The Best Party Moments of 2023
As 2023 winds down, WWD reporters revisit a few of their favorite party moments from the past year.
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Held at the Henson Recording Studios, Stella McCartney’s pre-Grammy rock n’ roll bash to celebrate her Adidas collection was a family affair, with Sir Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Beck, Kim Gordon, Kate Hudson, Demi Lovato, Baz Luhrmann, Leonardo DiCaprio and more rubbing elbows with the next gen, including Paris Jackson, Scout and Talulah Willis, Noah Cyrus, Georgia May Jagger and others.
“I have to go get my dad,” Stella McCartney said, emerging from the tunnel entrance to the party’s main stage, which included huge Earth-shaped balloons and a rink full of L.A. Roller Girl dancers whizzing around while wearing the designer’s latest Adidas collection.
Her dad was just fine, surrounded by a group of well-wishers outside, as was Grohl. That’s the beauty of a McCartney event — the VIPs are just like the rest of us.
McCartney’s party may have featured five live musical performances but she did not head to the Grammy Awards. “I don’t believe I’ve ever attended,” she said. “The biggest awards show memory was when my dad got into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and I wore a T-shirt that said, ‘about effing time.'” — Booth Moore
The Chanel and Charles Finch Pre-BAFTA Cocktail, London, Feb. 19
The BAFTAs cocktail and dinner party at 5 Hertford Street in February announced itself with a mariachi band standing at the door greeting guests arriving in their high thread count tweed.
In the middle of London Fashion Week, Charles Finch and Chanel hosted the buzziest and sparkliest party in town with Austin Butler, Theo James, Eddie Redmayne, Gwendoline Christie, Camila Morrone, Regé-Jean Page, Alexa Chung, Angela Bassett, Taron Egerton, Jenna Coleman, Albrecht Schuch, Ellie Bamber and more in attendance.
Guests sipped Champagne and margaritas freely without feeling watched as the party had only invited two members of of the press, PMC’s WWD and Deadline.
Some grazed on fried tempura and smoked salmon canapés before the seated dinner downstairs in the basement that resembled a cave. —Hikmat Mohammed
Ibiza in L.A. With Loewe and Mytheresa, Los Angeles, May 12
The thumping house beats of The Blessed Madonna, aka DJ Marea Stamper, echoed inside the club space at the Sheats–Goldstein Residence in L.A., evoking summer in Ibiza.
Spain’s Loewe alongside German e-commerce platform Mytheresa gave a taste of Europe while celebrating the brand’s sought-after Paula’s Ibiza line — an ode to Armin Heinemann’s boutique on the Balearic island.
It wasn’t the typical Beverly Hills fashion party scene, standing out from the rest; the East Side’s cool kids made the trek and brought an electric energy to a packed and sweaty dance floor. It was a mix of artists and Hollywood faces, with the likes of rising music stars Gracie Abrams and Omar Apollo mingling with actors Gabrielle Union, out with husband Dwyane Wade, Ali Wong, Dan Levy, Kit Connor, Kaitlyn Dever and Camila Mendes.
The star of the night was Taylor Russell, brand ambassador and muse to Loewe’s creative director Jonathan Anderson. The two were inseparable, with the actress donning a piece from his latest drop: a $2,350 white spaghetti strapped dress adorned with a fringed macramé hem. — Ryma Chikhoune
Pharrell’s Menswear Debut for Louis Vuitton, Paris, June 20
Not every after party is so good that a heavily pregnant Rihanna would stick around. In June, Louis Vuitton shook Paris with the history-making debut of menswear creative director Pharrell Williams.
After the last looks had taken their turn on the runway, a bevy of caterers appeared on the Pont Neuf with food and drinks, enticing people stay. With good reason: not 15 minutes later, Williams was joined onstage by Jay-Z.
“Just put the phone down two seconds, that’s all — and have a good time,” Jay-Z told the cheering crowds before treating them to a sampling of hits including “Give It to Me.”
