Hollywood’s most glamorous gathered at the Polo Lounge to celebrate Chanel and Charles Finch’s annual celebration
Words by ELIZABETH VARNELL
Photography courtesy of BFA/GETTY
John Sykes, Peter Morton, Charles Finch. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
“If you’re thinking deeply about a character’s intentions or a human’s journey to wherever they presently are, fashion defines that, wardrobe defines that,” says Danielle Deadwyler, who attended Charles Finch and Chanel’s 14th annual dinner held on the eve of the Academy Awards at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills. “Fashion is seeking to communicate something in tandem with film,” she adds. Similarly, the coterie of actors, writers, directors, musicians, and producers including Vicky Krieps, Sarah Polley, Sigourney Weaver, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart, Andrea Riseborough, Andrew Garfield, Jason Clarke, Cécile Breccia, Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Brie Larson, Patty Jenkins, Ava Duvernay, Giveon, Jonathan Majors, Ariana DeBose, Darren Aronofsky, Daniel Kaluuya, Harvey Keitel, Hugh Grant, and Elizabeth McGovern gathered for the intimate dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Saturday, March 11, donning persona-defining off-set looks, many of which nodded to the house’s classic black-and-white palette.
Finch—the polymath son of Oscar-winning actor Peter Finch and the perennial host of annual pre-BAFTA dinners and Filmmakers Dinners held during the Cannes Film Festival at Hotel du Cap—and Chanel are known for assembling a great mix of creatives at his parties, and this night was no exception. Capped at 150, the event celebrated the French house’s cinematic patronage, and summoned locals including Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow, Jennifer Meyer, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, Kelly Lynch and Mitch Glazer, Lisa Love, Kelly Sawyer, Rachel Zoe, Nicole Avant, and Ted Sarandos, who joined Kerry Condon, Rita Ora, Laure Hériard Dubreuil, Vito Schnabel, Whitney Peak, Phoebe Tonkin, Kristine Froseth, Sofia Boutella, Camila Morrone, Jeff Bezos, Riz Ahmed, and Idris Elba.
“Chanel has always supported arts, cinema, painting, writers, and dance, so it’s really in the DNA of the house to support other arts,” said Cotillard, a longtime ambassador. She has often noted the house’s backing of independent films, including director Leos Carax’s Annette and the climate awareness documentary Bigger Than Us, for which she served as narrator. Indeed, Coco Chanel’s long history of cinematic partnerships includes collaborating with French directors Jean Renoir and Marcel Carné as well as dressing Hollywood actresses, including Gloria Swanson, and those in her native France, such as Jeanne Moreau and Romy Schneider. Indeed, Chanel creative director Virginie Viard was a costume designer early in her career, and she has been instrumental in the house’s continued support of filmmakers.
Italian actress Beatrice Grannò, whose White Lotus character held court at the hotel piano bar, took a live turn at the Polo Lounge’s baby grand before mini versions of the ice cream sundae blend preferred by Marilyn Monroe made the rounds after dinner. The concoction of mint chip scoops, topped by malted milk foam, hot fudge, and sour cherries—a party mainstay—mirrored the room’s eclectic mix.
Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
Hugh Grant, Anna Eberstein. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
Marion Cotillard, Jason Clarke. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
LEFT: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick. RIGHT: Sigourney Weaver. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
Brie Larson. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
Daniel Kaluuya, Tessa Thompson. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
LEFT: Riz Ahmed. RIGHT: Tessa Thompson. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
Judd Apatow, Andrew Garfield. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
Nick Brown, Rita Ora, Derek Blasberg. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
LEFT: Jonathon Majors. RIGHT: Lily James. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
Kristine Froseth, Phoebe Tonkin, Kelly Sawyer Patricof. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
Scott Stuber, Sabrina Dhowre Elba and Idris Elba. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
LEFT: Ariana DeBose. RIGHT: Michael B. Jordan. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
Beatrice Grannò. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
Feature image: Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart. CHANEL and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills.
March 13, 2023
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