These days, in addition to coming up with an ungodly number of looks for seasonal collections, creative directors of multibillion-dollar fashion brands are expected to design one-of-a-kind evening gowns for Hollywood stars. Then they must hold court at the events where such gowns are showcased.
That’s what Demna, the one-name designer who recently became Gucci’s main guy, was doing at 6 p.m. on Saturday in an area of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art set aside for cocktails. The occasion was the institution’s annual Art + Film Gala, a party sponsored by Gucci.
Even when fund-raisers in Los Angeles don’t have all that much to do with the entertainment business, they still rely on the synergy of Hollywood and fashion.
That’s what drives sponsorships from luxury brands. That’s what draws the big-name celebrities, who (mostly) wear the sponsor’s clothes and help bring in the high-rolling spectators hoping to secure selfies for social media.
The dress code was black tie, but Demna went casual — baggy black pants, baggy leather jacket with red and green piping, black loafers, narrow sunglasses. It was his first LACMA party.
“It’s not like the Met Gala,” he said, looking out at a crowd that included Dustin Hoffman, Elle Fanning, Cindy Crawford and David Geffen, who has bankrolled new LACMA galleries scheduled to open next year. “This is more elegant.”
When someone asked Demna if people still enjoyed going to the Met Gala, he shrugged and said, “I hope not. It’s so cringe.” Then he let out a laugh.
In the hangar-like area behind him, Queen Latifah was ordering a drink at the bar. A D.J. was playing Moloko’s Ibiza classic “Sing It Back.” Waiters walked around serving vegetarian tempura hors d’oeuvres.
The crowd included Angela Bassett, Salma Hayek, Park Chan-wook, Demi Lovato, Jacob Elordi, Kerry Washington, Hannah Einbinder, Lorde, Quinta Brunson, Ava DuVernay, Kathryn Hahn and Kim Petras.
Around 8 p.m., the guests moved toward the main banquet hall. One couldn’t make it three feet without stepping on the train of an A-lister.
Here was Kristen Wiig in a lace number from Rodarte. There was Demi Moore in a bedazzled floral Gucci dress.
Ms. Moore recently starred in “The Tiger,” a short film sponsored by Gucci that was directed by Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn. In it, Ms. Moore plays a member of the Gucci family.
Between the appetizer (Asian noodle salad) and the main course (a salmon teriyaki-like thing), she huddled at a table in the center of the room with Demna and the model Alex Consani.
The topic of conversation, when a reporter ambled up, wasn’t “The Tiger” but one of the Demna-designed Gucci handbags in Ms. Moore’s collection.
“I forget the name,” she said.
“The Giglio?” Demna said.
“Yeah,” she said. “It can hold a lot. It’s ergonomically easy to handle.”
“Do you have the soft leather one with the squishy handles?” Ms. Consani asked.
“I have that one, too!” Ms. Moore said. “I have that one in large, medium and small.”
Applause rippled through the crowd. People hooted and hollered. A man was watching the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series on his phone.
“It’s over — they won,” said the man, who happened to be Edward Norton, Ms. Moore’s Gucci-clad co-star in “The Tiger.”
“Oh,” said a bemused Demna. “Baseball.”
Moments later, Michael Govan, the museum’s chief executive, stood before the crowd. “Now things are getting even better,” he said, before calling the artist James Turrell to the stage to introduce the night’s first honoree: the 80-year-old artist Mary Corse.
After Ms. Corse gave a speech in which she discussed her relationship with the museum over the course of 55 years, Ms. Bassett introduced the second honoree: Ryan Coogler, the 39-year-old director of “Sinners,” “Black Panther” and “Fruitvale Station.”
He said it felt a little strange to be honored by a museum at this point in his life. “I don’t understand it,” Mr. Coogler said. “I feel like I’m just getting started.”
“I really want to work with him,” Cynthia Erivo said.
The guests headed to an outdoor area for a short set by the singer and rapper Doja Cat.
She was wearing Gucci, too.
Jacob Bernstein reports on power and privilege for the Style section.
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