The Golden Hour, as any photographer worth her salt will tell you, is the moment the world looks its absolute best: just before sunset, and in the fleeting afterglow of the sunrise. It’s only fitting then that this most glamorous hour would be the theme of a star-studded Friday-night party in Los Angeles. Thrown by none other than Sofia Coppola, alongside Cartier International President and CEO Cyrille Vigneron and Cartier North America President and CEO Mercedes Abramo, the fête celebrated the return of the Panthère de Cartier watch, recently relaunched after a 13-year hiatus in a more modern reincarnation. The trio rolled out the red carpet at Milk Studios in Hollywood, and after the sun went down, the stars came out.
Early on, artnet News spotted Sienna Miller posing with Dakota Johnson in contrasting clothes, Miller in all white, Johnson in all black, both of course sporting Cartier watches. Also spotted: Kirsten Dunst with Rodarte sisters Laura and Kate Mulleavy; models Camille Rowe, Poppy Delevingne, and Miranda Kerr. There was also Dita von Teese, perennial arbiter of Old Hollywood glamour, perfectly channeling the mood of the evening. Milk had transformed into a kind of gilded speakeasy, furnished with golden palm trees, sinuous leather banquettes, and a circular bar with a golden Art Deco centerpiece coming down from the ceiling.
We were ushered in by handsome young bell hops and glasses of champagne. The crab claws were cool, the crowd was hot—“hotter than a fantasy,” even, as Alicia Keys sang onstage—and the official dress code was fearless. There was no shortage of ostrich feathers, sequins, or lamé. Keys wore a purple tuxedo jacket and not a lick of makeup, rocking the crowd with a set of greatest hits and getting rocked in turn by the bass reverberating through the stage. “I don’t know if they do basement parties in L.A.,” she told us, “but if they don’t let’s create one tonight.”
We spotted Marilyn Manson in head-to-toe black-and-burgundy plaid chatting quietly in a corner with French Nouvelle Vague legend Bertrand Burgalat—that is, until they were discovered by the photographers and flashbulbs. The cocktails flowed, iPhone cameras flashed, and a gloriously crispy fried-chicken-on-a-stick was served in elegant silver buckets. For dessert, there were gourmet push pops, Mark Ronson, and dancing on the banquettes. As a parting gift, guests were given a very special memento: Donna Summer’s Endless Summer remixed, on vinyl, the perfect track to kick off the season.
For more of the Panthère de Cartier party, see the slideshow:
