‘I think it is quite a dark impression of New York as it was,’ says photographer Dafydd Jones, who spent the 1990s capturing the city’s most exclusive parties. ‘It is an insight into who was considered important at fashion shows, benefits and parties.’
Ivana Trump, Fashion Group couture show, The Plaza Hotel, 1990 (in the middle of her divorce from Donald Trump)
Jones, who had previously photographed Oxford and London’s upper class, was hired by Vanity Fair magazine to attend New York society’s hottest parties, capturing celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Joan Rivers, Kate Moss and Johnny Depp, President (then Senator) Joe Biden, Leona Helmsley, Brooke Astor, Donald and Ivana Trump, Anna Wintour, Naomi Campbell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Mapplethorpe and Michael Milken.
Martha Reed with Champagne twizzle stick to remove bubbles. Spanish gold medal Gala. Pierre Hotel. New York November 1989
‘In England, I’d become too well-known as a Tatler photographer. It was wonderful to be invisible again.’ Jones adds: ‘I hope readers may laugh, be moved and maybe a bit scared. My process for choosing the images starts in the darkroom. The photography book is an edited selection of images from a box of prints I made last year. So what the readers are seeing are reproductions of darkroom prints. Often I’m thinking of the light and shade and tones and printing with rich blacks and not considering the subject matter.’
Front row applauding Carolyne Roehm’s spring collection. Jerry Zipkin, Nan Kempner, Annette Reed, Judy Peabody, Henry Kravis, Chessy Rayner, Mica Ertegun, Pat Buckley. Plaza Hotel, 1989
For Graydon Carter, New York in the 1990s was a world ablaze with ambition and glamour. ‘This New York was the one of new money trying to catch the attention of old money and of Wall Street vampires who raided the accounts of widows and orphans while their wives dined on quenelle and salads (dressing on the side) at places like La Grenouille and Le Cirque.’
New York: High Life, Low Life is published by ACC Art Books and is available to buy at Amazon, £27.99
Maria Paterno Castello di San Giuliano, Princess Asaea Beatrice Reyna di Savoia, Miss Hikari Ohta and the maid, Chatting in the ladies powder room during the International Debutante Ball. Plaza Hotel. New York. 29 December 1993
Paul Newman, Natasha Richardson and Lauren Bacall
-
At last: a London hotel that’s great for groups and extended staysThe July London Victoria, a new aparthotel concept just steps away from one of the city's busiest rail stations, is perfect for weekends and long-term visits alike
-
Three new smartwatches showcase new frontiers in affordable timepiece designLong may you run: smartwatches from Withit, Kospet and OnePlus favour function and value above all else, demonstrating just how much the smartwatch has evolved in recent years
-
Debuts, dandies, Demi Moore: 25 fashion moments that defined 2025 in style2025 was a watershed year in fashion. As selected by the Wallpaper* style team, here are the 25 moments that defined the zeitgeist
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt’s been a week of escapism: daydreams of Ghana sparked by lively local projects, glimpses of Tokyo on nostalgic film rolls, and a charming foray into the heart of Christmas as the festive season kicks off in earnest
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekThis week, the Wallpaper* editors curated a diverse mix of experiences, from meeting diamond entrepreneurs and exploring perfume exhibitions to indulging in the the spectacle of a Middle Eastern Christmas
-
A London exhibition celebrates the next generation of Ukrainian photographersFUTURESPECTIVE at Saatchi Gallery presents an intimate portrait of a country in the midst of conflict
-
Inside the work of photographer Seydou Keïta, who captured portraits across West Africa‘Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens’, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, celebrates the 20th-century photographer
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFrom sumo wrestling to Singaporean fare, medieval manuscripts to magnetic exhibitions, the Wallpaper* team have traversed the length and breadth of culture in the capital this week
-
María Berrío creates fantastical worlds from Japanese-paper collages in New YorkNew York-based Colombian artist María Berrío explores a love of folklore and myth in delicate and colourful works on paper
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAs we approach Frieze, our editors have been trawling the capital's galleries. Elsewhere: a 'Wineglass' marathon, a must-see film, and a visit to a science museum
-
June Leaf’s New York survey captures a life in motionJune Leaf made art in many forms for over seven decades, with an unstoppable energy and fierce appetite leading her to rationalise life in her own terms.
