Save this story Save Story Save this story Taissa Farmiga and Cynthia Nixon Dave Allocca / Starpix Ahead of The Gilded Age’s return to screens on November 1, celebrations on each coast saw the cast reunite for a red carpet outing at The Plaza and an elegant bash at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills.
At this week’s lavish season 4 premiere party at The Plaza, Carrie Coon, Cynthia Nixon, Audra McDonald, and their fellow stars left their bustles behind. After three seasons of elaborate period costumes, you’d think slipping into a corset every day would make dressing up for a night out a breeze. Alas, think again.
“It’s so much harder to get ready for a red carpet than it is for work,” Coon, clad in an Acne Studios gown, told Vogue. “My dresser, Amber, helps me get into my costumes and cinch my waist from a 28 to a 24. It takes about six minutes and 30 seconds to take off my costumes and wigs. Red carpets are way more stressful, and sometimes the clothes are just as challenging. For me, it’s the shoes. When you get to 16 hours in three-inch heels, you start to lose your mind!”
For the glamorous premiere and party, Nixon opted for a floor-length white fringe dress by Edeline Lee, while Louisa Jacobson stepped out in a cropped Conner Ives blazer and high-waisted trousers. Kelley Curran embraced a softer palette in a mint set by Lein. Morgan Spector gave formalwear an avant-garde twist in an all-white Maison Margiela look, complete with dramatic coattails. Denée Benton channeled Cher in a 1980s-era Bob Mackie gown, McDonald brought the drama in a sheer Bibhu Mohapatra gown, and Ben Ahlers embraced graphic prints in an optic-patterned Kenzo look.
The Plaza’s storied Grand Ballroom, with its glittering crystal chandeliers and intricate gold detailing, provided a suitably opulent setting for the occasion. Hundreds of hydrangeas and lisianthuses adorned the space, while a dramatic centerpiece of oak foliage anchored the room. And then there was the dessert spread: a decadent affair in its own right, featuring cakes, mousses, spiced chai apple crumble, and fondant top hats.
With season 4 premiering Sunday, November 1, the cast offered hints of the social warfare to come. The eight-episode season picks up roughly six months after season 3, with Bertha Russell (Coon) determined to salvage her fractured marriage to railroad tycoon George Russell (Spector)“Everyone is very invested in what’s going to happen between Bertha and George. I can say, rest assured, Bertha never gives up,” Coon teased. “But that doesn’t mean she always wins. Scary, right?”
Meanwhile, Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) hopes to reclaim her influence among Manhattan’s elite by hosting a dinner for President Grover Cleveland. Bertha counters with a grander affair to advance George’s business interests, setting up another showdown between old money and new. “It’s really fun to spar with her,” Coon said of Baranski. “I respect and admire Christine so much. Her timing is impeccable. You’ll see her character experience an incredible change of fortune, so she’s a bit unhinged.”
Agnes’s sister Ada Forte (Nixon) is stepping into a more independent chapter, trading her role as the family’s steadying influence for a willingness to take risks. She’s now “walking a tightrope and playing with fire,” Nixon said. “I thought, wow, are we really going to go there? I guess we are!”
Love remains complicated for Marian Brook (Jacobson) and Larry Russell (Harry Richardson). Their engagement is over, but feelings remain. “There’s deeper heartbreak than before,” Richardson said. “Larry desperately wants to be with her, but there are so many societal pressures keeping them apart. He’s stumbling and fumbling, and I think that’s quite relatable.”
Marian’s perspective, however, reflects the restrictive social codes of her era. “The expectations for women in 1886, particularly around sexuality and purity, were very, very different,” Jacobson said. “I knew that audiences would have a strong reaction to Marian’s actions, but it made perfect sense to me when I did the research.”
Not every relationship is built on love. Last season, Oscar van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) proposed a marriage of convenience to the newly widowed Enid Winterton (Curran), trading connections and status for her money. Their union promises to challenge society’s conventions further in season 4, fitting for a character who has never been afraid to ruffle feathers. “I’ve been called a hussy in the grocery store!” Curran said with a laugh.
Fan favorite Jack Trotter (Ahlers) is adjusting to life among Manhattan’s elite after selling his clock invention. Having once served the very society he now moves among, Jack must learn its rules. “I had to learn the proper etiquette myself,” Ahlers said. “You see me stepping into this character and Jack stepping into his life in tandem.”
Beyond Manhattan’s old-money dynasties, The Gilded Age shines a light on a thriving Black elite whose stories have rarely been told on television. McDonald, who plays society matriarch Dorothy Scott, is proud that the series showcases more than suffering. “We didn’t just go from slavery to Jim Crow to the ’60s. We’re showing Black excellence, Black joy, and Black love.”
