Like any good party girl, Charli xcx was nowhere to be found when Vanity Fair’s fête celebrating her November issue cover story began at 7 p.m. sharp Thursday night. But shortly after 7:30 p.m., the “365” singer arrived at the Dimes Square hot spot Le Dive with her husband, The 1975 drummer George Daniel, in tow.
Decked out in a black dress with long sleeves, Charli said she was honored to have been chosen to resurrect Vanity Fair’s long-dormant art issue. “I’m so happy that Issy Wood got to do a painting because I’m such a fan of her work,” said Charli xcx. “It’s been amazing shooting with Aidan [Zamiri], who is one of my best friends.”
Now that Brat summer has come and gone, there’s only one question: What should Charli xcx do next?
Harrison Patrick Smith, a.k.a The Dare, wants Charli to keep us on our toes. “I guess I want to be surprised,” said the “Girls” singer at the launch party. “I like unpredictability in artists, and I think she will be.” He was one of the first to arrive, though he slipped under the radar since he wasn’t wearing his signature black suit and skinny tie. (“It’s too cold,” he said.) Smith was a little more specific about his sartorial wishes for his friend: “I would love to see [Charli in] a hat,” he joked.
Others wouldn’t change a thing about Charli. “We were obsessed with her,” said Romy Mars, who was there with a friend. The pair attended Charli’s Brat Tour last summer, and have been devoted fans ever since. The 18-year-old also shared that Charli’s VF cover party at Le Dive was the first industry event she had attended without her Oscar-winning mother, Sofia Coppola. “I wonder if they’ll do something,” Mars said of a potential collaboration with Charli. “My mom loves her. I play Brat in the kitchen, and Sofia gets turnt.”
Many attendees were all in on Charli’s movie-star era. The pop star has a whopping seven films coming out soon, a pivot she may have foreshadowed in Brat. (“We’ve got that lights, camera, action,” as the “360” remix goes) “I want to see her in her movie-star bag,” said Emily Ratajkowski, who recently delivered a stand-out performance in Lena Dunham’s rom-com series Too Much. “I’d love to see her in a really dramatic film,” added TikTok star Delaney Rowe. Overcompensating star Wally Baram was on the same page, hoping for “a really vulnerable, dramatic role” for Charli. The pop star recently played herself on Overcompensating season one; apparently it’s not out of the question that she’ll return for the comedy’s recently announced second season.
“I know all the film and TV stuff is coming. I’d say I’d love to see her in season two of Overcompensating, and I would love a new album,” said Overcompensating star Benito Skinner, a.k.a Benny Drama. Returning to his television show while making a new album is a lot to ask, but Skinner—a close friends of Charli’s—isn’t afraid to ask. “I’m greedy,” he says. “I’m an angel first—a greedy angel—and a friend second.”
Threads content
Charli seems ready to make good on the acting promise. The day before the party, she was hard at work on her forthcoming film The Moment with A24. “We just did pickup shoots yesterday,” she said at the party. “Yeah, we’re feeling really good.”
At the event, Skinner was deeply engrossed in conversation with Rowe as guests sipped on Johnnie Walker Blue Label cocktails. In one corner, a sunglassed Jim Jarmusch flanked Charli, who took a photo with superfan Mars. On the other side of the room, Ratajkowski embraced her close friend Ziwe after chatting with Kate Moss’s daughter, Lila Moss. Outside, a smoking section housed Chloë Sevigny, with Charli popping out every so often to partake. Around 8:15 p.m., Vanity Fair’s global editorial director Mark Guiducci raised a toast to the woman of the hour. “I first met Charli in May 2024 when we hosted a party in a flower shop. There was a floral dress code, but of course, she wore all black,” he said. “Charli is writing a new chapter for herself and it so happens that Vanity Fair is too.”
More than movie stardom and even a new album, her friends want Charli to do, well, whatever the hell she wants. “Which is obviously going to happen, because the only thing that drives her is doing what fulfills her,” said Kevin Parker, the man behind Tame Impala. “In her position, someone could easily make a calculated move. But, at the end of the day, the best thing she can do is whatever the fuck she wants to do.”
Playwright and producer Jeremy O. Harris shared a similar sentiment. “I want to see Charli do whatever she wants to do. I think that’s when we get the best results,” he said. “I think when people pre-describe what Charli should do, it’s to their detriment. The best compass for where Charli should go next is Charli.” Harris stars with Charli in one of her seven upcoming films: Erupcja, directed by Pete Ohs, which received overwhelmingly positive reviews after premiering at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. “It’s such a shock that an artist like Charli would take it upon herself to not just go to Poland, but also to strip down, become a very different person, and work in a way that had no frills,” said Harris.
“I think that when the time comes, she should do something that just comes to her and just enters her ear. Like, whatever feels best at that point,” said rapper Jack Harlow. The “Whats Poppin” artist revealed that he and Charli have connected on the film reviewing app Letterboxd. His handle? MissionaryJack. (We’ll let you guess why.) Another Jack echoed his words about Charli’s future: “I feel like I can’t decide that. For me, that’s up to her,” said Adults star Jack Innanen. (Is his FX sitcom returning, by the way? Innanen is not at liberty to say, though he did express some optimism: “Fingers crossed.”)
The event continued well past its designated ending time, as all good parties do. In the basement of Le Dive, Charli, George Daniel, and guests danced under a disco ball as a DJ Matteo spun. The Dare was still there after-hours, chatting on a couch while Jack Harlow gave the DJ no less than 15 song suggestions—including but not limited to Abba’s “Dancing Queen,” the Bee Gees’s “Stayin’ Alive,” and Britney Spears’s “…Baby One More Time.” Daniel was by Charli’s side throughout.
How is the pop star enjoying married life? “It’s sexy,” Charli said with a laugh. “At the moment, it’s sexy.” Turns out that when you’re Charli xcx, everything really is romantic.
More Great Stories From Vanity Fair
-
What Bari Weiss Means for 60 Minutes
-
All About Melania
-
Meet the British ’90s It Girl Who Wants to Make England Great Again
-
Anjelica Huston’s Cultured Coolness
-
Gore Vidal’s Final Feud
-
The 6 Grisly Films Inspired by Serial Killer Ed Gein
-
Charlie Kirk, Redeemed by the Media
-
The 25 Best Movies to Watch on Netflix This October
-
From the Archive: The Hollywood Secret Katharine Hepburn Helped Bury
The post What Should Charli xcx Do After Brat? “Whatever the F— She Wants” appeared first on Vanity Fair.
