Always a chic stop on Hollywood’s biggest weekend, the Chanel and Charles Finch pre-Oscar Awards Dinner is taking a pause this year amid the ongoing pandemic. However, the party partners did not let the weekend go by without curating a special box that was delivered to VIPs today, allowing them to celebrate at home in the same spirit of a typical well-heeled event.
Guests were hand-delivered two boxes by formally dressed couriers that contained ingredients to toast fashion and film (vodka, vermouth, olives and lemon for a signature martini), polish it off with something sweet (a variety of ice cream paired with toppings like cotton candy, cherries and chocolate sauce to create a decadent sundae), while kicking back and watching a film as suggested by a list of the top 50 of all time (a digital project was included).
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Nominees such as Andra Day, Carey Mulligan, Chloe Zhao, Glenn Close and Leslie Odom Jr. received the deliveries as did stars like Brad Pitt, Camila Morrone, Clint Eastwood, Danny Huston, David O’Russell, Demi Moore, Diane Kruger, Eddie Redmayne, Edward Norton, James Corden, Kristen Stewart, Leonardo Dicaprio, Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow, Lily-Rose Depp, Lupita Nyong’o, Maggie Rogers, Margaret Qualley, Margot Robbie, Meryl Street, Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, Pharrell Williams, Pierce Brosnan, Renee Zellweger, Regina King, Sofia Coppola, Tracee Ellis Ross, Taylor Russell, Park Soo-joo and many others.
Had this been any other year, many of those aforementioned names would likely have been partying with Chanel and Finch inside the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge (or Madeo prior to that new party location). In addition to martinis and sundaes, a mariachi band always greeted guests at the event, which kept its invite list in the neighborhood of 150 to maintain an intimate feel.
Like the box, the list was always well-curated and featured a mix of nominees, creative talent, business moguls, fashionistas, artists and influencers. Think names like DiCaprio, Robbie, Jeff Bezos, Rupert Murdoch, Pharrell Williams and Pedro Almodóvar and so on. It’s how Coco Chanel would’ve done it. She was known to open up her Paris apartment to host creative individuals and artists and the local party was launched with in the same spirit, and as a way to continue the conversations and bond between fashion and film.
“Our temple is — and always should be — the movie theater, the big screen, the lights dimmed in anticipation of the spectacle. For most of the year gone by, our temples have been shut and our celebrations, openings, screenings and parties canceled. BUT, and it’s a big but, my dear partners are Chanel and I do not want this wonderful night in the calendar to pass unnoticed without, at the very least, reminding you all of our love of movies, of movie people and of Hollywood,” reads a note from Finch included in the delivery. “So, congratulations to friends who are nominees this year, to nominees new to the celebrations, and please find a small token of our affection.”
Another token accompanying the weekend’s gift: Chanel and Finch are making a donation to The Actors Fund to support the organization’s COVID-19 relief efforts. It’s also worth noting that there was an eco-conscious note included in the delivery that offered recipients the option of reaching out by email to schedule a pickup of the packaging in order for it to be recycled.
Tonight, Chanel & Charles Finch would typically be hosting 150 @ Polo Lounge for a pre-Oscars soiree. Instead, nominees like Andra Day, Carey Mulligan, Leslie Odom Jr. received curated box by courier to celebrate. Martini, ice cream sundae ingredients. Recycling instructions incl pic.twitter.com/jdXvY4YYEh
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) April 24, 2021
See inside previous Chanel bashes below.
