NBA STARS

NBA All-Star Parties 2018: TheWrap’s Ultimate Guide to the Hottest Invites in LA (Updating)

This preview focuses on private, invite-only events aimed at an industry audience. For events open to the general public, scroll to the bottom.

It’s been seven years since the NBA All-Star Game was held in Los Angeles, and this weekend is guaranteed to be a slam dunk with baller parties and A-list stars invading the City of Angels.

While the three-day basketball extravaganza — featuring the Celebrity Game, the ever-popular Slam Dunk competition and the All-Star itself — takes place downtown at the Staples Center, there are events going on all over town.

TheWrap will be there bringing behind-the-scenes insight from the hottest parties, most exclusive events and official NBA competitions including the Celebrity Game, Skills Challenge, Slam Dunk contest and All-Star Game.

Also Read: Super Bowl Parties 2018: TheWrap's Ultimate Guide to the Hottest Invites in Minneapolis (Updating)

But first, check out what is going on before Team Steph and 

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“Let It Fly” NBA All Star Event Thursday, Feb. 15, 8:30 p.-midnightThe District by Hannah An, 8722 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048 

All-Star isn’t just about cool dunks or three-pointers, as proven by Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (above) and Johnny Stephene (a.k.a. Dribble2Much), who are co-hosting the “Let it Fly” event to raise money and awareness about the Precious Dreams Foundation. “It’s about supporting kids in foster homes to let them know that if they have a dream and vision, they can become something in the world and have an impact,” NBA skills trainer Stephene (below) told TheWrap about the non-profit founded by Nicole Russell. “A lot of them come from one-parent households or were raised by someone other than their family, like a YMCA coach. I know from experience how far it got me getting help from people weren’t my parents,” he said, having spent time in a foster home himself.

Stephene got to know Drummond from teaching ball-handling techniques first to kids and then to NBA stars such as Steph Curry and Nate Robinson. “I’ve got a kid called Kahlil Dukes on my Handle Life program. He didn’t have a lot of resources to get to college so I guided him the whole way, and now he is one of the top players at Niagara University.”

Johnny Stephen

The aim of Thursday’s party, featuring tunes from DJ Whoo Kid, is to get “as many people there so we can really highlight what we are doing,” Stephene said, “The NBA All-Star is something that might not happen again in L.A. and it is only right that we do something for a good cause.”

Also Read: Super Bowl LII: The Scene From Minneapolis

Russell was inspired to launch Precious Dreams in 2012 by her foster sister who suffered from nightmares. “We wanted to provide activities to comfort foster kids when they were having a bad day,” she explained. “We now helping 5,000 youths across New York, L.A. and Baltimore,” and they hope to spread even more awareness this week, “especially to the players who these children who look up to and idolize,” she added.

Guests expected at “Let it Fly” include Kevin Hart, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Durant, Deandre Jordan, Jason Derulo, Ludacris and Le’Veon Bell, plus Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler from “15:17 to Paris.”

Baron Davis’ The BIG Power SummitThursday, Feb. 15; Saturday, Feb. 17; Sunday, Feb. 18London West Hollywood, 1020 North San Vicente, West Hollywood

Former L.A. Clippers player turned entrepreneur/occasional TV star Baron Davis is bringing the BIG Power Summit to Los Angeles All-Star week, tipping off with a party at the Boxwood restaurant in the London West Hollywood hotel, which is part of One Court Presented by National Basketball Players Association. The night will also feature music from DJ D-Nice (of legendary hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions).

“Making the transition from the NBA to film producer, investor and entrepreneur has had it’s share of pitfalls and lessons. I’ve learned a lot — and want that to continue, for myself, and my community. I see BIG as the perfect vehicle for that,” Davis said of the three-part event.

Saturday will center around a thought panel on how to create real business, social impact, collaborations and opportunities that live at the intersection of sports, media, technology and culture. Among the “thinkers” are rapper Ice Cube, NBA All-Stars Chris Paul and David Robinson, plus co-founder and president of Lyft, John Zimmer.

For all you Marvel buffs, Davis will also be hosting two private, invite-only screenings of “Black Panther” in the screening room at the London hotel on Thursday and Saturday nights.

The trifecta wraps up on Sunday, when the only place as cool as watching the All-Star game from Staples Center is watching it at the viewing party hosted by Davis and Mark Pitts, president of Urban RCA Records.

