Sienna Miller attends The House of KOKO's opening party
(Picture: Dave Benett)Glimpse inside the capital’s hottest parties and catch up with the chicest each week with Last Night in London – our new party page updated after every great bash.
From the early hours at Chiltern Firehouse to heady nights at The Standard or posh nosh at The V&A, we have your lowdown on the laughs, the looks and the dedicated scenesters making London nightlife electric.
Coo-coo for Koko
The bash: Camden’s Koko has risen from the ashes (literally, following a fire in 2020) with a sparkling £70 million redevelopment, a new name The House of Koko, and a star studded opening party on Thursday night.
The crowd: Guests gasped when Sienna Miller made her surprise appearance. The actress and It-girl, whose most recent series Anatomy of a Scandal is booming on Netflix, was greeted by a well-rounded set counting singers Sigrid and Mahalia and society darlings like Lady Mary Charteris.
The looks: Miller kept things casual in a distressed, pinstripe crop top and navy wool overcoat, paired with white denim, cream boots and a long Chanel necklace, while singer Celeste nailed sexy sophistication in a tight pencil skirt, lace bralette and sliced blue mesh top. Rapper Kojey Radical also turned heads, taking his North Face X Gucci collaboration puffer for a spin.
The lowdown: Once the sticky capital of indie sleaze, Camden’s refurbed Koko was positively unrecognisable, save for its famous domed ceiling – now a chapel-style cocktail bar. Negronis were the hot sip, while truffle pasta and yellowtail tartare fired out to soak it all up.
The Comer Show
The bash: Following her West End debut on Wednesday night, Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer marched her supporters from the Harold Pinter Theatre to a lively afterparty at The Londoner Hotel in Leicester Square.
The crowd: Joining the ‘Prima Facie’ leading lady was a dedicated crew including Director Justin Martin and playwright Suzie Miller. Also sipping champagne was the new production’s sound designer Max Ringham and video designer Willie Williams. Author Giovanna Fletcher and her Strictly husband Tom also popped into the post-show knees up.
The looks: Comer opted for a billowing Carolina Herrera blouse, following a quick change out of the grey suit and fuchsia shirt she had performed in. She paired it with tailored black trousers, chunky red bottomed Louboutins, and a silver Diane Kordas choker. Naturally, she lit up the room.
The lowdown: There was no surprise the actress was grinning, following the explosive reaction to the press night of her one woman show, where she plays a rape barrister, Tessa Ensler.
“It’s an extraordinarily gutsy and rich performance by Comer in only her second ever stage role – the first was in Scarborough 13 years ago, when she was 16 - and it confirms her as a star,” says The Standard’s Chief Theatre Critic Nick Curtis. “We all wanted to know if she’s as good live on stage as she is on screen. And the answer is no: she’s better.” Another killer performance.
Grubs up!
The bash: Restaurateurs shot up the elevator to the tenth floor of The Standard Hotel, ready for 2022’s GQ Food and Drink Awards to be dished out on Tuesday evening.
The crowd: Leading the way was cooking’s man of the moment Stanley Tucci, who released a new memoir Taste, My Life Through Food, last year. Joining him was TV presenter Miquita Oliver, as well as GQ’s Deputy Global Editorial Director Adam Baidawi, who also edits the British version of the magazine.
The looks: Model Richard Biedul looked school boy chic in his relaxed tailored suit, striped tie and bright red beanie, while Tucci kept it classic in three piece tailoring. Oliver looked effortless stylish, though, in a black dress with a red satin drop waist band and cuffs. What’s cooking!
The lowdown: Taking home engraved Waterford Crystal ice buckets and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, were the owners of BiBi, the Mayfair Indian which took home the coveted Best Restaurant prize. Piccadilly Circus’ SOMA won Best Bar, whilst the soothingly sleek set up of The Connaught’s Red Room was a worthy winner of the Best Interior award.
The Old Razzle Dazzle
The bash: It was glitz and Old Hollywood glamour on Monday night, as Downton Abbey’s cast swung into Leicester Square’s Cineworld, set on making a spectacle at the premiere of new film "Downton Abbey: A New Era", in cinemas May 20.
The crowd: The series’ stars arrived en masse, counting Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, and Tuppence Middleton, who took the moment to break the news of her pregnancy. Maggie Smith was missed, but Claire Danes and husband Hugh Dancy made a surprise appearance.
The looks: Leading ladies Laura Carmichael, Elizabeth McGovern, and Michelle Dockery appeared in a sparkling flurry of high fashion feathers, sequins and billowing foot-long trained gowns by Giambattista Valli, Azzi & Osta and Valentino, respectively. Few could counter the tone they set, on a carpet defined by pizazz.
The lowdown: Post premiere, the flock migrated to former filmstar hotspot Quaglino’s, St. James’s. Downton rules went out the window inside, as a loud crowd swayed and the heels were peeled off – McGovern certainly left her Countess of Grantham at the door, and left the party barefoot.
Boys, Boys, Boys
The bash: Rita’s Soho laid on the jalapeño oysters to get guests in the mood for columnist Raven Smith’s second book, ‘Raven Smith’s Men’ – his spicy, straight talking history of the boys who have come before his now husband Richard Danks (whose t-shirt on Monday read ‘Raven Smith’s Man’).
The crowd: Stylist Harry Lambert, just back from Coachella where he orchestrated that viral Harry Styles Gucci jumpsuit, was joined by designer Henry Holland and Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg – who had a young lovers glow, after going Insta-official with rapper Aitch last month.
The looks: For his centre stage moment, Smith went simple and sleek in a black Molly Goddard suit, white shirt and Erdem Mary Jane shoes, while Vogue’s Julia Hobbs gave a lesson in vintage chic in her Chanel T-shirt and a big, brown biker jacket.
The lowdown: Forget a glass half full – the determinedly chic new drink is a flute of fizz one third topped. Always cold; replenished with persistence. These were on the menu, plus micro mouthful martinis garnished with mini gherkins and glace cherries, which spilled when raised for Smith’s three word speech: “Read the book,” he said. A salesman at heart.
In BAFTA Best
The bash: Sunday night saw The British Academy Television Craft Awards celebrate the talented people working behind-the-screens in television, with prizes awarded for disciplines including best writing and best costume design.
The crowd: Olivia Colman led the pack to Barbican’s The Brewery, alongside husband Ed Sinclair. She left smiling after ‘Landscapers’, which she starred in, swept up three accolades. Meanwhile TV’s latest starlets put on a strong show, counting Omari Douglas of ‘It’s a Sin’, and Sebastian Croft from ‘Game of Thrones’.
The looks: Aisling Bea declared she was “giving it the full Bridgerton” on Instagram, wearing a puff sleeve monochrome column dress, designed by upcomer and recent Central Saint Martins graduate Nara Niro. Colman was sleek in a black Giorgio Armani suit and gelled back locks, while Mel Giedroyc hosted the affair in a recycled-polyester UFO top by House of Sunny.
The lowdown: Despite the evening’s dominating celebratory tone, there were strong and serious undercurrents kicked off by BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar, who grilled Home Secretary Priti Patel and the proposed Rwanda immigration plans.
“My father arrived on a boat from India in the 1960s and worked for 40 years for the NHS. If he arrived today, he’d probably be sent to Rwanda and I wouldn’t be here,” he said, before promising new plans to open his industry up. “Growing up in the valleys of South Wales, I didn’t know anyone who worked in film or TV and there wasn’t anyone who looked like me on screen. We’re changing that.” The remainder of 2022’s BAFTA’s will be presented on Sunday, May 8.
