Best Dressed Guests at Serpentine Summer Party
In celebration of the new pavilion designed by Minsuk Cho of Mass Studies, Serpentine on Tuesday hosted its annual summer party, welcoming guests including Benedict Cumberbatch, Minnie Driver, Bianca Jagger, Maya Jama, Alexa Chung, Eric Nam and “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae .
The midsummer bash was cohosted by South Korean music artist Peggy Gou, British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw — who donned a custom sparky pink ensemble by Prada — and tennis legend Venus Williams, who wore an elegant white gown designed by 16Arlington’s Marco Capaldo.
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“As an interior designer and avid art lover, I’ve always found Serpentine to be such a unique place to experience art — surrounded by the Kensington Gardens in the heart of one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. I’m incredibly honored to cohost this year’s party for an evening celebrating culture and artistry in all forms,” said Williams, who has had a busy fashion month, attending shows including Schiaparelli, Dries Van Noten, JW Anderson, Gucci and Prada.
It was a night of monotone dresses. Chung wore a bespoke emerald green silk gown by LVMH Prize winner Nensi Dojaka. The style, which made its runway debut in Dojaka’s fall 2023 collection in red, was inspired by the green dress Keira Knightley wore in the 2007 movie “Atonement.”
Model Edie Campbell opted for a sheer tea green tulle dress by Molly Goddard. Jourdan Dunn channeled Greek goddess realness in a body-hugging black and white dress from Nina Ricci, designed by Harris Reed. British actress Minnie Driver wore an embroidered Huishan Zhang red number.
Other best-dressed guests included Jagger, who matched her sequined white coat with a pair of comfy shoes adorned with crystals; Emma Weymouth in a red Vivienne Westwood fishtail gown; Marina Abramovi? declaring her presence in a voluminous black gown by Roksanda Ilin?i?, and Indian socialite Natasha Poonawalla, who arrived at the party alongside Edward Enninful in a maximalist red dress patched with floral motifs with a JW Anderson frog clutch.
It was also an evening where fashion designer came with their muses. Dojaka with Chung, Charles Jeffrey with Cora Corre, Aaron Esh with Kiki Willems, Dimitra Petsa of Di Petsa with Tsunaina, Erdem Moral?o?lu with “The King of Staten Island” star Bel Powley, Emilia Wickstead and New Zealand actress Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, Reed with Dunn and Jama, David Koma with Shygirl and Ed McVey, who plays Prince William in “The Crown.”
“I am having such a good time,” Petsa said. “I loved that I can party but also be part of a cultural moment. The [Yinka Shonibare] exhibition next to the pavilion is really interesting. I like the way that he approaches nationalism and protectionism.”
The designer said she is planning to spend her summer holiday on nudist beaches in Mykonos. But before that, she is working on the spring 2025 collection, which will see the introduction of menswear in September during London Fashion Week.
Reed is planning to head to Greece with friends including fellow designer Lo — whose parents are visiting London for three weeks before his island trip — and stylist Harry Lambert as well later in the summer, and will host many barbecue parties in the garden of his new apartment.
The London-based American designer said he was extremely pleased with his dates at the party. “Jama looks hot. I love that she took it to a place for me. She’s very Austin Powers in the best way. For me, it’s modern sexuality. Dunn just looks like she’s having her princess moment,” Reed added.
He also teased that the new Nina Ricci collection is almost there but his namesake demi-couture label still has “a lot to go.”
“I’m still managing to juggle between the creative director job and my namesake label and to give equal love to both. I have been at Nina for a year-and-a-half now. It takes a lot of effort to structure teams and get people to understand the words you’re using. For me, the word inclusion or the word beauty means something completely different to a French woman who’s been there for 45 years. We’re learning to find the beautiful balance and I think we’re finally doing it,” added Reed, who also confirmed that a new product with his creative touch will be revealed in tandem with the brand’s spring 2025 show in Paris.
Rocco Iannone, creative director of Ferrari’s fashion line, was at the party as well. “Being here, it’s very interesting to see this kind of beautiful mix community of art, architecture and fashion, talking together. It’s such an inspiring moment for me,” Iannone said.
The Italian designer is in the middle of a research trip meeting Ferrari car owners in London, understanding their love and passion, as well as expectations for the brand.
“They are already engaged and they expect something that can surprise them. That’s why I am fine-tuning the idea of what is the proper Ferrari wardrobe. I am working a lot around these concepts to create something that is strongly meaningful for our brand,” Iannone said.
At the center of the star-studded party, of course, was Cho’s pavilion, which consisted of five islands on the grounds of the Serpentine South Gallery.
Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director at Serpentine, told WWD while waiting for Skepta’s arrival that he had known Cho for more than 30 years. “I met him at the very beginning of his trajectory and he’s done amazing buildings in [South] Korea, from Buddhist temples to cinemas, and extraordinary communion spaces that people can get on to public spaces,” he added.
“For his first project in London, he came up with the great idea of creating a Korean traditional courtyard, built around an empty center. It includes a playground, a music hall, a space to gather, a library where people can bring their unread books, and there is a tea house. It’s a very interactive pavilion, and it works during the day but it also works very well for a party tonight. We’re particularly happy to have a performance by the great Korean choreographer Eun-Me Ahn and she’s the new Pina Bausch,” Obrist said.
The celebration of the pavilion is a key part of the art institute’s summer program, which also includes a Yinka Shonibare solo exhibition at Serpentine South and a retrospective of Judy Chicago at Serpentine North.
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