Also Read: Rasual Butler, Former NBA Player, Killed in Car Crash at Age 38

Jack Daniel’s House No. 7Thursday Feb. 15 & Friday, Feb. 16; 8 p.m.Mack Sennett Studios, 1215 Bates Ave, Los Angeles

The official marketing partner of the NBA — and a damn fine liquor — is hosting the  Jack’s Daniel’s House No. 7, where guests can celebrate the spirit of Lynchburg, Tennessee, by taking a journey into a Jack Daniels barrel to learn its role in the whiskey making process at the Charcoal Mellowing tasting bar (and take a shot or two).

While the House is a ticketed, invite-only event, the Lynchburg General Store (located at 903 W. Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles) is open to the public Friday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Guests can sip whiskey, feast on southern hospitality at Miss Bobo’s Bakery and listen to tunes from Lynchburg’s house folk band. Some lucky attendees will also get to walk away in limited edition Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Air Force 1 sneakers from the The Shoe Surgeon. 

NBA All-Star Week Party from The Farmacy.co and Namaste Technologies

Thursday, Feb. 15; 10 p.m.-2 a.m.Warwick Hollywood, 6507 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Also on Thursday, Boston Celtics great Paul Pierce is expected at Warwick Hollywood for a VIP bash presented by The Farmacy.co and Namaste Technologies. Less than a week after having his Number 34 jersey retired at the TD Garden in Boston, future Hall of Famer Pierce will be celebrating the current top NBA talent.

While the rest of the guest list is under wraps, musical entertainment is provided by Fabolous, Preme, Dre Sinatra and Wikked.

Budweiser LIVEFriday, Feb. 16; 9 p.m.-1 a.m.Saturday, Feb 17; 7 p.m.-1 a.m. 

Anheuser-Busch is a longtime sponsor of the NBA so it only makes sense that Budweiser will host a two-day immersive event — featuring sports, food, fashion … and beer — to launch the brand’s new close collaboration with the league.

T-Pain, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and MadeinTYO are among the musical performers, as guests get cool merchandise from Levi’s and meet NBA greats. The event will also feature an art exhibition from Kickasso, fun basketball contests and fresh Budweiser on tap (of course).

The Player’s Tribune, Bleacher Report and Levi’s are all partners on Budweiser LIVE.

Also Read: Super Bowl LII: Justin Timberlake's Audio Malfunction and 15 More Things You Didn't See on TV

NBA on TNT American Express Road Show – Kendrick LamarFriday, Feb. 16L.A. Live, downtown Los Angeles

Along with airing the NBA All-Star weekend (with a little help from “Inside the NBA” analysts Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith), TNT is teaming up with AMEX for a two-night road show. Friday night sees Grammy Award-winning recording artist Kendrick Lamar (below) performing at L.A. Live’s Microsoft Square. AMEX-card members were able to buy tickets earlier this week with all proceeds going to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. When they pick up their tickets, fans can also go on a multi-sensory journey of basketball, with interactive rooms and instillations such as Chandelier Hoops (a room filled with 18 handmade crystal chandeliers with basketball rim bases); Neon Backboards (220 ft. of LED lighting on acrylic backboards); and Exploded Floorboards (a room is with over 1,100 individual pieces of wood).

Kendrick Lamar/ Getty Images for NARAS

NBA on TNT American Express Road Show – The KillersSaturday, Feb. 17L.A. Live, downtown Los Angeles

Saturday’s stop on the road show features Vegas rockers The Killers following the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, which follows the always-entertaining Dunk Contest.

Also Read: Jo Jo White, Boston Celtics Legend, Dies at 71

GQ Suit UpSaturday Feb. 17; 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

GQ magazine is taking over Saturday night with their annual NBA All-Star party, which this year will feature Cardi B headlining in downtown Los Angeles.

GQ editor-in-chief Jim Nelson invites guests to “Suit Up” for the stylish event, which is presented by Neiman Marcus and sponsored by Remy Martin.

Last year at the GQ All-Star bash in New Orleans, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Chance the Rapper, Dave Chappelle and NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo were among the VIPs partying while The Roots played a 90-minute set. “Baby Driver” Ansel Elgort and arrived with Violetta Komyshan on his arm (below), while Miles Brown of “Black-ish” showed off his hip-hop moves.

GQ

Hollywood’s coolest clubs will celebrate All-Star from Thursday to Monday as PacSun joins forces with the h.wood group. Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne and Famous Dex are all performing at chic supper club Poppy, while O.T. Genasis and Gucci Mane take the stage at Bootsy Bellows.

