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Inside the Chicest Parties at Art Basel Miami

From Chanel’s drone light show to a private Lenny Kravitz concert, here’s what went down after hours at the buzzy art fair.

By ELLE.com
rosalia
Arturo Holmes//Getty Images

This year’s Art Basel was not like the last—it was bigger, flashier, and chicer than ever. Following a two-year pandemic pause, the annual art fair retuned with a vengeance, and, per usual, the fashion crowd migrated south for the occasion. Ahead, get an inside look at the week’s most exclusive parties you probably saw all over Instagram.

1

Saint Laurent Rive Droite Hosted a Dinner for Sho Shibuya

olivia rodrigo talia ryder saint laurent rive droite hosted a dinner for sho shibuya
Alexander Tamargo//Getty Images

Saint Laurent’s army of cool kids, including Olivia Rodrigo, Talia Ryder, and Hailey Bieber, joined creative director Anthony Vaccarello for an intimate dinner with New York-based artist Sho Shibuya. As part of its Rive Droite Ephemeral Gallery project, the brand will exhibit 55 of Shibuya’s sunrise paintings at a beachfront gallery at 17th Street to honor the 55th anniversary of the first Rive Gauche boutique opening in Paris.

2

Prada and YoungArts Had a Cocktail Party

aleali may prada art basel miami 2021
Courtesy of Prada//BFA

For the 40th anniversary of YoungArts, Prada celebrated with a cocktail party at its Design District store. Co-hosted by Sarah Arison, Michi Jigarjian, Craig Robins, Sandra and Tony Tamer, and attended by Maria Alia (pictured here) and Aleali May, the event supported the non-profit’s mission to provide opportunities to artists across a range of disciplines.

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3

Loewe Fêted Florian Krewer’s New Book

josh o'connor, florian krewer, jonathan anderson
giovannimocchetti.com

To celebrate the launch of New York-based German artist Florian Krewer’s new book, Loewe took over South Beach institution Twist for a party DJed by Kindness and Pascal Moscheni, and attended by the likes of Josh O’Connor, Ricky Martin, and Hari Nef. Krewer’s sensually invigorating work inspired creative Jonathan Anderson’s spring/summer 2022 menswear collection for Loewe, and the book will be available for purchase in select Loewe stores.

4

Jean Pigozzi Threw a Book Party at Marea

marea dinner art basel miami
Courtesy of Marea//BFA

To commemorate the launch of his new book, The 213 Most Important Men in My Life, art collector, photographer, and designer Jean Pigozzi hosted a dinner with NYC Michelin-starred eatery Marea at its Miami pop-up... with some of the most important people in his life, including Michael Chow and Chloe Wise.

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5

Perrier-Jouët Popped Champagne in a Garden

sophia roe and perrier jouët art basel party 2021
Courtesy of Perrier-Jouët and Angela Pham

Perrier-Jouët and chef Sophia Roe toasted to Basel at the iconic champagne house’s “1 With Nature” dinner held at the 1 Hotel South Beach. My Unorthodox Life star Batsheva Haart and event stylist Guerdy Abraira partook in the one-night-only tasting experience, featuring a locally-sourced, plant-based menu from the property’s sustainable eatery Habitat.

6

Chanel Put on a Drone Light Show for N°5’s Centennial

n5 the right number light show celebrating 100 years of chanel n°5, miami beach
Astrid Stawiarz//Getty Images

Chanel continued to ring in the 100th anniversary of its iconic N°5 fragrance with a cocktail party at the Faena Beach, complete with a drone light show featuring trademark symbols of the house including the double C logo (pictured here) and the camellia flower.

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7

Gucci and Deux Femmes Noires Celebrated the Release of Mickalene Thomas’s ‘Monograph’

gucci and deux femmes noires mickalene thomas and racquel chevremont, celebrate the release of mickalene thomas' monograph
Mike Vitelli//BFA

The Gucci gang descended on the Design District for the release of Mickalene Thomas’s new Monograph, published by Phaidon. Taking cues from the artist’s work, the venue at Paradise Plaza was transformed into a ’70s-style disco, with DJ Kitty Ca$h on the 1s and 2s.

