As the clock inched toward midnight at the Vanity Fair Oscars party (and on the eight-month long “Barbie” press tour), Greta Gerwig gleefully danced the night away.
With an In-N-Out burger in one hand and a cocktail in the other, Gerwig grooved to Dua Lipa’s hit “Dance the Night” with another one of her Barbies, Hari Nef, who sported a pink feathered Balenciaga jacket with a sizable train.
For this last hurrah, Gerwig swapped the pink boiler suit she famously wore while directing the $1.4 billion blockbuster (and the stunning Gucci gown she wore at the ceremony) for a black open tuxedo jacket, skipping a shirt in favor of draping Boucheron diamonds on her neck and chest.
Shortly after the “Barbie” song ended, the director was ready to take a load off, making her way to an open seat on the outdoor courtyard, because it had been a long day and anyone’s feet would hurt at this point. There, Gerwig was flanked by her husband, “Barbie” co-scribe Noah Baumbach, who was eating a burger of his own, and her crew of close friends, who all wore matching dresses.
The “Barbie” bunch was in fine form at the glitzy shindig, particularly after Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s historic second Oscar win and the instantly iconic performance of “I’m Just Ken” featuring Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Eastwood and Ncuti Gatwa. Producer-star Margot Robbie (in a golden Thierry Mugler bodysuit) and Issa Rae (in Valdrin Sahiti) arrived on the earlier side, followed by America Ferrera (who matched the red lighting in a sparkling Versace suit).
But a crowd formed around Eilish when she, Finneas and their Oscars showed up around 11 p.m., with Sabrina Carpenter and “Swarm” star Dominique Fishback among those admiring the hardware. Later, Flavor Flav, who was rocking a pink “Barbie”-inspired clock chain, bestowed Eilish with a matching one, much to the delight of the now two-time Oscar winner and the crowd, who cheered along.
The party, hosted by Vanity Fair Editor-in-Chief Radhika Jones, was just hitting its starriest point when this PvNew reporter arrived on site at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts about a half-hour earlier. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to walk the Vanity Fair red carpet when you’re not famous?
Well, I certainly found out when I sprinted past “Anatomy of a Fall” nominee and “The Zone of Interest” star Sandra Hüller, who’d changed into a second Schiaparelli gown, this one a striking, architectural white number.
While celebrities and studio heads mixed and mingled in the line to get their photo taken on the iconic red, black and gold carpet, a PR rep for the party quickly ushered me inside. I nearly barreled into “Wicked’s” Cynthia Erivo, who was showing off her second gown of the night to VF’s video crew. Fortunately, Diane Warren had been waiting to talk to her, so the two Oscar nominees chatted away as they headed into the party, just ahead of a Dior-clad Charlize Theron.
The custom-built venue had gotten an ultra luxe and “sexy” upgrade in honor of the party’s 30th anniversary. Upon entering, guests snaked through a hall of mirrors, which made for the perfect backdrop for a shot of Hüller and “Past Lives” star Greta Lee (in a Loewe slip dress). Another set of photographers flocked to capture the scene, temporarily blocking the entrance to the party, where winners like “Oppenheimer” composer Ludwig Göransson and editor Jennifer Lame had just arrived. (The rest of the “Oppenhomies” — Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey, and Emily Blunt and John Krasinski — and their Oscars were already there.)
But when the flashbulbs stopped, the seas parted and everywhere you looked there was a famous person — starting with Steven Spielberg, who held court at a table at the entrance of the 10,000 square foot room, which was draped with floor-to-ceiling red curtains. “Past Lives” filmmaker Celine Song was among those who said hello to the legendary director, who has said he saw her debut movie three times.
Then one well-heeled guest whizzed by. “I wanna see Lindsay,” she said. Could she mean Lohan?
That’s right: 17 years after they ruled the Hollywood party circuit, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and Kim Kardashian were all in the same room. Lohan was photographed chatting with Kardashian and posing with Hilton’s mother Kathy Hilton. She also got a big hug from Florence Pugh, who then made her way to the bar where Lena Waithe, Olivia Wilde and Rae were circled up.
