In honor of the new pavilion designed by Minsuk Cho of Mass Studies, Serpentine hosted its annual summer party on Tuesday, welcoming guests including Benedict Cumberbatch, Minnie Driver, Bianca Jagger, Maya Jama, Alexa Chung, Eric Nam and “Squid Game”- star Lee Jung-jae.
The midsummer celebration was hosted by South Korean music artist Peggy Gou, British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw – who donned a custom sparkling pink ensemble from Prada – and tennis legend Venus Williams, who wore an elegant white dress designed by Marco Capaldo of 16Arlington.
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“As an interior designer and avid art lover, I’ve always found the Serpentine to be such a unique place to experience art – surrounded by Kensington Gardens in the heart of one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities. I’m incredibly honoured to be hosting this year’s party for an evening celebrating culture and artistry in all its forms,” said Williams, who has had a busy fashion month, attending shows from the likes of Schiaparelli, Dries Van Noten, JW Anderson, Gucci and Prada.
It was a night of monotone dresses. Chung wore a custom emerald green silk gown by LVMH Prize winner Nensi Dojaka. The style, which made its runway debut in Dojaka’s Fall 2023 collection in red, was inspired by the green dress Keira Knightley wore in the 2007 film ‘Atonement.’
Model Edie Campbell opted for a sheer tea green tulle dress by Molly Goddard. Jourdan Dunn channeled the realness of the Greek goddess in a figure-hugging black and white Nina Ricci dress, designed by Harris Reed. British actress Minnie Driver wore an embroidered red Huishan Zhang number.
Other best-dressed guests included Jagger, who paired her white sequined coat with a pair of comfortable shoes adorned with crystals; Emma Weymouth in a red Vivienne Westwood fishtail dress; Marina Abramović made her presence known in a voluminous black dress by Roksanda Ilinčić, and Indian socialite Natasha Poonawalla, who arrived at the party with Edward Enninful in a maximalist red dress with floral motifs and a frog clutch by JW Anderson.
It was also an evening where fashion designers came with their muses. Dojaka with Chung, Charles Jeffrey with Cora Corre, Aaron Esh with Kiki Willems, Dimitra Petsa of Di Petsa with Tsunaina, Erdem Moralıoğlu with “The King of Staten Island” star Bel Powley, Emilia Wickstead and New Zealand actress Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, Reed with Dunn and Jama, David Koma with Shygirl and Ed McVey, who plays Prince William in ‘The Crown’.
“I’m having such a good time,” Petsa said. “I loved that I could party, but also be part of a cultural moment. The [Yinka Shonibare] exhibition next to the pavilion is really interesting. I like the way he approaches nationalism and protectionism.”
The designer said she plans to spend her summer vacation on nudist beaches in Mykonos. But before that, she is working on the spring 2025 collection, which will introduce menswear during London Fashion Week in September.
Reed plans to go to Greece later in the summer with friends, including fellow designer Lo – whose parents are in London for three weeks for his trip to the island – and stylist Harry Lambert. He will also organize many barbecue parties in the garden of his new apartment.
The London-based American designer said he was extremely pleased with his dates at the party. ‘Jama looks good. I love that she brought it to a place for me. She’s very Austin Powers in the best way. For me it is modern sexuality. Dunn looks like she’s having her princess moment,” Reed added.
He also teased that the new Nina Ricci collection is almost here, but that his eponymous demi-couture label still has “a lot of work to do.”
“I still manage to juggle between the job of creative director and my eponymous label and give both equal love. I have been working at Nina for a year and a half now. It takes a lot of effort to structure teams and get people to understand the words you use. To me, the word inclusivity or the word beauty means something completely different to a French woman who has been working there for 45 years. We are learning to find the beautiful balance and I think we are finally doing that,” added Reed, who also confirmed that a new product with his creative bent will be unveiled at the same time as the spring 2025 show in Paris.
Rocco Iannone, creative director of Ferrari’s model line, was also at the party. “It’s very interesting to be here, these kind of beautiful mixed communities of art, architecture and fashion, talking to each other. It’s such an inspiring moment for me,” Iannone said.
The Italian designer is in the middle of a research trip and meets owners of Ferrari cars in London, where he understands their love and passion, as well as expectations for the brand.
“They are already engaged and are expecting something that could surprise them. That’s why I’m refining the idea of what the right Ferrari wardrobe is. I work a lot around these concepts to create something that has great meaning for our brand,” said Iannone.
At the center of the star-studded gathering was, of course, Cho’s pavilion, which consisted of five islands in the grounds of the Serpentine South Gallery.
Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director at Serpentine, told WWD while waiting for Skepta to arrive that he had known Cho for more than 30 years. “I met him at the very beginning of his journey and he has created great buildings [South] Korea, from Buddhist temples to cinemas and extraordinary community spaces where people can access public spaces,” he added.
“For his first project in London, he came up with the great idea of creating a traditional Korean courtyard built around an empty center. It includes a playground, a music hall, a gathering space, a library where people can take their unread books and there is a tea house. It’s a very interactive pavilion and it works during the day, but it also works really well for a party tonight. We are very happy with a performance by the great Korean choreographer Eun-Me Ahn and she is the new Pina Bausch,” said Obrist.
The pavilion celebration is a key part of the art institute’s summer programme, which also includes a solo exhibition by Yinka Shonibare at Serpentine South and a retrospective of Judy Chicago at Serpentine North.
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