W magazine’s annual Best Performances party returned to Los Angeles with a bang on Thursday. At the chic Hollywood bistro Gigi’s, hosts W editor in chief Sara Moonves, editor at large Lynn Hirschberg, and Louis Vuitton’s artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière welcomed Dakota Johnson, Andrew Garfield, Lauren Ridloff, Emilia Jones, and Jonah Hill—plus many more of the 35 stars photographed by Tim Walker for W’s latest Best Performances issue. Joining them was W’s recent Directors Issue cover star Alana Haim with her sister Danielle Haim, both wearing oversized striped rugby tops straight from Louis Vuitton’s fall 2022 runway. Haim’s Licorice Pizza director and frequent collaborator Paul Thomas Anderson, along with his fellow Oscar nominee Pedro Almodóvar and two-time winner Tarantino brought the filmmaker star power. In an especially celebratory moment, Tarantino—whose birthday happens to be on Oscar Sunday—was treated to a surprise cake complete with candles and a sing-along to ring in his 59th year.
Ghesquière’s singular designs for Louis Vuitton provided a cool twist on the cocktail attire dress code and could be seen on everyone from Thuso Mbedu and Maria Bakalova to Cody Fern and The Worst Person in the World’s breakout star Renate Reinsve. The designer, who recently spoke with his longtime friend Grace Coddington in the pages of W about his creative process has a particular talent for blending historical references with thoroughly modern fashion—an aesthetic that suited the Studio 54-meets-young-Hollywood vibe at Gigi’s where the music was great and the champagne was flowing. When DJ Ross One started to spin Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” the crowd practically erupted in cheers.
As the revelry continued well past midnight, Frank Ocean made his way into the event and Reinsve and her Worst Person co-star Anders Danielsen Lie danced almost until the sun came up. Below, a look inside this year’s celebration.
Thuso Mbedu
Pedro Almodóvar
Nicolas Ghesquière and Sara Moonves
Renate Reinsve
Jamie Dornan and Andrew Garfield
Pedro Almodóvar and Paul Thomas Anderson
Maria Bakalova
Almodóvar and Ghesquière
Nicolas Ghesquière, Sara Moonves and Paul Thomas Anderson
Laura Love
Doona Bae
Danielle and Alana Haim with Jonah Hill
Alana Haim, Maya Rudolph, and Paul Thomas Anderson with Quentin Tarantino
Saniyya Sidney and Daniele Lawson
Cooper Hoffman and Paul Thomas Anderson
Pedro Almodóvar and Lynn Hirschberg
Sara Moonves, Nicolas Ghesquière and Emma Chamberlain
Kate Hudson and Dakota Johnson
Lisa Love
Chris Pine and Kate Hudson
Daisy Edgar Jones and Ella Hunt
Sara Moonves and Jonah Hill
Kaia Gerber and Taylor Hill
Winnie Harlow
Jamie Dornan, Sara Moonves, and Andrew Garfield
Simon Rex
Chloe Cherry
Lily James
Mindy Kaling
Tiffany Haddish and Michael Gandolfini
Gabrielle Union
Kaitlyn Dever
Maya Rudolph, Lynn Hirschberg, and Danielle Haim
Pedro Almodóvar
Lynn Hirschberg and Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar and Nicolas Ghesquière
Sara Moonves, Nicolas Ghesquière, and Emilia Jones
Quentin Tarantino and Lynn Hirschberg
Sara Moonves, Nicolas Ghesquière and Lynn Hirschberg
Chris Pine and Kate Hudson
Brittany O’Grady, Thuso Mbedu, Gabrielle Union, Colman Domingo, Ryan Destiny, and Ruth E. Carter
DJ Ross One
Emilia Jones and Alana Haim
Hailey Benton-Gates and Chris Pine
Emilia Jones
Lynn Hirschberg and Kaitlyn Dever
Marlee Matlin and Emilia Jones
Danielle Haim, Sara Moonves, Alana Haim
Source: W Magazine