Benton, who plays Peggy Scott, has championed this representation from the start. “It’s been the honor of my career to advocate for that storyline,” she said. “It feels like righting a collective gaslighting in history to really bring the spotlight to people who deserve dignity.”
For one evening at The Plaza, the cast traded their fictional rivalries for a well-deserved moment in the spotlight. But if the series has taught us anything, it’s that no social gathering is complete without a little ambition, a dash of scandal, and a spectacular outfit. After all, on The Gilded Age, the drama never goes out of style. —Paul Chi
Carrie Coon Dave Allocca / Starpix Out west, The Gilded Age Cast marked the upcoming season with an outdoor screening at the legendary Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills.
Commissioned by an oil tycoon in the 1920s, the sprawling Tudor-style estate spans 16 acres of formal English gardens, but this week, all the floral arrangements worth noting were inside the Great Hall.
Upon arrival, over 250 guests were led through Fleurs de Villes’ opulent botanical exhibit inspired by the period drama—which is open to the public through November 4—before congregating on the terrace for a breathtaking view of the city.
While sipping on themed cocktails by the stone balcony, the show’s familiar faces Taissa Farmiga, Kelly Curran, Harry Richardson, and Ben Ahers told Vogue they couldn’t imagine a better spot to celebrate the season premiere in their own backyard.
“It's strange to be so far from New York City,” says Farmiga, who plays heiress-turned-duchess Gladys Russell—daughter of Berta and George. “It makes me think, what would it be like if Gladys would have taken one of Daddy Russell’s trains to come out here?”
After a Champagne toast on the terrace, the cast led guests back up to the gardens to preview the show, marking the first-ever outdoor screening hosted at Greystone. “It’s a piece of history,” said Curran, dressed in a plunging sequined Edeline Lee number befitting the gilded cocktail dress code. “There’s something about the sumptuousness of this show, and to see this in the middle of Los Angeles is so incredibly meta-theatrical.” —Emily Tannenbaum
Kelley Curran, Harry Richardson, Taissa Farmiga, Ben Ahlers Photo: Kenny Jamez Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 1/23 Morgan Spector and Rebecca Hall
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 2/23 Taissa Farmiga
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 3/23 Audra McDonald
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 4/23 Cynthia Nixon
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 5/23 Ben Ahlers
13 Samhain Rituals to Celebrate the Pagan Origins of Halloween, Courtesy of 13 Witches Meet the Women Changing the Face of Mariachi in San Antonio The Third Mercury Retrograde 2026 Won’t Ruin Your Life (But Here’s How to Protect Your Peace Anyway) In Suits, Suede, and Heirloom Jewels, Princess Leonor Offers a Lesson in Fall Style Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 6/23 Louisa Jacobson
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 7/23 Denée Benton
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 8/23 Celia Keenan Bolger
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 9/23 Jessica Frances Davis
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 10/23 Kelli O' Hara
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 11/23 Taylor Richardson and Douglas Sills
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 12/23 Peter Gallagher
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 13/23 Ronan Farrow
The Third Mercury Retrograde 2026 Won’t Ruin Your Life (But Here’s How to Protect Your Peace Anyway) In Suits, Suede, and Heirloom Jewels, Princess Leonor Offers a Lesson in Fall Style Meet the Women Changing the Face of Mariachi in San Antonio 13 Samhain Rituals to Celebrate the Pagan Origins of Halloween, Courtesy of 13 Witches Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 14/23 James Scully and Louisa Jacobson
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 15/23 Francesca Orsi, Jullian Fellows and Casey Bloys
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 16/23 David Crockett and Morgan Spector
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 17/23 Donna Murphy and Douglas Sills
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 18/23 Casey Bloys, Carrie Coon, Alex Witchel and Frank Rich
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 19/23 Jeannie Gaffigan and Jim Gaffigan
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 20/23 Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Ashtie Atkinson
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 21/23 Taylor Richardson and Cynthia Nixon
The Third Mercury Retrograde 2026 Won’t Ruin Your Life (But Here’s How to Protect Your Peace Anyway) Meet the Women Changing the Face of Mariachi in San Antonio In Suits, Suede, and Heirloom Jewels, Princess Leonor Offers a Lesson in Fall Style 13 Samhain Rituals to Celebrate the Pagan Origins of Halloween, Courtesy of 13 Witches Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 22/23 Carrie Coon and Tracy Letts
Expand Dave Allocca / Starpix 23/23 Margarita Levieva
Source: Lifestyle
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