Goldman's John Waldron Wears a Tie Even at Hipsters' Ball in Brooklyn

(Bloomberg) -- John Waldron said he’s aware Brooklyn is a no-tie borough, but Goldman Sachs’s president and chief operating officer still wore a red tie and navy suit to the Brooklyn Museum Artists Ball Tuesday night.

That left Tim Ingrassia, Goldman’s co-chair of global M&A, and Scott Rofey, its head of U.S. interest rate products, to represent the firm’s truly Brooklyn side. Rofey wore checks and sneakers. After work, Ingrassia went home to Pierhouse at Brooklyn Bridge Park (having sold his family’s brownstone to Jennifer Connelly) to change into a Tom Ford tuxedo jacket, Paul Smith shirt, jeans and no tie.

The style was definitely different from his banker attire, which he said is a suit and no tie: At the museum, the jacket had an op-art print, the shirt was covered in photographs. The biggest aberration was the blue jeans.

“Even with the new David Solomon dress code, I would never wear jeans to work,” said Ingrassia, standing in front of Frida Kahlo-inspired custom wallpaper made by Brooklyn-based Flavor Paper.

Compared with many at the artist-focused event, Ingrassia looked downright buttoned-up -- though not as much as the Bank of America crew wearing staid black as they accepted an honor for supporting the museum.

A performer repeatedly knitted and unraveled his outfit in honor of artist Nick Cave. So many of the women (including Waldron’s wife) wore fabulous floral headdresses -- taking a cue from the gala theme to celebrate the museum’s Kahlo exhibition. JPMorgan’s Chris Schott briefly put on a knit bra resembling a watermelon for some shots in the photo booth.

Did Schott and Ingrassia do it for love? Their wives are museum trustees. Waldron’s is, too, though to be fair, his lack of sartorial imagination is pretty typical of finance people at galas.

It has been a busy few weeks for arts benefits. Lazard Capital Markets’ Jeffrey Rosen wore a suit and shiny tie to a fundraiser for the International Center of Photography, where he’s board president. Maybe he’ll get hip when the museum and school move into a new home on the Lower East Side -- like the board Chairman Caryl Englander, wife of Millennium Partners’ Izzy Englander, who showed up in a suit outlined in rhinestones.

Blackstone’s Bennett Goodman was in a suit and tie at benefits for the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Public Art Fund, though the firm’s Joe Baratta and Neil Simpkins let loose at the Brooklyn Museum. Simpkins, a museum trustee, took off his tie when giant puppets started dancing, and Baratta had his tie off to start.

Peter Kraus wore a suit and tie, and JK Brown of Coatue Management a suit and bow tie to the New Museum’s benefit, pretty much ignoring the “delirious” dress code. Musician David Byrne and film director John Waters got it, of course.

The artists are the ones who’ve historically brought the flair, as illustrated by the custom wallpaper at the Whitney featuring photographs of patrons and artists at galas past, including Goodman way back in his Credit Suisse days.

One thing Ingrassia got right was matching his wife, Stephanie Ingrassia, who was in a Versace suit with a bold, graphic print. He even looked worthy standing next to Kasseem Dean, the collector, rapper and DJ known as Swizz Beatz.

It’s worth nothing that the Ingrassias have been involved with the museum for about two decades. Hang around in Brooklyn long enough, and it just might rub off.

“Anne is a disruptor,” Dean said of Anne Pasternak, the Brooklyn Museum’s director.

Pasternak’s vision is community outreach and bringing art to the people, Simpkins said.

“Let’s be light, let’s laugh, and most importantly, let’s dance,” Pasternak told guests as they dug into a Mexican feast by candlelight.

To contact the reporter on this story: Amanda Gordon in New York at agordon01@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Pierre Paulden at ppaulden@bloomberg.net, Steven Crabill, Peter Eichenbaum

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