More than 6,000 spectators attended the eighth annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic on Saturday at the Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades to watch international polo star Nacho Figueras alongside his wife, Delfina Blaquier, compete against Team Will Rogers for the annual match.
The star-studded event drew Kate Hudson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Dev Patel, Jamie Foxx, Sophia Bush, Chris Martin and James Marsden, who wore their weekend best and sipped champagne.
Though beyond the champagne and eccentricities, the event served as a platform for stars to speak out.
Big Little Lies’ Laura Dern spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the importance of California wild parks, given the recent fires throughout the state.
“You hope that you have opportunities like this, which seemingly on the surface is lovely, but the largest issue of Veuve Clicquot is supporting obviously our state parks,” she said of the tragic situation of the California fires. “At [this] time, our state is going through deep trauma and [to] protect and honor these incredible refuges, it’s means a lot. I have a lot of friends who lost a great deal in Napa right now, so I’m sending them great love and support.”
Wildfires were not the only thing celebrities shared on the green faux-grass carpet. While some remained silent about the recent uproar around Harvey Weinstein, others focused on women’s involvement and the importance of women speaking out.
Actress Victoria Justice praised the women that have continued to share their voice.
“I think it’s so important for the younger generation to see women doing things and being successful at it because that way they can feel like they continue to dream and do anything because really, women can do anything,” she said. “We’re so powerful, and if we put our minds to something, we get it done. I think it’s important to have that in the public eye.”
Justice added: “With so many women speaking out about sexual harassment issues, I think [speaking out is] really going to make a change because people are going to think twice and they’re going to be afraid — that’s really important and I really admire all the women that have come forward.”
Actress Katharine McPhee shared a similar discourse to Justice.
“Girl power!” she exclaimed after she learned that the polo match included an equal mix of men and women playing on each team.
She continued, “I think it’s just the way that the world is going. If you look at where we’ve come and what women are achieving in every avenue of the world — in business, in sports and entertainment — we have more female producers than we ever used to have and with light of everything that’s going here in Hollywood, there’s less tolerance for bullshit, and we have to keep empowering women to just be awesome.”
This is Us actor Justin Hartley also shared a male perspective on women in media.
“I feel like women getting more involved in every single thing in life is probably better for everybody,” he told THR.
Attendees enjoyed a live DJ, a 10-foot flower wall, interactive photo booths and free-flowing Veuve Clicquot champagne, introducing two of the newest mixes Clicquot Rich and Rich Rosé served with ice and fruits. During the all-day celebration, a variety of Wolfgang Puck-catered eats and treats were served in an atmosphere branded with the bright orange Veuve Clicquot colors in every corner.