Check out all the hottest invites for the weekend of Feb. 15-18 in celebration of the NBA All-Star Game, which airs live on TNT Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET.

Please send invites, updates, and details to the writers Debbie Emery here and Mikey Glazer here.

What a way to start the week! Issa Rae, Justin Timberlake, Ciara and Russell Wilson hung out at Prince's Paisley Park for the "American Express + Justin Timberlake Partner for Intimate Album Listening Experience," as JT  let 500 of his closest friends get a preview of his new music before he plays the Super Bowl LII halftime show. 

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A blue-hued Jenny McCarthy hung out with SiriusXM radio host Gary Dell'Abate and hubby Donnie Wahlberg, who will no doubt be cheering for the Patriots on Sunday. 

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Olympian and Bostonian Aly Raisman hung out with another beloved sports figure in New England, Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman. Sadly an ACL surgery sidelined Edelman for the season, but at least he could attend the Rolling Stone Live: Minneapolis presented by Mercedes-Benz and TIDAL instead of being on lockdown with the rest of the team.

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Former Pittsburgh Steelers legend Jerome Bettis and current Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen spoke on a panel with ESPN's Mike Greenberg and Sam Ponder, taking guests "Inside the Game: Insider Hall of Fame.” The lunch sponsored by American Airlines and Casper also featured lots of lobster, so everyone was happy!  

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Tiki Barber and Drew Rosenhaus greeted guests with warm hugs for the  Thuzio | Rosenhaus Party at Exchange and Alibi Lounge. Clients and friends of the sports agent gathered to kick off the weekend and bid on autographed sports memorabilia. While Rob Gronkowski was resting up for game day, his entire family took over one table. Also spotted were De’Vondre Campbell, Tyreek Hill, Brandon McManus, Jonathan Ogden, Matt Stover, David Meltzer, John Brenkus and ESPN's Matthew Berry. 

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2 Live Crew's Luke "Luther" Campbell and Rick Ross hosted the first of a packed weekend of TAO events for Pop Up Thursday.

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Fans braved the cold to watch Rae Sremmurd perform at the Verizon Up Stage at Super Bowl Live on Thursday, as the mercury dropped well below zero and attendees learned the real meaning of "wind chill."

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Cardi B played multiple parties over the weekend, but on Thursday, she played the role of guest with Justine Skye at the Rolling Stone Live: Minneapolis presented by Mercedes-Benz and TIDAL. 

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Jamie Foxx put the Foxx in the “Foxx & Friends Dinner" Friday evening -- with Shaquille O'Neal spinning tunes instead of dunking balls -- before hitting up the Bootsy Bellows party. 

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JB Smooth bumped into TV physician Dr. Oz, proving that you never know who you'll see at Super Bowl weekend. 

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Hannibal Navies, Kimberly Starks, Duane Starks, Bradie James, guest and Clifton Crosby lounged at the Thuzio & Rosenhaus Party at Exchange & Alibi Lounge on Friday night.

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New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was forced to sit out most of the 2017 season with a fractured ankle, but was healthy enough to show up to the Rolling Stone party.

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Mercedes' "Last Fan Standing" game gave contestants the chance to win a new Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe, which is better than a Super Bowl ticket for some people! 

One of the many celebrities at the Rolling Stone party was the Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster, which an endless stream of party-goers wanted to pose for photos with. 

Mercedes-Benz

Heisman Trophy winner-turned minor league baseball player Tim Tebow was among the current and former athletes at the Rolling Stone party courtesy of Mercedes.

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Flo Rida turned the 15th Annual “Leather & Laces” party into a dance frenzy on Friday night, as he plowed through the crowd drinking champagne straight from the bottle.

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Jenny McCarthy went blue for Super Bowl weekend as she co-hosted the "Leather & Laces" party. Thankfully she opted against Philadelphia Eagles green, which may have sparked the ire of her Patriots-loving husband, Donnie Wahlberg. 

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The only person more hyped than Flo Rida at the “Leather & Laces” party was the Hype Man himself, WWE Superstar Mojo Rawley, who jumped up on stage to dance with Flo in a custom-made pink Zubaz suit. As you do ...