8

Rimowa Debuted ‘As Seen By’ Exhibition

rimowa art basel party
Courtesy of Rimowa

For the second stop of its traveling “As Seen By” exhibition—which was on display at its Design District Store over the weekend—Rimowa threw an afterparty at the Soho Beach House tent. Each piece was created by local artists using raw materials from the luggage brand, like grooved aluminum sheets and spare parts.

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9

#TOGETHERBAND and Jonathan Van Ness Launched the Don’t Choose Extinction Campaign

camila coelho art basel miami 2021
Courtesy of JVN Hair//BFA

Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness (aka JVN) hosted a party for good cause at his haircare brand JVN Hair’s pop-up salon at 3711 NE 2nd Avenue in Miami. The UNDP Don’t Choose Extinction campaign aims to highlight the negative impacts of climate change and inspire action. Camila Coelho, hair stylist Dafne Evangelista, and other well-coiffed guests stopped by for drinks and a DJ set by Harley Viera-Newton.

10

Chanel Took Over Jungle Plaza for ‘Five Echoes’

chanel took over jungle plaza for ‘five echoes’
Arturo Holmes//Getty Images

To round out a marathon weekend, Chanel hosted a dinner to celebrate “Five Echoes,” an installation by artist and designer Es Devlin at Jungle Plaza in the Design District. Camila Mendes, Evan Mock, and the Haim sisters showed up for the chic affair, which included a performance by Rosalía.

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11

Santigold and Rock Angel Rocked Soho Beach House

santigold soho beach house art basel miami 2021
Jason Sean Weiss//BFA

Consider us “Starstruck.” Santigold delivered a high-octane performance during Chateau d’Esclans’s invite-only Rock Your Rosé event at Soho Beach House to fête their Basel partnership (not that you really need a reason to guzzle down wine). There was food, dancing, and, of course, plenty of rosé.

12

Playboy Introduced the BIGBUNNY Collection

lizzo playboy introduced the bigbunny collection
Frazer Harrison//Getty Images

To mark the release of BIGBUNNY, Playboy’s first luxury lifestyle label, the brand threw a surrealist-themed party at the resort-slash-restaurant Casa Tua, with Lizzo, Cardi B, and Charlie XCX among the A-list guests. Similar to the event, the collection pays tribute to Salvador Dalí, an artist who contributed to the magazine in the ’70s and is heralded as an iconic artist of the movement.

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13

Lenny Kravitz Performed at Richard Mille After Dark

lenny kravitz art basel 2021
Getty Images

Everybody knows the best parties are private. Perhaps the most extravagant fête, Richard Mille After Dark, hosted by Wayne and Cynthia Boich at their waterfront home on behalf of the Swiss watchmaker, drew celebs from Leonardo DiCaprio to the Williams sisters. Lenny Kravitz put on a full 75-minute concert, need we say more?

14

American Bar Opened a Pop-Up at Socialista Miami

american bar pop up at socialista miami
Courtesy of Socialista and American Bar//BFA

Circa midnight, Whitney Peak, Jeremy O. Harris, and friends (pictured here) joined restaurateur Kyle Hotchkiss Carone at American Bar’s pop-up at Socialista Miami for espresso martinis (what else?) and a performance by filmmaker Sebastián Faena, who just released his debut EP, Save Your Life.

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15

Studio About Launched About Space with Ray’s Bar

ray’s bar basel pop up
Jack Berry

Downtown New York’s favorite dive bar Ray’s, co-owned by Justin Theroux and Nicholas Braun, partnered with the creative agency and production house Studio About on a four-day interactive pop-up, featuring musical performances, NFT minting on-site, and cocktails (naturally).

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