Inside W Magazine and Chloé’s Intimate L.A. Dinner Ahead of the Academy Museum Gala

On Friday, October 17, W Magazine and Chloé gathered stars from the worlds of film, fashion, television and music for an intimate dinner at La Dolce Vita, the storied Beverly Hills haunt favored by Hollywood royalty since the 1960s. Hosted by W Editor in Chief Sara Moonves and Chloé Creative Director Chemena Kamali, the event served as an informal kickoff to Saturday’s Academy Museum Gala and a celebration of Kamali’s recent feature in W’s Originals Issue.

Elle and Dakota Fanning were among the early arrivals setting the tone for an evening that was a true friends-and-family affair. Cover star Addison Rae—wearing a look straight off the Chloé spring 2026 runway—greeted Kamali with her characteristic warmth and admiration. For Kamali, the occasion marked a homecoming of sorts. As the German-born designer told W, her perspective shifted when she moved to California with her family at the age of 11: “I was incredibly excited to be in a completely different aesthetic world,” she said. “And I still love this European preciseness with a Californian undoneness.” That effortless blend was embodied in the Chloé looks worn by guests including Olivia Wilde, Maude Apatow, Natalia Bryant, Nicole Richie, Leslie Bibb, Annabelle Wallis, and more.

The cozy, candlelit space and its iconic red booths provided the perfect backdrop for a night of conversation and reconnection. Dakota Fanning was seen catching up with her Perfect Couple co-star Eve Hewson, while Jon Hamm reunited with his Mad Men protégé Kiernan Shipka and Friends With Kids co-star Maya Rudolph who had everyone laughing. W’s own Lynn Hirschberg held court alongside Anora producer Samantha Quan, while nearby, Rae caught up with sisters Sydney and Devon Lee Carlson.

Also in attendance were Gia Coppola, Honor Titus, Rebecca Hall, Lionel Boyce, Grace Gummer, Lisa Eisner, Nathalie Love, Neville Wakefield and the artist Ariana Papademetropoulos.

Martinis flowed, laughter filled the room, and as the night wound down guests table-hopped from booth to booth—a fitting prelude to a glamorous weekend in the City of Angels.

Here, a look inside.