Also spotted in the general vicinity were Serena Williams and Eva Longoria, as well as “Bridgerton” alums Regé-Jean Page, Jonathan Bailey and Phoebe Dynevor, though not all together. Page was seen chatting with David Oyelowo and Colman Domingo, who’d changed into a bejeweled Balmain coat, while Dynevor talked to Edgar Wright.
Young Hollywood packed the dance floor with the likes of Sydney Sweeney (stunning in Angelina Jolie’s 2004 Marc Bouwer dress and a new bob), Alexandra Shipp, Hunter Schafer, Maude Apatow, Hailee Steinfeld and Anderson .Paak, plus Michelle Buteau (who’d co-hosted the red carpet live stream), Michaela Jaé Rodriguez and Shonda Rhimes all swaying along to Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” and other throwback hits. Best actor nominee Jeffrey Wright lost his dates to the dance floor too, as his kids got down to the DJ while he chatted by the bar.
Music’s finest turned up to celebrate the movie industry’s biggest night, including Cardi B, Victoria Monét, Usher, Haim, Saweetie, Coco Jones and Chlöe and Halle Bailey, who navigated the party hand in hand. Jon Batiste and Becky G also dropped by after their show-stopping performances on the Oscars stage. Ciara and Russell Wilson (fresh from signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers) were spotted laughing it up with Rae, while Lizzo and her date Myke Wright linked arms to take a shot. Williams and Wilson weren’t the only sports stars in attendance: LeBron James, Roger Federer, Jalen Hurts, Odell Beckham Jr., Shaun White with Nina Dobrev, and Dwyane Wade with Gabrielle Union also made their star presence known.
This year, Vanity Fair served an array of pizzas from chef Evan Funke, but In-N-Out was still a staple of the party. Ice Spice surveyed a tray of burgers, which were ferried around the room by servers, before opting to pass for the moment. After “The Holdovers” star Paul Giamatti went viral for celebrating his Golden Globes victory at the fast food chain, he wore In-N-Out cuff links to the big show, and even though he didn’t win an Oscar, he did get a burger — a nice consolation prize. Meanwhile, last year’s best actor winner Brendan Fraser snacked on his burger by the nearby bar.
By 12:30 a.m., last year’s best supporting actor winner Ke Huy Quan was making his way out of the bash, but stopped for a photo with Charles Melton, who was nearly nominated in the same category for his critically-acclaimed turn in “May December.” Nominees like Danielle Brooks and Sterling K. Brown, flanked by their spouses Dennis Gelin and Ryan Michelle Bathe, were overheard making plans to hit Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Gold Party.
Around the same time, “American Fiction’s” Cord Jefferson was finally making his way into the party and to the bar, if only he could make it past the rush of friends and colleagues (including Tyrese Gibson, Nick Kroll and “Spider-Verse” director Chris Miller) stopping to congratulate him on a stellar speech.
One of the final Oscar winners to arrive was best supporting actress victor Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who showed up just before 1 a.m. As she made her way to the dance floor, “The Holdovers” star sparkled in a black Valdrin Sahiti dress with her Oscar in hand and the publicist she thanked in her emotional acceptance speech, Marla Ferrell, following close behind. There, Randolph linked up with fellow first-time Oscar winner Kris Bowers, who had been tearing up the dance floor with his “Last Repair Shop” co-director Ben Proudfoot and sharing their Oscar trophies with anyone who asked for a selfie. On the opposite side of the room, best actress nominee Lily Gladstone posed for photos with Janae Collins and Jillian Dion, who played her sisters in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
By 1:45 a.m., though, everyone seemed ready to call it a night. As the “Poor Things” crafts team danced along to the last remnants of ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” guests, like Joey King and Tan France began to head for the Uber pickup zone. But Bowers and Proudfoot —who, in honor of their short doc, had ridden in a LAUSD school bus to the Oscars with the high school musicians they brought to the ceremony — all climbed aboard a Sprinter with their team.
It’s still technically a bus, but by this time they were Oscar winners.
