Riz Ahmed spotted courstide at the match earlier in the day
Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images
At London’s o2 arena, the likes of Sound of Metal’s Riz Ahmed, West End’s current Miranda Priestly, Vanessa Williams, and supermodel-stunner Leomie Anderson gather to witness the tense matches between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Sacramento Kings, the Toronto Raptors vs LA’s Lakers, and Orland Magic face up to the Memphis Grizzlies. It’s tense, nail-biting stuff here in Old Blighty before they head back to the USA.
A collaboration between the NBA and Balenciaga is on the must-have list for any fashion idol right now
Not yet, though. As a sceney afterparty at Mayfair’s sleekest Grosvenor Square-adjacent member’s club, The TwentyTwo, proves to be the ultimate rendezvous for those looking to toast the ballers and their big-spending supporters in sumptuous, somewhat absurdist glamour. ‘Oh this? This is head-to-toe Balenciaga,’ one shadowy, shoulder-padded temptress tells a fellow guest as they make their way down the spiral staircase of the address in knife’s-edge-sharp stilettos and into the ruby-red illuminated club room.
Here, a real-life venn diagram is forming. On one side, the athletic gents are looking impossibly courtside-cool in bomber jackets and baseball caps. Across the room, the fashion crowd with looks so deadly they could kill with just one flash of their leather tailoring and silky minidresses are glancing over at their sport-world celebutante counterparts. It turns out there is great harmony between the worlds of the mods and ballers: they both love looking good. And they’re undeniably successful at it.
The champagne and spicy cocktails are flowing as DJ Miso Extra spins beats so hot even the stuffiest of fashion folk can’t help but sway to the music. Isobel Richmond is spotted in all-black and and a City bag. Romeo Beckham is posing for pictures with his gorgeous girlfriend Kim Turnbull.
Balenciaga – the house that even had the Duchess of Sussex coveting a front-row seat at Paris Fashion Week back in September – knows how to throw a party. Throw on your midnight-hued, edgiest ensembles and meet us on the dancefloor.