Selena Gomez and Nicola Peltz
(Picture: Instagram / Selena Gomez)As we usher in a new year brimming with fresh trends and cultural “vibe shifts”, there’s one spectacle we can rely on: celebrities taking ultra-chic holidays that we bitterly ogle on Instagram.
To kick off 2023, global popstar Selena Gomez partied with new-found “throuple” (her words, not ours) Nicola Peltz Beckham and Brooklyn Beckham on a luxury yacht in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Despite only striking up a friendship recently — the first time the three hung out was at Gomez’s launch slumber party for her documentary, My Mind and Me, last November — they’re fast becoming three-way besties. Case in point: that same month, they celebrated Thanksgiving together and were then spotted visiting at Nobu’s LA outpost in December.
Of course, ringing in the New Year is the ultimate display of closeness — and, if their PDA-fuelled photo dumps are anything to go by, they’re practically inseparable.
“Love you so much,” captioned Peltz Beckham on a photo of her and Gomez applying lipgloss in matching white bikinis aboard the yacht. Her husband could be seen in the comments, replying, “love you guys xx”.
Below we chart the four-day star-studded vacation, which was a triumph of sparkly designer gowns, crystal-clear Pacific Ocean dips... and Jenga.
The guestlist
The trio was joined by Gomez’s long-time best friend, author and podcaster Raquelle Stevens, and her younger brother, Caleb P Stevens, a recent graduate of the University of Berkeley.
In 2018, Gomez was embroiled in dating rumours with Caleb after they were spotted hanging out in New York and in Fleischmann. “They’re absolutely only friends,” a source close to Gomez told People at the time. “They’re not dating.”
To further quell rumours, Stevens invited his girlfriend, Lex Cortez, who was posting pictures on her Stories for her envious 1,300 followers.
Also in attendance was photographer Hunter Moreno, who is a mainstay of LA’s social-media influencer scene — having worked with the likes of Bella Thorne, Logan Paul, and Tana Mongeau — and his partner, Vanessa Tara.
The group uploaded photos of themselves swimming in the sea and frolicking on the beach, showcasing that the newlyweds and Gomez have already blended their friendship circles.
The activities
Thanks to the A-listers blessing our feeds with countless photo dumps, we got an insight into their Mexican holiday agenda. Arriving on December 28, the group spent their brief stint in Mexico dancing on a private yacht overlooking the crystal-clear Pacific Ocean, playing with noodle float sticks, going head-to-head in Jenga games, getting dolled up by make-up artist Alysa Tan in their shared vanity room, and eating shrimp cocktails.
For the big night, the famous flock took to the beach, where photographer Moreno captured them playing with sparklers, laughing candidly, and took one rather intimate video of the two newlyweds passionately making out.
The outfits
No VIP vacation would be complete without headline-generating outfits. Newfangled besties Gomez and Peltz Beckham showcased their bond through a slew of matching looks, from all-white get-ups while dancing on the yacht’s deck, to their special New Year’s Eve outfit, where the two sported identical sparkling silver, backless Valentino gowns.
Posting to both their social media, Gomez wrote under a photo of the pair twinning in their bodycon frocks: “Thank @maisonvalentino for me and my angels dresses! Felt like a fairy!”
While Peltz Beckham wrote, “Happy New Years ð¥ð¤ thank you @maisonvalentino @yigit @pppiccioli for our matching dream dresses.”
In two further images shared by Peltz Beckham, it was revealed that the women had their names embroidered into their respective Valentino dresses alongside the year “2023”. Both stars have a deep history with the brand, with Peltz Beckham famously wearing a custom bridal gown during her widely publicised wedding to Brooklyn Beckham last April, and Gomez regularly seen in the luxury Italian fashion house’s designs.
Both of them took their matching holiday looks a step further by getting inked together. Gomez posted a photo of the two with the word “angel” tattooed across their forearms. While some might think this a drastic measure for a two-month friendship, it’s actually a tried and tested bonding ritual for the former Wizards of Waverly Place star.
As well as her “angel” tattoo, Gomez also has matching “4” tattoos with fellow holiday bud Stevens, as well as matchy rose tattoos with model/actress Cara Delevingne ( ‘Cara calls me Rosebud, so it’s a nickname,’ she explained of the ink designs during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan last January).
Moreover, she also has ones with estranged friends, singer Julia Michaels and Francia Raisa, the latter of whom Gomez publicly fell out with in October after saying Taylor Swift was her “only friend in the industry” despite long-term actress pal Raisa donating her kidney to Gomez in 2017.
The throuple definitely seem to be enjoying each other’s company. Watch this space for debaucherous dinner dates and envy-inducing summer holiday plans.
