For those still wondering if summer has arrived, last night’s annual Serpentine summer party confirmed that the season is truly in full swing. A-list guests flocked in droves to the Kensington Gardens event—the biggest and most glittery gallery fete on London’s calendar.
Christopher Kane played host for the evening alongside Michael Bloomberg, Dasha Zhukova, Maja Hoffmann, Zaha Hadid, Alexa Chung, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Julia Peyton-Jones, and Hans Ulrich Obrist. “It’s a huge honor,” said Kane. “The Serpentine party is the highlight of the social scene in London; it really marks the beginning of summer. London is home to the best art schools in the world, and people come here to see art and fashion, and tonight really exemplifies that.”
This year was particularly special, as it marked the 15th anniversary of the annual Serpentine Pavilion with an installation by Spanish architects SelgasCano, who created a multicolored backdrop described as a “psychedelic caterpillar” and not a far cry in terms of aesthetic from Kane’s early neon numbers.
“I drove past it with my son two days ago, and he said, ‘What’s that, Daddy? We should go,’” recalled James Corden. “And I think if any art gallery encourages a 4-year-old to want to be in there, then that’s a good and brilliant thing.”
The star-studded roll call included Lara Stone, Karlie Kloss, Mario Testino, Ewan McGregor, and Kate Hudson, who was visiting the iconic park for the first time. The Glastonbury gang also managed to turn it around in time to attend, including Suki Waterhouse, looking every inch the garden princess in a plunging tulle dress by Valentino, and Poppy Delevingne, showing off her newly brightened locks. “I had to work on Monday, so I got out of Glastonbury early on Sunday and had to pull it together, and now I’m feeling remarkably chipper for it,” said Delevingne.
Guests enjoyed a host of games and street-style food (Note: Crab doughnuts are trending this summer), while NARS makeup artists were on hand for any quick cosmetic fixes, handy given the evening’s tropical temperatures. James Righton and 2ManyDJs manned the decks before Spandau Ballet and Mark Ronson took to the stage, intro’ed by the line “All mirrors are redundant,” at which point the audience took their cue to break it down.
—Mhairi Graham, Style.com
