugh Jackman offered. "Horses," suggested his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness. Kathy Griffin, meanwhile, was hoping for a little more. "I'm looking forward to Hugh Jackman's pants falling down and some society chicks getting hammered," she said.
The latter wasn't all that unlikely, given how much of the fizzy stuff was flowing, and with proceeds from the event's VIP luncheon going to Hope, Help & Rebuild Haiti, guests on the fancy side of the polo field could feel good about their day-drinking. In lieu of Prince Harry, who's been the guest of honor in recent years, Donna Karan took the reins, navigating the crowds on Governors Island in a floppy sunhat, connecting charity-minded celebrities (Paul Haggis, Alek Wek), and putting in appearances at the Urban Zen tent, where her foundation was selling artisanal items made in Haiti.
In other parts of the world, spectators at a polo match watch the polo. In New York, they tend to watch Nacho Figueras, the Argentine horseman and Ralph Lauren model. He made the social rounds in a sport coat and white jeans before taking to the field, where his Black Watch team narrowly defeated the Veuve Clicquot squad. But the real score, of course, was being kept on the sidelines, where guests donned seersucker, wedge heels, and look-at-me summer hats to do some serious people-watching. Marc Jacobs, who showed up in a dark suit, wasn't playing. "I actually own, like, three suits," he explained. "I don't know if this is appropriate for a polo match, but I don't really care."
Wyclef Jean instigated a brief dance party inside the luncheon tent and read aloud an appreciative BBM from Haitian president Michel Martelly. By the time dessert was served, Isla Fisher and Naomi Watts were definitely in the swing of things. "Very long ago, I had a country polo-player boyfriend," Watts reminisced. But she didn't pick up the game from him. "He tried, and it didn't work," she said. Fisher seemed to consider that a shame. "I think there is something about a big beast," she began. The rest was giggles.
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