Debbie Emery

Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez and Russell Wilson have a World Series ring, multiple Grammy nominations and a Super Bowl ring between them. That was typical of the caliber of guests at the Wheels Up Super Saturday Tailgate as A-Rod showcased some of his new business projects including Chris Gronkowski's Ice Shaker.

Wheels Up

The Patriots own two customized Boeing 767, but players like Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski still love traveling in style on Wheels Up, so it was no surprise that Edelman made an appearance at the Super Saturday Tailgate. He and the other guests got kitted out in Wheels Up swag, ate warming chili and hearty football-shaped pretzels while listening to O.A.R.

Wheels Up

Nobody likes food more than ESPN's Mike Golic, so no wonder the "Golic and Wingo" host looked happy when he met celebrity chef Guy Fieri at the Wheels Up Super Saturday Tailgate at Quincy Hall. Do you think he persuaded the restaurateur to name a sandwich after him. 

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Shaq was definitely the warmest man of the weekend as he showed off a full-length fur coat at the Fanatics party on Saturday. We don't know if it was real of fake but we can't imagine how many little animals it would take to make that much fur ...

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The Chainsmokers duo Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart melted away any cold feelings as they performed a rendition of  “All-Star” by Smash Mouth and “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” by the Backstreet Boys at the Fanatics party on Saturday.

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Pepsi has long been the official soda of Super Bowl, so it's only fitting that the brand would take over downtown Minneapolis. Cindy Crawford took her son Presley Gerber to the Generations Campaign and hosted a live interactive pop-up experience at Nicollet Island Pavilion to relive her own iconic 1992 Pepsi ad.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Pepsi

Self-described as the "granddaddy of Super Bowl parties,” Leigh Steinberg’s annual invitation-only on Saturday afternoon welcomed everyone from Hall of Famers to Hollywood stars. This year's party also featured the Steinberg DeNicola Humanitarian Awards, and former troubled quarterback Ryan Leaf was among the guests.

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While they didn't quite make it to the Super Bowl, L.A. Rams legend Eric Dickerson must still have been impressed with his former team's performance in the 2017 season. The iconic running back got to celebrate with another sporting legend, Leigh Steinberg.

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Tom Brady was the star of the show Sunday, but Super Saturday belonged to Jennifer Lopez as she dazzled the Armory at the AT&T presents DirecTV NOW Super Saturday Night. 

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While he'd rather be playing in the Super Bowl, Drew Brees was having a good time with Keegan-Michael Key at the DirecTV and AT&T Jennifer Lopez show. 

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J-Lo repped her boyfriend Alex Rodriguez's former team by wearing a bedazzled Yankees hat and his replica jersey on stage.

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for DirecTV

It was a tale of two quarterbacks when Dak Prescott met Eli Manning while watching J-Lo at the AT&T presents DirecTV NOW Super Saturday Night. The Cowboys and Giants QBs may be NFC East rivals on-field, but appear to be pals off of it.

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Post Malone was joined by DJ Marshmello and rapper Cardi B at the Maxim Party powered by super-club E11EVEN MIAMI on Saturday night. The h.wood group bash, which was packed with beautiful people and influencers as always, was produced by Karma International. 

An Olympian, a Heisman Trophy winner and a billionaire NBA owner walk into a bar... which is even cooler when the trio is Aly Raisman, Tim Tebow and Mark Cuban and that bar is a VIP suite at J-Lo's DirecTV NOW Super Saturday party.

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J-Lo brought out her friends on Saturday night, including fellow "World of Dance" judge Ne-Yo, as the "Jenny From the Block" singer made her third wardrobe change of the night.

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Hollywood hot spot Bootsy Bellows braved the Bold North to host the “Bootsy Bellows Big Game Pop Up” presented by American Airlines + Casper, where 21 Savage entertained the likes of Jamie Foxx, Shaquille O’Neal aka DJ Diesel, Olivia Culpo, Jesse Metcalfe & Cara Santana and Baker Mayfield.

Floyd Mayweather and his Money Team made their presence known all over Minneapolis Super Bowl weekend, and no more so than at the Maxim party Saturday night. Security was tight around the boxing champ when he entered the party, which was produced by Karma International sponsored by Captain Morgan and Bud Light.

EDM DJ Marshmello was one of the performers taking over a 51,000-sq. ft. event complex near U.S. Bank Stadium at the Maxim party, where he played his collaboration hits by Jack Ü, Zedd and Selena Gomez for the likes of Odell Beckham Jr. and Floyd Mayweather.

