People come from far and wide to see The Rockefeller Tree lit up every year. The iconic tree is considered the “worldwide symbol of Christmas.”
For great-granddaughter to John D. Rockefeller Jr., Ariana Rockefeller, the 69-100 feet Norway spruce represents hope.
‘The first tree was in 1931 during the Great Depression,’ the brunette beauty told the Daily Mail. ‘The workers put it up, they were happy to have employment building Rockefeller Center because it was one of the only construction projects that was happening at the time, so to them the tree represented hopefulness and perseverance.’
For great-granddaughter to John D. Rockefeller Jr., Ariana Rockefeller, the iconic Rockefeller Center tree represents hope
‘The first tree was in 1931 during the Great Depression,’ the brunette beauty told the Daily Mail
‘The workers put up the tree because they were happy to have employment building Rockefeller Center, it was one of the only construction projects that was happening during the Great Depression’
‘The perseverance of New Yorkers is something I’ve always admired and loved, there’s no greater thing than perseverance when it comes to handling challenges and going through challenging times’
‘My grandfather wanted to continue with construction so that people would have jobs. The fact that it was the workers that organized and put up the tree and got their paychecks underneath it, I think that’s the spirit of New York.
‘The perseverance of New Yorkers is something I’ve always admired and loved, and I feel it’s true for me and my family that there’s no greater thing than perseverance when it comes to handling challenges and going through challenging times.’
This is Ariana’s first fall season back in New York after two years living abroad during the pandemic.
And like a true Rockefeller, the equestrian and philanthropist is carrying out her family’s deep tradition of celebrating the season with generosity, grace and style.
‘My grandfather would have a Christmas caroling party every year and he would have all of his team, staff, their families and friends; I think its a wonderful time to really gather people together.
‘We’re all a team. I feel teamwork is community.’
Like a true Rockefeller, the model and philanthropist is carrying out her family’s deep tradition of celebrating the season with generosity and style, hosting a house warming party
This is Ariana’s first fall season back in New York after two years living abroad during the pandemic, her apartment is decked for the holidays
‘My grandfather would have a Christmas caroling party every year and he would have all of his team, staff, their families and friends and I think its a wonderful time to really gather people together. We’re all a team. I feel teamwork is community.’
Devoted to the community, Ariana has served as a co-chair for the New York Botanical Garden’s Winter Wonderland Ball for at least five years.
The glamorous affair closes out the year’s social calendar and supports NYBG’s Children’s Education Program.
Prior to jetting up to the Bronx for the ball, about twenty of Ariana’s friends gathered at her new (and stunning!) UES apartment, decked for the holidays, for a private tasting of Chrome Horse Tequila, a forthcoming premium spirit created by her friend Jack Morgan.
‘Our families have been friends for generations,’ said Ariana, a 5th generation member of the Rockefeller family, about the Morgan’s.
‘I’m so proud of Jack, his spirit of entrepreneurship and his work ethic.
‘I’m so inspired by all of my friends, and community is so important and supporting each other is so important so I’m happy to toast him tonight and his new business venture and to celebrate the winter ball and the season together.’
Ariana’s guest got to taste Chrome Horse Tequila, a forthcoming premium spirit created by her friend Jack Morgan launching in April of 2022
‘I’ve worked on the tequila for two years,’ said Jack pictured left with Ariana
Chrome Horse Tequila will be launching in April of 2022.
‘There is a global shortage of glass, revealed Jack. ‘So my bottle – which of course is sparkly – is hard to make, so with this shortage and everything, I don’t want to properly launch until we have the bottle.
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‘At the moment we have a standard bottle so a select few can try it before it comes out. This is the first night that people get to try the tequila in the US, other than me and my team.’
Perfecting the tequila has been a process of trial and error for the debonair businessman.
‘I’ve worked on it for two years. I started in 2019, I switched distilleries twice cause I wasn’t happy with it so I’m on the third one now and they are amazing.
‘The facility is amazing, they are thoughtful about how they make the tequila using less water and less energy, and I really like how they treat their staff – it’s like one big family.’
Delaying the launch due to the glass shortage, Jack had no choice but to age the tequila – a blessing in disguise!
‘Ageing it up to seven months we have a Reposado, and after 7 months Añejo, so we can launch with three products instead of one,’ he revealed.
While tequila is most commonly aged in whiskey barrels, ‘We aged some in red wine barrels so the tequila is going to come out pink. How cool is that? I was like write it down, trademark in now,’ he joked.
Prior to jetting up to the Bronx for the ball, about twenty of Ariana’s friends gathered at her new UES apartment, including Daily Mail’s Pandora Amoratis (pictured left)
Elvio Tropeano and Justin Waterman looked dapper in tuxedos at the black-tie affair
Fashion media Lilah Rahmzi (in Carolina Herrera) and Zach Weiss looked smashing while enjoying some bubbly
Before DJing the Winterland Wonderland Ball, May Kwok stopped by Ariana’s apartment in a sexy PatBO gown, while model Maki Mequanent donned an exquisite Christy Rilling design
The heiress had two looks for the festive evening.
At home she donned a custom silk dress by New York-based designer Christy Rilling.
‘It’s my Sugar Plum Fairy dress,’ said Ariana about the on-trend gown in “Very Peri” Pantone’s 2022 color of the year.
‘I feel like it’s a very nurturing, beautiful and feminine color, and I love amethyst for its healing properties and good energy.’
Ariana’s stylist Paul J. Miller of the Pretty Boy Effect added: ‘Gathering in her personal home we wanted the first dress to be comfortable and flowy with velvet bows to enrich the design for winter, and we paired it with one of her favorite pairs of Manolo Blahniks in her closet.
Ariana’s second look that evening was a custom pale pink gown handcrafted by Greek designer Vassilis Zoulias, known for dressing the stars of Emily in Paris
Completing Ariana’s ensemble was a show-stopping, 37.47 carats necklace from De Beers, who sponsored the Ball, along with the Adonis Rose bracelet, also from De Beers
‘The overall theme is princess elegance timeless fairytale,’ her stylist Paul said
Georgina Bloomberg (pictured right of Ariana) is a co-chair of the Winter Wonderland Ball
‘For her second look, the overall theme is princess elegance timeless fairytale,’ her stylist Paul said. ‘This is the most glamorous event of the season so we wanted to make sure that she reflected that. We’re using tonight as a pillar of her elegance and grace.’
Ariana slipped into a custom pale pink gown handcrafted by Greek designer Vassilis Zoulias, known for dressing the stars of Emily in Paris.
Rockefeller paired the gown with Amina Muaddi Crystal Bow Glass pumps and a Judith Leiber Couture crystal-embellished Swan Odette clutch.
Completing the ensemble was the show-stopping, diamond Asana necklace, clocking in at 37.47 carats, from De Beers, who sponsored the Ball, along with the Adonis Rose bracelet, also from De Beers.
‘It’s all about shining the light,’ said Ariana who has perfected that in more ways than one.
Source: Daily Mail
