Inside Celine at The Wiltern: Kaia Gerber Closes Runway Show in Front of Austin Butler, Priscilla Presley, Doja Cat

“This doesn’t feel like a normal fashion event,” Maggie Rogers said after landing in the lobby just before 8 p.m. on Thursday to attend Celine at The Wiltern, Hedi Slimane’s runway presentation for the French fashion house’s winter ’23 collection. “What I’m so excited for tonight is that being at The Wiltern feels incredibly creative and it has the ability to catch someone off guard. That’s when people get creative, when they can sense creativity in the air and be surprised.”

Rogers was right — this was not an average fashion function. From the moment Celine announced it would be presenting in L.A. by taking over the marquee at the iconic venue on the corner of Western and Wilshire, fashion insiders were buzzing about the spectacle to come.

Slimane, who called L.A. home for years, had not presented a collection outside of France in quite some time. The fact that he brought the house and its winter wares to the West Coast, especially so close to the holidays, delivered almost a class reunion-type feel to the festivities, specifically one for a performing arts high school filled with actors, artists, models, musicians, influencers, rock royalty and the like. (Confirming the vibe was the swarm of guests wearing Celine varsity and Teddy jackets sprinkled throughout the venue.)

Joining Rogers and Formichetti was a long list that included Doja Cat, Beck, Kid Cudi, Miles Teller, Courteney Cox, Priscilla Presley, Brie Larson, Paris Hilton, Emma Roberts, Emma Chamberlain, Wiz Khalifa, Dustin Hoffman, Ashton Sanders, King Princess, Kim Gordon, designer Jeremy Scott, Paris Jackson, Ava Phillippe, Erin Foster, Sky Ferreira, Princess Alexandra of Hanover, Muse frontman Matt Bellamy, Rich the Kid, Jack Dylan Grazer, the band Gustaf, Shaun White, Dylan Brosnan, Jack Kilmer, Quintessa Swindell, William Gao, Lucky Daye, Patrick Carney and Michelle Branch.

Seated front and center were Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber with their son, Presley, alongside Austin Butler, all there to support Slimane as well as Kaia Gerber who modeled several looks and helped close the show.

“I’ve been to many, many shows and of course I’ve done many, many shows but I’ve never seen so many cool people come together for a fashion show. We’re all here for Hedi, he’s such an amazing visionary and a true lover of the arts,” Nicola Formichetti told The Hollywood Reporter before the main event. “I can count a couple of [press] here and there but the rest are musicians, artists and creative people. It’s a celebration of what Hedi is doing with Celine, and it’s amazing and beautiful to have it in L.A. because of the history.”

Dr. Woo was also looking in the rearview. “I used to sneak in The Wiltern from the side entrance trying to see my favorite bands,” said the celebrity tattoo artist and brand guru. “It’s pretty cool to be here now with the red carpet and Celine. It’s a great team and a great house. I’m looking forward to seeing the L.A. spirit infused with that Parisian flair.”

By citing creativity and history, Formichetti, who called Slimane one of his great mentors, nailed the inspiration for the entire night. In advance of the show, Celine distributed a hardcover book featuring an interview Slimane did with writer and author and culture journalist Lizzy Goodman (Meet Me in the Bathroom). In it, Slimane traces the steps of his career, from Dior to Celine, and talks about collaborating with everyone from Mick Jagger to David Bowie. He also waxes on about time in L.A., the influence the city had on his art and ultimately, what drew him back.

“I was reassured by a certain level of freedom and reinvention one could only have in Los Angeles. Be whoever you want to be, create your own fantasy, be part of an artistic community,” he says. “Years after I left California, and my home, I still belong here. It is a significant part of me, creatively and emotionally.”

He titled the show “Age of Indieness” and attached a soundtrack of just one song, The White Stripes’ “Hello Operator” to play on repeat for the nearly 30-minute runway presentation. The song, commissioned and co-produced for the show by Slimane, originally came out more than 20 years ago, and the designer confirmed a nostalgic mood for the mid-aughts as the collection was utterly Slimane.

Black skinny jeans and leather pants, low-slung belts and oversized belted bags carried in the crease of models’ arms, knee high boots (in leather and suede with fringe), thin scarves and band jackets for both men and women. There were finely tailored suits and tweed jackets, trench coats and wool overcoats, and just in time for red carpet season, Slimane presented a parade of slinky evening gowns, in shades of silver and gold, seen below.

After every look had hit the Wiltern stage, Slimane emerged from the side of the stage and took the briefest of bows alongside his star model Kaia Gerber, who momentarily pulled his hand trying to lead him more directly into the spotlight.

“I don’t normally attend fashion shows too much these days but once in a while I do if Kaia is going to be in it or if I’m friends with the designer,” Crawford said moments after the show ended. “But Hedi is such an incredible talent and both of my kids, Kaia and Presley, have had the opportunity to work with him — Presley on photo shoots and Kaia on the shows — and so, of course, we come out to support. Also, I mean, how beautiful were those clothes? Even my husband, who is not necessarily a fashion guy, said, ‘Wow, what a talent that guy is.’ His clothes speak to everyone. It’s just cool and was so great to be here because we knew Hedi would make it a great event.”

The clothes spoke to Priscilla Presley, who sat front row next to Butler who played her late husband, the king of rock ‘n roll in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis. “I love all the clothes. I love the attitude. I loved everything about the music,” she said. “I want all the outfits.”

Butler agreed. “I absolutely loved it,” he told THR. “I’m such a fan of Hedi and to get to see what he’s doing right now, I was really blown away. I kept thinking, I want that, I want that. It’s timeless, you know?”

He also admitted to being a fan of his model-girlfriend. “Tonight was the first time I’ve seen Kaia walk in a show so I was very, very proud. It was just wonderful,” he gushed.

After the show, several hundred guests flooded the lobby, basement and balcony floors of the Wiltern for an hourlong intermission. Servers (wearing white jackets with Celine pins and logos or Celine varsity jackets) navigated the crush to serve gourmet pizza, tacos, burgers and French fries while there were ice cream stations and a cotton candy stand for extra flair.

Amid posing for photos with fellow rockers, Beck said he had his eye on the stage-ready gold suit. “It was classic Hedi,” said the Grammy winner, who also confirmed the reunion vibe. “This is all friends and extended family tonight and the show distills what he does best. I’ve known Hedi for 20 years and he always includes music and musicians and he always does it so well.”

Slimane not only included music he put some legendary artists on The Wiltern stage. For Celine’s after party, the doors opened to another round of VIP guests for an electric concert that featured sets by Iggy Pop, The Strokes and a DJ set by The Kills.

“Tonight is so fucking Hedi,” said star stylist Jessica Paster. “He loves Los Angeles and it’s no secret that he lives here. But to do something iconic at The Wiltern and make it so rock and roll, it was so fucking cool. Every club kid is here and it’s really cool to see all these people, especially for me as a former club kid from 25 years ago.”

Paster took a second to scan the room, which had gold streamers hanging from the ceiling and models posing for selfies over her shoulder: “You know what I loved about tonight? I love that Hedi stays true to himself and he made everyone look so fucking chic and so skinny. I loved it.”