Katy Perry, Pharrell, and Most of Young Hollywood Reminisce About Their First Chanel Bag
On Friday evening, Chanel hosted a star-studded dinner to celebrate their new Gabrielle bag.
Seemingly all of young Hollywood was at Santa Monica’s ever-popular Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi on Thursday night. The cause? A dinner to celebrate the launch of Chanel’s new bag, the Gabrielle.
French model, writer and director Caroline de Maigret, and fellow face of the new brand, Pharrell Williams, acted as hosts for the star-studded evening welcoming guests that included ingenues Kiernan Shipka, Lily Collins, Bella Heathcote, Margaret and Rainey Qualley, and Theresa Palmer. And for many of these young starlets, the Gabrielle may just be their first big investment piece.
“It is my first Chanel bag,” marveled Shipka, who wore a white pleated Chanel blouse from the spring collection, noting that her first Chanel purchase, generally speaking, was a pair of shoes. “They were Chanel loafers that I found at a consignment shop, years ago. And I still wear them!” Shipka wasn’t the only one reminiscing about Chanel memories. Kenya Kinski-Jones fondly recalled being in Paris for the Chanel show as a young child, and smelling her mother’s–iconic model and actress Nastassja Kinski–Chanel No. 5 perfume. The young model proved that early impression into fashion had left a lasting impact, as she preened around the party up with fellow scion Sistine Stallone, wearing a classic Chanel suit jacket backwards. She pulled it off.
Australian actress Palmer, who most recently starred in Hacksaw Ridge, was enjoying a night off from mommy-hood, having just given birth four months ago to a son (she also has a three-year-old son and nine-year-old stepson at home.) The irony of having three sons was not lost on her, laughing as she noted that she would need to keep going until she had a daughter, just so she would have someone to pass her new Gabrielle bag to. But rest assured, someone in the house appreciated the Chanel delivery that had landed on her doorstep together. After hopefully inquiring if the package was for him, Palmer had a bonding moment with one of her sons. “We did open it together,” she exclaimed.
Inside Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag Dinner with Katy Perry, Pharrell, and More
Bella Heathcote, Phoebe Tonkin, and Lily Collins, wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Caroline de Maigret and Pharrell Williams, both wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Katy Perry, wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Langley Fox Hemingway and Dree Hemingway, both wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Margaret and Rainey Qualley, both wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Kenya Kinski-Jones, wearing Chanel, and Sistine Stallone at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Kiernan Shipka, wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Ana de Armas, wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Lily Collins, wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Teresa Palmer, wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Amber Valletta, wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Margaret Qualley, wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Poppy Delevingne, wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Pharrell Williams, wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Ana de Armas, wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Bella Heathcote, Phoebe Tonkin, and Lily Collins at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Pharrell Williams and Katy Perry, both wearing Chanel, at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
Amber Valletta and Caroline de Maigret at a dinner in celebration of Chanel’s Gabrielle Bag.
It’s true; there is something magical about a Chanel purchase–even if one may not be on the receiving end of it. Case in point: Katy Perry, another guest of the evening, who just so happens to be the kind of friend who loves to give Chanel as much as she likes to wear it. “Let me tell you a story. I once gave the country/pop singer Kacey Musgraves one of the Chanel western bags,” she said jokingly, trailing off as she recalling the brand’s Paris-Dallas collection.
While all of us wish we could call Perry a friend, especially following that story, Pharrell actually can. In fact, the two are even co-hosting this year’s Met Gala together. “I’m very excited for the Met,” he said. But this evening was all about the Gabrielle, his first Chanel bag. “I started off with the Chanel sunglasses,” he mused, “but this is my first bag. She [Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel] was ahead of her time, and Karl is amazing.” Pharrell himself is also ahead of his time, as the first male face of the womenswear brand’s handbags. When asked if more men should take some of the fashion risks he has, the singer replied, “Is it a risk, though?”
For sure, Pharrell has an innate sense of what to wear and how to wear it–he feels just at ease wearing a classic Chanel women’s jacket as he does a tracksuit, which is was last night’s sartorial choice. As his hosting duties were coming to a close, the crowd dug into a salted caramel dessert, and began to sing “Happy Birthday” as a small cake was brought out. It was a perfect cap to his 44th birthday, which was just the day before, and more so, the perfect ending of a night of many celebrations.
Related: Keira Knightley Explains Why the Katy Perry Film Moved Her to Tears
The Many Phases of Pharrell Williams
In 2003, Williams kept things simple with an oversized t-shirt and hat from his not-yet-launched line Billionaire Boys Club, camouflage cargo pants, and a skateboard necklace. So Aughts.
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At a preview for the Metropolitan Museum’s 2004 exhibition “WILD: Fashion Untamed,” Williams was right on theme in a bold fur coat and a black Gucci belt.
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In a sideways hat, navy hoodie, and embellished denim at the 2005 Billboard Music Awards, Wiliams promoted his new clothing line Ice Cream—amongst other things. A colorful medallion necklace by Jacob the Jeweler was the cherry on top of an eclectic outfit.
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The 2006 Audi Polo Challenge Cup called for country club chic—and Williams delivered. In a white linen suit and brogues, a pink pinstripe shirt, and a tucked-in navy polka dotted tie, the star looked, in a word, dapper.
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Pharrell celebrated Lorraine Schwartz in 2007 in a t-shirt from his Ice Cream label, dark, roomy jeans, and the coolest accessory of 2007, a Blackberry. Ping!!!
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Likely channeling his favorite Wes Anderson characters, Williams donned a golfing cap, khaki blazer, and undone riding boots for a 2009 party at the Serpentine Gallery. Light distressed jeans kept things from looking too Fantastic Mr. Fox-y.
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Williams showed an early interest in the statement accessory at the 2010 NRJ Music Awards with a pair of floral Nike moon boots. Somehow @PharrellsNikeMoonBoots never quite took off.
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Never one to blend in, Williams sported a camouflage short suit by Moncler Gamma Bleu to a 2012 Art Basel party. When in Miami…
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Pharrell donned a patchwork fur coat (a top Fall 2014 trend—always one step ahead) to fete the opening of a new Moncler flagship store. Though his out-there outerwear was equipped with a bold hood, the star had a hat on hand just in case.
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The “Happy” singer stole the show at the 2014 Grammy Awards in a red leather Adidas jacket, dark jeans, and distressed brown boots. He also wore a hat, in case you hadn’t heard….
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Pharrell Williams’ suit may look white in this photo, but it’s actually a gray fabric that illuminates with flash. Here, he and his wife attend The 57th Annual Grammy Awards, and she might have upstaged him this time in an Adidas jumpsuit.
Pharell Williams has recently developed a fruitful friendship with Karl Lagerfeld. Here, he walks the runway during the Chanel Metiers d’Art show in Paris, France.
Here, Pharrell Williams demonstrates how to make “Millennial Pink” look chic at the “Hidden Figures” New York special screening in 2016.
Never one for a traditional suit, Pharrell Williams wore a white Chanel jacket, jewels, and a beanie to the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in 2017.
For perhaps his most dapper look to date, Pharrell Williams wore a Chanel tuxedo suit to the 89th Annual Academy Awards in 2017 in Hollywood, California.
