“Voove? Vuuve? I don’t know how you pronounce it,” confessed a young man, tugging at his seersucker blazer. He wasn’t alone in his confusion; the specifics were a bit murky for most at Saturday’s annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, most notably being the lack of understanding of the actual match of polo. But never mind that — the fashion crowd had spritzed on their bug spray and Le Labo and boarded the ferries to Liberty State Park with one thing in mind: bubbly.
“Drink a lot of Champagne. Hydrate yourself with Veuve Clicquot,” advised the afternoon’s star, polo champion Nacho Figueras, who recently released the first in a series of romance novels. It was upwards of 80 degrees, but Figueras deemed it perfect conditions for the game.
Also feeling at home in the heat was Coco Rocha. “I feel like as a model, we always wear furs in summer and swimsuits in the winter, so this is nothing,” she said. Admitting she wasn’t the biggest polo expect — “Do I watch it every day? Probably not. But do I come because it’s going to be a great fun day where you can hang out with all your friends and have a drink? Absolutely.” — she added that the sport had a certain elegant appeal. “I think it’s such a classy game,” she said. “Like, am I worthy even to come?”
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Rose Byrne held a similar connotation to the sport. “This is my first time coming, I’m intrigued,” she said. “I always associate the royal family with polo.”
Rebecca Minkoff revealed herself to be a Veuve polo diehard. “I come every year. This is my New Year’s Eve,” she said. “I love that it’s outside, with great Champagne, great friends and polo, of course.”
Andrew Rannells was on hand once again to sing the national anthem, ahead of beginning work on the Broadway revival of “Falsettos.” He’s currently filming the sixth season of “Girls,” its final. “It’s going to be one of those things where I don’t think it will really hit everyone until we’re done,” he said. Ahead of June 12th’s Tony Awards, he was diplomatic. “Obviously I’m partial, having been a part of ‘Hamilton,’” he said. “But I’m really excited about the performances, because they have a little bit of a different format this year.” And with that, he was off for some vocal warm-ups.
While many of the famous folk professed a love for horses in light of not knowing the ins and outs of polo — “I grew up riding horses. They’re the most beautiful animal,” said Nicky Hilton — “Blindspot” actress Jaimie Alexander was a little less thrilled about the close proximity to the equines. “I grew up in Texas, and I’ve trained with horses overseas for the “Thor” films, but other than that, I’m actually kind of allergic to them,” she said. “So this should go well. I have some Benadryl.”