Travis! Kim! Jacob! Tom! Inside GQ’s Mega 2023 Men of the Year Party

“Not really!” shouted Kim Kardashian.

Dwyane Wade stood up next to honor that entrepreneurial spirit. “As a former world-class athlete, I know what it takes to be successful. And to do it at the level that [Kim is] doing at Skims, that grit is why you, as a woman, are a man of the year,” Wade said. “Your work ethic is something that we all admire. And your business acumen is revolutionizing what business looks like.” Kris Jenner, sitting across from her daughter, nodded her head. “So can we thank you for living in your purpose?” Wade raised his glass of wine high to a beaming Kardashian.

“You’ve gotta follow Dwyane Wade, good luck!” Elordi cracked when his Saltburn co-star Archie Madekwe, rose to salute his buddy. “The boy can dress, I dunno if anyone's seen those pictures with the little Bottega bag, but not many people can pull that off,” Madekwe laughed. “But you are also so much more. Congrats on being a brilliant actor and an even better human being. It's hard to be both.”

After dinner, Kardashian revealed what she and Ford had been deep in conversation about earlier in the night. “He shared a story with me tonight that Marilyn Monroe used to crochet nipples onto her bras in the exact spots that they should be, so that they always looked perfect,” she said, “and it reminded him of my nipple bra for Skims. And I didn’t know that! It was such a great story for me to hear.”

It was the eve of Saltburn’s wide release, but several other guests were counting down the hours before their own drops. As everyone got up to hit the red carpet, unfurled outside the adjacent Bar Marmont, André 3000 shared his feelings about the fact that his first album since 2006 was dropping in just a few hours. “I’m excited, but nervous, because it’s something new,” said the Outkast alum about New Blue Sun, his woodwind-heavy record. “I know that feeling,” said rising pop star Tyla. Distinctly so: she was releasing a remix of her global smash hit “Water” with Travis Scott that night, too. Scott walked by, FaceTiming his daughter Stormi, who elicited coos from Kardashian and Jenner. “I’m so happy to be celebrating [Travis], and also our song coming out in one hour! It’s been very hard to keep it a secret, because it’s so exciting, but the day’s finally here.”

The big Men of the Year party downstairs lit up Bar Marmont. Tremaine Emory and Acyde reprised their No Vacancy Inn DJ act for the first time since June 2022. As Emory emceed behind the booth, Succession patriarch Brian Cox, wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses, held it down in front next to Leon Bridges, also wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses. Supermodels Alton Mason and Evan Mock embraced by the bar and flashed their iced-out wrists for the camera. At MOTY, nobody was too cool to fan out, including Olivia Rodrigo and Conan Gray. “We’ve been rewatching Mad Men and we just saw Jon Hamm! That was so exciting,” said Gray. Meanwhile, Paris Hilton and Dua Lipa’s link-up in the smoking section set off flash after flashbulb. Holden Jaffee, AKA Del Water Gap, was on a mission to find Maestro actor Matt Bomer. In the film, Bomer plays Jaffee’s real-life paternal grandfather. They found each other on the red carpet. Megan Thee Stallion’s arrival caused a party-wide energetic ripple. Frances Tiafoe put it best: “Everyone is here, bro,” after meeting Off-White creative director Ib Kamara, who had made the tennis star’s suit.

Meanwhile, in what passed for a quiet corner, Celine Song flipped through the MOTY issue with Jonathan Anderson and Past Lives stars Greta Lee and Teo Yoo.

Leather was clearly the move of the evening. Welch wore a custom leather suit by Pharrell for Louis Vuitton, Giveon came through in a beefy Prada bomber, and Winnie Harlow had a patent leather fascinator on her head. But there could only be one biggest fit. In a new MOTY tradition, we gave out the third annual GQ Big Fit of the Night award, presented by Glenfiddich. The competition coming off the red carpet was fiercer than it’s ever been. (Is MOTY men’s fashion’s biggest night? We think it’s getting there.) After extensive (and totally objective!) deliberation, Alton Mason—wearing a fiercely cool leather ensemble by Balenciaga—took home the official winner’s medallion, custom-made by jeweler Greg Yuna. “It’s not fair!” claimed Fear of God designer Jerry Lorenzo. “It’s Alton’s job to look amazing in everything!”

The headliner of the night proved that there’s basically only one person who can clear a packed smoking section and bring everyone to the dance floor: Travis Scott. He did just that when, around midnight, he and Tyla hopped up behind Chase B to premiere their spanking-new “Water” remix live for the very first time. The crowd swelled, and the MOTY cover star ricocheted above them, lost in the moment with Tyla, who sang every word. Erewhon recovery shots were being passed around outside, but all the energy was inside. Their song was officially out in the world—now, every hip in the building was actually shaking.