Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel partied in Toronto last night

A swarm of little black dresses huddled under large black umbrellas outside Soho House last night, where the premiere party for Lion reached capacity within half an hour. Even those on the guest list had to wait for the crowd to thin before they could catch a glimpse of the film’s stars. Here’s what went on inside:

The Stars

Dev Patel in Burberry and a ragtag goatee, with Rooney Mara (in Aouadi Couture capelet gown) and Nicole Kidman:

A closer look at Nicole Kidman’s slinky Nina Ricci dress:

Kidman and Shailene Woodley:

Maria Bello in a sleek orange suit with a faux-Victorian neck:

The Scene

Shedding blazers was the theme of the night, as party attendees tried to cope with the humidity and heat within the crowded room. Over bite-sized meatballs, seafood appetizers and glasses of Grey Goose cocktails and Moët, guests couldn’t stop themselves from grabbing numerous photos of the stars in attendance despite Soho’s rule against smartphone photography.

The Gossip

Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel and Rooney Mara arrived punctually and took up stations at different key locations, almost as if they were following some kind of plan.

Kidman occupied the central couches and was the key focus of all the flash photography. Trapped by the milling crowd that kept trying to close in on her, she took to blowing air kisses from afar at friends and acquaintances who came to pay their respects. She was first to leave, around 10 p.m.

Rooney Mara was all cheekbones and sleek ponytail, and she held court at a small table in a corner of the room, where people would constantly try to grab a seat to either make small talk or congratulate her on the movie.

Dev Patel was most mobile of the three Lion attendees, weaving in and out of the couch crowd and eventually shedding his Burberry blazer to stave off the heat.

Shailene Woodley bopped along to a mashup of “Billie Jean” and Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).”