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The last time this many J. Mendel dresses were in one place, it was the Emmys! Only the designer of the label himself—Gilles Mendel, shown with partner Kylie Case—could dress so many stars for one night again, this time for the Third Annual Autumn Party hosted by the Philanthropic Society Los Angeles, held at the London Hotel Rooftop in Los Angeles. “Any actress, and any beautiful woman, is part of my dream to dress,” Mendel told InStyle.com of his Hollywood following, which included party guests Brittany Snow, Sophia Bush, Jamie Lynn-Sigler, New Girl’s Hannah Simone, and Garcelle Beauvais. “I love when you get into one of his dresses, you really feel like you’re a woman,” Snow told InStyle.com before posing for photos in a silver strapless cocktail look by the designer with gal pal Sophia Bush. “The way the clothes are made make you feel really classy and put together.” The two stuck side-by-side all night, sipping Champagne along with the rest of the 400 attendees in candlelit cabanas overlooking the Los Angeles skyline—a beautiful setting to watch a fashion show of J. Mendel’s new resort collection, which also took place at the soiree. The evening benefited the Children’s Institute, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to child abuse and neglect treatment and prevention. Click through the gallery to see more stars at the J. Mendel party, and more photos from this week’s hottest events.

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• J. Mendel at the Emmys: See the Stars!
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— Carita Rizzo

Ellie Kemper, Ashley Madekwe, Sophia Bush, and Rihanna all matched their manicures to their dresses, a look that isn’t overkill if it’s done with subtlety. Bush went trendy in tangerine from head to toe, while Kemper, Madekwe, and Rihanna pulled just one color from their dresses to mirror on their nails. When trying this, pick a color that is a shade darker than your outfit—the deeper hue adds contrast and breaks up the effect. If you’re feeling adventurous, switch up your finishes like Rihanna, who used a shine-free suede effect on the black portions of her nails. For more fun celebrity manicure inspiration, click through the gallery.

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InStyle invited some of our closest friends—Nikki Reed, Emilie de Ravin, Sophia Bush, Malin Akerman, and Erin Wasson included—to toast to the season at our annual Summer Soiree last night, held the London Hotel Rooftop in Los Angeles. “It is lovely,” Bush said of the atmosphere, which included a Gordon Ramsey-designed menu, Starbucks-infused drinks, and a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream bar. ”I mean, what can I get my hands on first? I try it all!” But there was something she had to do first: “I have a couple girlfriends [here] that I am going to hug. That is always the priority, hug the people I like.” Like Bush, the evening acted as a catch-up session, with the stars reminiscing about the days and nights that made summer 2012 unforgettable. Click through the gallery to see who else attended, and read about some of their favorite moments of this scorching season.

— Kwala Mandel and Carita Rizzo