Glittering night at the Louis Vuitton ball

By KATHERINE HOBY

It was the hottest ticket in town.

The rich, the powerful and the beautiful came out to play at the Louis Vuitton party last night.

Partygoers in black tie and label frocks, carrying the most-sought-after ticket in town, were ferried to the Devonport Naval Base dry dock. A vast marquee covered the party site, which looked like a set for an elaborate movie.

The guests themselves were a dazzling line-up, with syndicate members mostly in team uniform. Female guests wore stunning gowns or evening ensembles. One young woman wore a Prada ostrich-feather skirt - an extremely pricey and eye-catching fashion option.

The evening honours the four Louis Vuitton semifinalists - Alinghi, Oracle, OneWorld and Prada.

And the centrepiece was a performance, with the theme mythology and the sea, which saw actors dressed as angels, Maori warriors and Greek gods acting out classic scenes.

The vast pool was the stage for the sequences, which ranged from the story of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and fell to the ocean, to the Ancient Mariner and Maui fishing New Zealand from the sea. Performers included theatre and movie actress Danielle Cormack as Aphrodite, goddess of love.

Some of the dramatic scenes saw actresses dangling from cranes, and actors emerging from the water.

That was for those 1200 guests lucky enough to get a ticket; there had been grumbles among those who missed out making it to the list.

The skippers of the four semifinal syndicates arrived in quirky style to be presented to the crowd after the spectacularly lit show - each floated up in a huge corked bottle.

Many of the guests were international media flown in especially, including the editors of Australian Vogue and Singapore Tatler.

International stars included Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actor Chen Chang and Taiwanese actress Niki Wu. The local invitees looked like a who's who of New Zealand fashion, with Kate Sylvester, Karen Walker, Denise L'Estrange-Corbet and Elizabeth Findlay from Zambesi all gracing the event.

Local glamour girl Mandy Smith was there with partner and Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker.

Guests quaffed champagne (Moet, of course) and nibbled on finger food, including rice-paper rolled prawns. A seemingly endless supply of fresh oysters was speedily shucked and displayed on a vast block of ice. Fresh local boysenberries and cherries in individual pottles made for a refreshing sweet treat.

Alinghi syndicate head Ernesto Bertarelli and his wife, Kirsty, cut a dash on the dance floor, and New Zealand actor Lucy Lawless turned heads when she kicked up her heels to the 17-piece band music.

The music finished just before midnight, and the frocked and the fabulous dispersed into the damp, muggy night.

nzherald.co.nz/americascup

Racing schedule, results and standings