This moment made for a bang that reverberated across the city — and throughout the rest of the year. — Lily Templeton
Tag Heuer’s Flagship Opening Dinner, New York, July 13
Tag Heuer couldn’t have known that their flagship opening party on July 13 would end up falling on the eve of a months-long SAG-AFTRA strike. Brand ambassador Patrick Dempsey wasn’t feeling optimistic about the situation as his Carrera watch ticked closer to midnight. “Not really, no. We’ll know tonight what happens, but I’m not sure it’s good. But hopefully we can get some sort of resolution to this issue,” said Dempsey, who was eager to chat about his love of watches and his fall projects, including “Ferrari.”
Kieran Culkin, who had earned an Emmy nomination for “Succession” a day earlier, was nearby chatting with Natasha Lyonne; “The Summer I Turned Pretty” star Chris Briney, soon to be a regular on the fashion party circuit, was one day away from the show’s Season Two release. “I am a lucky kid,” said Briney, glancing down at the timepiece on his wrist. “I don’t think I’ve ever had something so precious in my life.”
620 Loft & Garden, a popular rooftop venue overlooking Fifth Avenue, set the intimate dinner scene as a string quartet welcomed guests outside. The evening was also a family affair: Bernard Arnault had joined his son, Tag Heuer chief executive officer Frédéric Arnault, at the boutique earlier in the evening. — Kristen Tauer
Dior’s Dinner at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden to Celebrate J’adore as Seen by Jean-Michel Othoniel, New York, Sept. 7
Dior’s celebration for J’adore as seen by Jean-Michel Othoniel, held at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, might have literally been the hottest New York party of the year. The temperature hovered close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit as guests made their way to the garden’s esplanade for cocktails, a swanky affair that drew Dior friends including J’Adore face Charlize Theron (inexplicably wearing a long, heavy knit sweater), Alexandra Daddario, Rachel Brosnahan, and Stephanie Hsu. A string quartet provided the soundtrack as guests sipped botanical cocktails and gazed upon several of Othoniel’s flower-inspired metallic sculptures, installed throughout the gardens.
The festivities continued at dinner in the atrium, where two long tables were festooned with a runner of golden bricks, bubbling fountains of L’Or perfume, and miniature versions of Othoniel’s sculptures. “Because we need beauty to survive reality, I’m happy to offer you tonight not yellow, but golden brick roads,” said Othoniel.
Later, dinner conversation with a group of French art connoisseurs yielded a movie recommendation: the 1976 French film “Le Jouet,” a social satire about a journalist and young scion who learns that relationships are the gold standard of life. I haven’t gotten around to seeing it, but I’m adding it to my 2024 watchlist. — Kristen Tauer
Moncler x Pharrell Williams Milan Fashion Week Launch Party, Milan, Sept. 20
In late August, when an e-vite for a Moncler x Pharrell Williams launch party during September’s Milan Fashion Week started to circulate, speculation swirled about whether he would be able to perform at the event. The question was legitimate, given the multihyphenate creative’s binding contract with Louis Vuitton as the brand’s newly minted creative director of menswear.
Indeed, it turned out Williams showed up but didn’t perform. However, this didn’t dent the upbeat, high-octane show-cum-party vibe, which drew a full house — 5,000 people were in attendance, including Willow and Jaden Smith.
The crowd enjoyed a performance by American rapper Tobe Nwigwe, a longtime collaborator and friend of Williams’, spiced up with dance moves by the Black Angels Collective and performance by the ReChoirMints choir. Afterwards, Williams surprisingly took to the stage to thank Moncler and the Ruffini family for standing by his side since 2009.
The party went by in a heartbeat as guests crowded the colonnaded passageways of the Portrait Milano square, sipping cocktails and dancing the night away to a booming DJ set. Outside, the streets were blocked to fend off the crowds of onlookers, and long lines of cars snaked around the hotel. — Martino Carrera
Daniel Roseberry’s Starry L.A. Night Alongside Schiaparelli and Neiman Marcus, Los Angeles, Oct. 12
Daniel Roseberry’s star power was in full view when the Schiaparelli designer made an L.A. visit. Toasting the brand’s partnership with Neiman Marcus, he brought out Hollywood’s leading ladies — during a quiet party season amid the Hollywood strike, no less — including Jennifer Lopez, Angela Bassett, Taraji P. Henson, Regina King, Demi Moore, Gabrielle Union, Joey King, Maya Rudolph, Natasha Lyonne and Olivia Wilde.
