And fools we were.
While everyone in America was celebrating their 3 day weekend for Memorial Day, we here in England also had a 3 day weekend to celebrate.. ? Well, I'm not really sure, it seems as if the English just really like their 3 day "bank holidays" and I'm not complaining!
Thanks to my friend Teagan who attended university in London I heard about these monthly day-parties called Bacanal. They pop up in different places around the city and always have a different location or theme. When I looked into where the next one would be I discovered that the upcoming one was- you guessed it- Great Gatsby themed! Obviously I HAD to be in attendance. The 1920's have always been my favorite era. Something about the lace, feathers, pearls, and all around defiance of the traditional fashion rules really gets me going! Even when I'm in New York I make it a point to find speak easies that are still operational (bath tub gin in Chelsea being my all time fave).
So after a couple of emails with the event coordinator I got a couple of tickets & started to plan my outfit.
Charlotte and I goofed off in the most amazing vintage store called Clobber for literally HOURS. Trying to find dresses, trying on furs, pearls, fascinators. We looked ridiculous and the shop keeper probably got a good laugh at us no doubt.
In the end I purchased a 20's style dress from Zara, got some cheap fake pearls from primark, and found the most amazing vintage head piece from a shop called What Alice Found in the vintage quarter of Bournemouth. I was ready.
Charlotte ended up not being able to attend but our friend Anna ended up joining me for what would turn out to be one of the most fun days, ever.
Normally I am always running late for events I'm attending but by some stroke of luck everything that Sunday went according to plan. Anna and I arrived in London around 1 pm and checked into our hotel at 37 Collingham Place -which for £70 for the night was AWESOME! A welcome change from the hostels I've come accustomed to staying in. It wasn't a 5 star resort or anything, but two double beds, a private bathroom and shower, a kitchenette with a fridge for only £70 in Earl's Court? No complaints here! I've paid more for shittier rooms in central London. Believe me. We then ran to the simply food up the street to grab salads for lunch and some rose champagne to get the party started!
We turned the music up loud, sipped champagne, got our pearls and our red lipstick on and were ready to leave by 3:30. Right on time. I should get a medal or something.
We grabbed a black taxi (which still look like they've popped out of a cartoon to me) and arrived at il botaccio ready to party.
I can't even describe how amazing it felt when we walked in, all I can say is that the Bacanal staff are clearly very good at their jobs because I literally felt as if I was transported in time into the Great Gatsby. The venue was perfect for such an affair and if there is one thing I LOVE about everyone in England it's that people are always keen to dress up. In Scottsdale if I tried to throw a gatsby themed party everyone would half-ass it, but here all the men were in proper tuxes or suspenders and all the women looked fantastic in their 1920's dresses, feathers, sequins and pearls. Heaven.
The next couple hours involved mingling, confetti, glitter, champagne, and all around fun! I met some incredible people many of whom were actually American.
Once Anna and I could tell that the party was coming to an end we hopped in a taxi and went back to the hotel to change and decide what we were going to do with the rest of our night! After more ridiculous dancing around our room and jumping on the bed like I was a giddy little girl, we decided to join some of the people we met at bacanal at a rooftop party in Kensington.
One thing I love about big cities is the amazing rooftops, you can see the whole city and have a place to spend time with your friends, even throw parties without having to spend thousands of pounds in the clubs.
We chatted it up all night with all sorts of people (mainly really well dressed men) and just enjoyed the night. I even got to talking with someone who had spent their summers at the same beach club in west Hampton that my family goes to (which I visited almost every summer of my childhood).
What an epic night.
The next day Anna and I set off to Muriel's kitchen for the most delicious breakfast where she finally got me to try brown sauce- still not sure what it is but I LOVE it. Then we set off towards Harrods because for some reason unbeknownst to me, I had still never been there. Once again, I was in heaven.
The food.
The fashion.
The furniture.
The perfumeries.
I have been to heaven, it is in London, and it goes by the name of Harrods.
Part of me wanted to throw all caution to the wind and try on every mui mui fur coat and dolce and gabbana dress in the building.
But I didn't.
I did however buy a gift for my friend Paige back home and pick up some design magazines to cut up to make mood boards in class.
Alas, it was time for the weekend to end and head back down to Bournemouth.
I spent the rest of bank holiday enjoying a lovely barbecue with the family I work for and relaxing with some wine.
Another amazing weekend in Europe, I'm sure going to miss this place!!
No comments:
Post a Comment