Popularly known now as “the party of the century,” no list of over-the-top celeb shindigs would be complete without Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball.
On Nov. 28, 1966, the writer and socialite invited 540 of his closest friends—and frenemies—to the Plaza Hotel to celebrate Katharine Graham becoming the head of The Washington Post (though, in actuality, the party was more to celebrate Capote’s success with “In Cold Blood” and to throw around his newfound celebrity weight).
The guest list at the masquerade ball included big names like Frank Sinatra, Andy Warhol, Babe Paley, Norman Mailer, and Wallis Simpson, and the event was such a big deal that major newspapers like The New York Times covered it, tantalizing readers with details about the list of attendees and their elaborate fashion choices.
Partygoers were split on whether the Black and White Ball lived up to its hype. Some, who found the party to be a letdown compared to the build-up, told Esquire decades later that the night “didn’t amount to much” and was only “a good party as far as parties go.” Others raved about that night, remembering it as “greater than any of [Capote’s] books.” In the intervening years, many celebrities have even attempted to copy Capote’s ball—how’s that for setting the bar!