All photos by Michelle Goskopf
For six years, the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic has descended upon the Palisades like a bro descends upon the lawn of his frat house after drinking three or four bottles of Veuve Clicquot champagne. Veuve Clicquot itself calls the event “an exciting afternoon of polo viewing and picnicking” meant to be enjoyed “while enjoying a flute of champagne.” (Or 20.)
After attending the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, our photographer Michelle Groskopf would describe it by saying that it felt like the end of days.
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Over the phone, she told us about her experiences at the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic:
“It was one of those events that was equal parts horrible and amazing. It felt like a scene from another, more bloated and debaucherous era. People were wandering around dressed in the Veuve colors spending thousands of dollars on champagne. They were selling Veuve Clicquot blankets, umbrellas, glasses, everything. It was just one giant, product placement-y spectacle.
I got the feeling that the polo match was background for the party. Mostly it was an opportunity for people to congregate, schmooze, get wasted, hook up, and cut deals (which is the business equivalent of a hookup). The crowd had on a lot of bling for how young they were. There was a lot of seersucker, a lot of sweaters over shoulders. I think that they treated the event with a tongue-in-cheek attitude, almost like it was dress-up, but also not. They were so entrenched in the wealth and privilege on display that they felt comfortable enough to mock it a bit, like they were honoring their ancestors while also making fun of them.
If I had to compare it to one historical event, I would say it was the court of Louis XIV, crossed with a house party from a John Hughes movie. There was this sense of entitlement leaking out of every pore there—these were the children of the people who run the world, and they were wasted. I can’t imagine the cleanup, it was probably like working for a disaster relief agency.”
See more of Michelle’s work on her website as well as her Instagram.
