Celebrity Inside the Party: Max Mara Toasts to Jennifer Garner in New York City By Sharon Clott Kanter Sharon Clott Kanter Sharon Clott Kanter is a New York-based writer, editor, and producer who covers fashion, beauty, and pop culture. She was previously the Senior Editor for InStyle and currently teaches fashion journalism at Syracuse University. InStyle's editorial guidelines Published on July 20, 2013 @ 04:00PM Pin Share Tweet Email Trending Videos Photo: Joe Schildhorn /BFAnyc/Sipa USA "Tonight's the big kickoff party!" said Jennifer Garner when she took a look around at the 68 stars and fashion industry faces who joined her at Bill's in midtown Manhattan to celebrate her being named the first celebrity face of Max Mara. "The campaign came out this week and I didn't even know it was coming out. People said, 'Oh, I see you're doing this.' And I said, 'Yes, yes, I am!'" She was thrilled to toast to the accomplishment with free-flowing white and red wine and a three-course meal alongside the Max Mara team and some of her closest star pals, including Molly Sims (Garner's kids go to her friend's pre-school) and Gretchen Mol (the pair worked on a movie together two decades ago). Throughout the night, Christina Hendricks kept fielding congratulations for her Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Emmy nomination, which had just been announced that morning. "Everyone is so happy, it's so exciting," she told InStyle.com. "I've been getting a lot of messages today, so that's really fun." Meanwhile, Solange Knowles, in a sunny Max Mara dress that "fits great because everything is sucked in," treated the evening as alone time for her and boyfriend Alan Ferguson, sans son Julez. "My mom is keeping my son tonight. This is date night!" she said. "I'm just happy to be out in Manhattan on a summer night in a great dress and having some nice one-on-one time." Click to see which Max Mara design each star chose for the celebratory evening.[wrn_button url="https://www.instyle.com/instyle/package/general/photos/0,,20689921_20718887_21366282,00.html" text="See the Photos" title=" See the Photos"] MORE:See Celebrities in MaxMara!Solange Knowles' Best Looks EverChristina Hendrick's Transformation 01 of 07 Jennifer Garner Joe Schildhorn /BFAnyc/Sipa USA "Tonight's the big kickoff party!" Garner (in a Max Mara dress and accessories) said when she took a look around at the stars who joined her at Bill's in New York City to celebrate her as the first celebrity face of Max Mara. "The campaign came out this week and I didn't even know it was coming out. People said, 'Oh, I see you're doing this.' And I said, 'Yes, yes, I am!'" 02 of 07 Christina Hendricks Joe Schildhorn /BFAnyc/Sipa USA "I feel in love with it immediately," Hendricks said of her Max Mara LBD, which she accessorized with an Edie Parker clutch, Stuart Weitzman heels, and Judith Ripka jewelry. 03 of 07 Solange Knowles Joe Schildhorn /BFAnyc/Sipa USA Knowles was happy to wear such a cheerful color in her sunny Max Mara design. "Yellow is my favorite color to wear," she said. "Having a dress that fits great is amazing because everything is sucked in. I have, all of the sudden, a butt and hips and everything works really well in this dress." 04 of 07 Molly Sims Joe Schildhorn /BFAnyc/Sipa USA "I'm going for chic candy striper," Sims said of her pink and red striped Max Mara look. 05 of 07 Gretchen Mol Joe Schildhorn /BFAnyc/Sipa USA Mol had worked with Garner 20 years ago, and they've been friends ever since. "She was exactly how she is now -- down to earth and I think perfect to represent Max Mara because she is also elegant and sophisticated and effortlessly." 06 of 07 Nora Zehetner Joe Schildhorn /BFAnyc/Sipa USA The actress decided to match her red Max Mara dress to her red lip. "I mixed three lipsticks, so hopefully I succeeded," she said. "I used two Chanel lipsticks and one Giorgio Armani one." Job well done! 07 of 07 Leigh Lezark Joe Schildhorn /BFAnyc/Sipa USA The DJ chose a dress from Max Mara's spring collection - a button-down shirt with a leopard print skirt. It's so safari, we told her. "Yes, it is!" Lezark confirmed.