“I love L.A.,” said Roseberry, taking a break from life in Paris and the atelier on Place Vendôme. “I have a boyfriend here. I have friends here.”
His boyfriend is fellow designer Adam Selman, who came out in support. And a new friend in town was none other than Lopez. The room took notice when she and Roseberry spent nearly 20 minutes tête-à-tête after she arrived to the affair — a cocktail hour held at the John Sowden House, the 1926 neo-Mayan residence designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was their first time meeting.
“Very good chemistry,” said Roseberry, moments after the chat. “And, you know, it’s either there or it’s not.” — Ryma Chikhoune
Brunello Cucinelli Directs a Starry Scene at the Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles, Oct. 19
It could have been a scene from a movie, a very gorgeous one, with a bearded Chris Pine leaning against the bar in a perfect white linen suit; Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk descending the stairs into the Chateau Marmont lobby salon hand-in-hand, followed by a bespectacled Jon Hamm and his wife, Anna Osceola.
Brunello Cucinelli was the director of the scene — “Una Serata Italiana” (an Italian evening) — in Los Angeles, which brought out the starriest crowd in some time in a still-striking Hollywood for Negronis and dinner in the garden, including Oprah, JLo and Ben Affleck, Ava DuVernay, Demi Moore, Jeremy Allen White, Quinta Brunson, Mandy Moore, and many more.
The name of Cucinelli’s Italian hamlet of cashmere, craft and humanity was on everyone’s lips, a Shangri-La more perfect than Hollywood itself: “Solomeo, have you been to Solomeo? You have to go to Solomeo.”
“For fashion, it’s very important for us to come here for research for the summer collection, it’s very inspirational,” said Cucinelli, on a tour through the U.S. that included stops in New York and Dallas. — Booth Moore
LACMA Art + Film Gala Raises Profile of the new Gucci, Los Angeles, Nov. 4
The star-stacked, Gucci-sponsored LACMA Art + Film Gala event was the Hollywood coming out for the house’s new creative director Sabato De Sarno, who took the opportunity to launch his first Ancora Notte eveningwear and menswear on several of the night’s VIPs.
Co-chair Eva Chow wore a white column gown with crystal accents that was one of De Sarno’s new designs, while Kirsten Dunst debuted a white minidress dotted with crystal embroideries inspired by ’50s archival pieces, and Jesse Plemons wore De Sarno’s ’90s-revived straight-fit tuxedo with round interlocking G buttons.
“I love the new Gucci,” Dunst said. Daisy Edgar Jones echoed the sentiment, pointing out how fun and unpretentious De Sarno is. “Every event I have been to with him has started with tequila shots!” — Booth Moore
Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps Cohost Dôen’s Planned Parenthood Fundraiser, Los Angeles, Dec. 6
It was the kind of party we rarely experience these days: a genuine, intimate feel oozing with warmth and charm. A festive holiday fête, it was women supporting women — and for a pressing issue.
“We are fighting the fight of our lives for equality,” said Busy Philipps, cohost with her friend and fellow actor Michelle Williams. They were out for Dôen’s annual Planned Parenthood fundraiser with designer-sister duo Margaret and Katherine Kleveland, held this year at cozy Italian hot spot La Dolce Vita in Beverly Hills for a night of “spaghetti disco,” as the invite promised. And, as always, to raise funds.
“It goes beyond unwanted teen pregnancies and extends to essential health care, screenings, STDs, but also cancer screenings, men’s health care, transgender care,” Philipps went on. “Now more than ever, especially with the ongoing attack on reproductive rights in our country, they need our support and our love and our f–king money.” — Ryma Chikhoune
Launch Gallery: A Look Back at the Best Party Moments of 2023
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