Go Inside W’s Best Performances Party 2022

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 Quentin 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. The filmmaker grinned from ear to ear and bopped his head around as the crowd serenaded him with Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” before he blew out his candles and huddled with friends.

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. Kate Hudson, Ava DuVernay, Emma Chamberlain, Troye Sivan, South Korean actress Doona Bae, and the singer Lous & The Yakuza all showed up in their Vuitton finest as well. 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his longtime friend Grace Coddington in the pages of W about his creative process has a particular talent for blending historical references with thoroughly modern fashion—an aesthetic that suited the Studio 54-meets-young-Hollywood vibe at Gigi’s where the music was great and the champagne was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, and everyone from Lily James, the Haim sisters, Licorice Pizza’s Cooper Hoffman, and Daisy Edgar-Jones hit the dance floor. While dancing ensued, Kaia Gerber arrived with Elvis star and reported boyfriend Austin Butler, making their official debut as a couple, and it was a reunion for Garfield and his old pal and fellow Best Performances star Jamie Dornan, who arrived with his wife Amelia Warner. The palpable energy never dwindled, as guests sipped champagne and jumped around in front of the DJ booth for hours, shouting along to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.”

As the revelry continued well past midnight, Frank Ocean made his way into the event. Moonves, Hirschberg, Ghesquière and team danced almost until the sun came up, while the DJ kept it going with hits from New Order to Justin Bieber. Below, a look inside this year’s celebration.