Inside the Tents at the 10th Annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic Los Angeles

The “old guys” were watching polo on Saturday afternoon. That’s, at least, according to Nacho Figueras, who explained that he felt that the likes of Will Rogers, Walt Disney, Darryl F. Zanuck, and Clark Gable (some of Hollywood’s most famous polo players) were among the spectators of the match. Though the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic Los Angeles is only in its 10th year, the star-studded event revives a sports tradition that started in the 1920s.

Figueras is the most recognizable face in polo today—apart perhaps from Princes William and Harry, who are good friends of Figueras and his wife, Delfina Blaquier. The handsome couple, which later jointly led Team Veuve Clicquot to victory on the field, celebrated a decade of the Polo Classic, which had its first edition in 2010. Along with the French Champagne house, they have helped raise the profile of the millennia-old sport in L.A., a city that once boasted 25 polo fields, but now has only one left at Will Rogers State Historic Park.

On Saturday afternoon, the vast green field, which is framed by the iconic Santa Monica Mountains, was flanked by rows of a total of 7,500 fashionable spectators who lounged under bright yellow parasols. There was an excitement that bubbled through the crowd—or was it the famous Champagne served in sheer endless amounts around the field and inside the main tent? Either way, the anniversary match at Pacific Palisades offered a lot for the senses, especially when Julia Roberts floated down the carpet, donning an eye-catching Michael Kors polka-dot ensemble. Any ’90s rom-com aficionado will know what this meant: a nod to the iconic scene in Pretty Woman, during which her character is dressed in a chocolate-colored polka-dot dress.

As the afternoon unfolded below a Hollywood Sign–like set of yellow letters that spelled out Veuve Clicquot on the hillside beyond the arena, celebrity after celebrity filed in. Kirsten Dunst looked radiant in a bright, belted dress by Russian designer Vika Gazinskaya and brought along her brother for a relaxed family outing. Although this was her first time attending the Polo Classic, she told us that she wasn’t entirely new to the sport as her father used to play. Another first-time attendee was Regina Hall, who was joined by friends inside the large, airy tent, which hosted the VIPs. Christina Hendricks, Kaley Cuoco, and Rachel Zoe were all returning guests, the latter even doing the honors of throwing the ceremonial first ball to kick off the match.

Inside the tent, the air was buzzing with elegant excitement as the fast-paced match was played just outside. Riders on their ponies charged from one end of the field to the other while the announcer commented on their every move. During the 10-minute halftime, the crowd streamed onto the field and stomped the divots, glasses of Champagne in hand, as is tradition. Will Rogers, the namesake of the field, who once ran for president promising to immediately resign if elected (perhaps a viable strategy to affect some necessary change in 2020), would have been happy to see it.