Shaquille O'Neal acted like a fan boy when he met Patriots owner Robert Kraft at the Fanatics party on Saturday afternoon. It's not usual that a team owner is the biggest draw of a party, but the Patriots are no normal team. Kraft and Shaq were among the many A-listers enjoying The Chainsmokers' medley of their hits “Closer” and “Don’t Let Me Down.”

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Massachusetts native Maria Menounos rallied her fellow Patriots fans at StubHub's Field House pre-game tailgate on Sunday at Target Field. The entertainment TV host sparked a "flash mob karaoke" at the event, before "sweetly harassing Eagles fans , eating amazing food, and gathering Pats fans to prepare to be loud and proud!" according to her Instagram.

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DirecTV, Maxim, Playboy, Bootsy Bellows, Rolling Stone and Wheels Up are just a few of the A-list hosts dominating the party scene in Minneapolis

What a way to start the week! Issa Rae, Justin Timberlake, Ciara and Russell Wilson hung out at Prince's Paisley Park for the "American Express + Justin Timberlake Partner for Intimate Album Listening Experience," as JT  let 500 of his closest friends get a preview of his new music before he plays the Super Bowl LII halftime show. 

Top 5 NBA All-Star Game Air Jordan Sneaker Moments

NBA All-Star Weekend is going down in Los Angeles, which includes special releases from your favorite brands, including the return of the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement” with Nike Air.

To celebrate, Dusseldorf based Afew has created their Top 5 Air Jordan sneaker moments during NBA All-Star Weekend.

In addition, the’ll also have an All Star Game Event at their store with a live streaming of the Slam Dunk Contest, the 3-Point Shootout, Classic Games and Arcade NBA Jam. On top of that, there will be free food and drinks as well as a small NBA care package which comes with a branded towel and a giant fan Palm. The seats are strictly limited and you have to register at their store to enter the raffle.

2018-02-15T08:08:53+00:00

Fear of God Is Dropping NBA All-Star Weekend's Most Coveted "Basketball" Sneakers

Fear of God/Fabien Montique

Five new colorways of the brand's pricey kicks, offered up in a now-signature Jerry Lorenzo style.

Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God label is known for it's gathered sleeve bomber jackets, carefully distressed jeans, side-striped skinny track pants beloved by both sexes, a certain over-$1K high-top sneaker and fans tend to buy it all up at Pokémon-level speed (Gotta Catch 'Em Aaaaaaaaall). It’s become a go-to brand for everyone from Kanye and Kim Kardashian West to David Beckham and Justin Bieber, which means there are a lot of eyes focused on what Lorenzo is doing at any given time. He's also a master of the art of the pop-up shop and store installations that are gone before you know what's up—more often than not because there's no product left to stock the shelves.

So naturally, as the NBA's most stylish players descend upon sunny Los Angeles (Lorenzo’s home turf) for this weekend's All-Star festivities, Lorenzo has a couple of tricks up his sleeve: five exclusive new colorways—black/red, white/red/black, tan/black, white/black/red, black/blue/white—of his coveted “1987 Basketball Sneaker,” to be exact. The silhouette itself is jarring and eye-catching in all the right ways; it looks like a cleaned-up, luxe-d up version vintage Reebok or LA Gear kicks with a peppering of Rick Owens-esque apocalyptic flair. Inspired by the statement style of NBA icons past and present, Lorenzo's latest versions of his retro-futuristic signature kick are still made of top-notch leathers. The effect is less old-school-meets-new-school and more old-school-meets-Italian-master-shoemaker.

And in these new colorways (one of which is more than a winking nod to Air Jordans of yesteryear) and using some styling cues from the great Danny Ainge (namely the thick tube socks pulled down over the tops of the shoes), Lorenzo has managed to create a lineup that look as expensive as they are and ooze as much swagger as the old school kicks on which they're based (which is no easy task). And to add to the stratospheric hype levels these have hit, each colorway will be offered as an exclusive to a single retailer in Los Angeles. So as long as you don’t mind LA traffic—and can afford to drop over a grand on a pair of basketball sneakers—then consider your plans this weekend already made. During basketball's most-watched weekend, one where both Nike and Adidas are dropping big name signature basketball sneakers, Lorenzo's Fear of God off-court sneakers might just be the most coveted of all.

$1,100, available at Maxfield, Union, Barneys, 424 on Fairfax, and RSVP Gallery in Los Angeles.

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