On Saturday night, a crowd gathered outside the Chateau Marmont. It wasn’t to get in—there was an unsaid understanding between those on the Marmont Lane sidewalk that the Chateau, already known as one of the hardest doors in Hollywood, was firmly closed tonight. The only way for it to open? If you were on a list carefully, cutthroating-ly curated by Giorgio Armani. Instead, the crowd was there to watch who did.
Their dedication to people-watching paid off. SUV after SUV pulled up, dropping off names more glamorous than the next: Zoë Kravitz, Charli XCX, Olivia Rodrigo, Demi Moore. “Turn around for the camera, gorgeous!” A paparazzo shouted at Laura Harrier, who acquiesced after several more shouted similar sentiments. “Yes, love you Laura!” A fan added from a distance.
She was heading inside to a party thrown by the Italian house for their Armani/Archivo initiative, an ambitious project that aims to create a publicly-accessible digital archive of the designs of the late and legendary founder of the house, Giorgio Armani. It was an event that would have attracted a starry crowd regardless—Armani, a brand known for their glamorous eveningwear, has long been a red carpet favorite for celebrities from Cate Blanchett, to Elle Fanning, to Selena Gomez. Yet tonight was also the Academy Award Museum Gala. With Armani’s late start time at 10 p.m, word quickly spread through the Academy crowd that the Chateau Marmont would be the unofficial after party.
