Prohibition Party - 1920s flamboyant fashion decadence

This stylish waitress at the Prohibition Party looked great in this black sequinned and beaded dress and her hair in authentic 1920s style was the perfect finishing touch....

Which cocktails shall we order? Gin Fizz please!

Black dresses were popular, these two glamourous journalists were here with a group of friends 

Cup cakes on offer with your Prohibition tea was a clever detail - 

Check out the amazing feather bolero, for a great selection of Vintage clothes check out www.blondefox.com

A stylish group ready to gamble on the already busy Roulette table

Geeves and Wooster look - very stylish on these boys

The band played as the acts performed....

On arrival we were given Monopoly money to gamble with on Roulette and backgammon tables, another authentic touch that all added to the fun on the night ....

The girl in fabulous red here was celebrating a stylish Hen Night with her imaginative Maid of Honour ( who organised it for her as a surprise) What a gal!

Here we have the manager of the Cafe de Paris London on the right enjoying the brilliant entertainment. 

Flappers having fun....

These two total fashionista's looked amazing and could have been extras from the movie 'Bright Young Things' - again the hair here is wonderful in it's attention to the styling detail of the period. I also love the on trend clutch bags they are holding.

More tea please Vicar...here we have the bootleg booze disguised in the natty Tea cup

The cabaret act and band were excellent. The dancers joined us on the dance floor and added to the glamour of the evening.

 I chose my red dress from 'Fancy dress Ball' check the website out on fancy dress The company has a great selection of outfits to suit any party theme and were very efficient getting my outfit to me at short notice.
We loved the top billing singer talented Tricity Vogue's performance (here on the left) See her at The Edinburgh Festival - she is there for two weeks.
www.tricityvogue.com 

For those of you who love to dress up in vintage and be entertained in style we would highly recommend these extremely derigueur Bourne & Hollingsworth events in central London. We were transported back to the hedonistic antics of the 1920s. The atmosphere was electric in the Grand Hall on Saturday night as we sipped cocktails in teacups or danced within a crowd of about 300 other people. Waitresses attended to our refreshment needs very efficiently. The bar staff were uber slick and created the most delicious cocktails from an imaginative list of delights such as 'Honey Monkey', 'Screamin' Hudson', 'Re - Bourne' and 'The Gatsby' in china cups to disguise the liquor darling! Every detail was attended to. Food in the form of cheese and ham sandwiches individually made for you by a waiter positioned near the Backgammon table was there to revive you in the later hours as you got lost in the whirl of bet placing while the live music roared.  
This evening did not disappoint, we would certainly go again. Many of the guests I interviewed were here at the Prohibition party because they had enjoyed the Blitz party so much a few weeks previously.
The next Bourne and Hollingsworth events to place in your diary are

• The Blitz Party, London - 3rd September - ( please see my previous review of this event for more information- http://schelay.blogspot.com/2011/07/blitz-party-village-underground-in.html
• SS Atlantica - 10th September - 

Photographs Schelay McCarter please credit...

1920's style tonight in London - what a gas!

It is de riguer to go to stylish themed parties in London at the moment !

London’s illustrious Prohibition night is being revived in magnificent fashion tonight Hidden away from the prying eyes of police, this beautiful West End location will be filled with flappers and dandies surreptitiously quaffing bootlegged booze, dancing the Charleston and trying their hand at Roulette. Having become one of the most sensational parties in London, July’s event promises to be another exciting foray into the glamorous 1920s when contraband and the Charleston were the order of the evening.

Check out my review later.

If you want ideas of a modern fabulous take on 1920's fashion check out the film of the musical The Boy Friend - written by Sandy Wilson and directed by Ken Russel the costumes look amazing on style icon Twiggy in her prime when the film was made in 1971.

The Murdoch Empire - will it fall ?

This article is in July Tatler - who would have predicted what is happening to the News International Group with its share price dropping as we speak reflecting the uncertainty of the news organisation's future. This is like a Jeremy Archer novel except it is happening now! With British Prime Minister David Cameron so closely linked to Andy Coulson and Rebeka Brooks ( he went on an Xmas Day walk with her and Jeremy Clarkson - Rebeka is married to old Etonian Horse trainer Charlie Brooks) - One wonders if Cameron can survive the present witch hunt. I think we will have Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in his place by the end of the week if the crisis continues. Truth can be stranger than fiction. Today two top police chiefs have resigned and a News of the World journalist was found dead in his Watford home this afternoon adding to the intrigue. Is this a British Watergate?
Who is buying the film rights? - this is ironically one of the best news stories in recent journalistic history and it is the hacks playing the role of main protangonists!
Rupert and James Murdoch will be explaining themselves to a phone hacking investigative committee in the House of Commons tomorrow, what will come out of the wood work then? - riveting stuff !
Who said I just had to blog about fashion? - I do like Anna  Murdoch's 1970s style though in the black and white photo below! I bet Elizabeth Murdoch would like to stick her tongue out like this now, it is a great photo....
Will the Maxwell's be in touch to give them advice? or Conrad Black from his jail in America....

The Murdoch Dynasty

Images courtesy of Tatler - please credit

The Blitz Party in fashionable Shoreditch- a 1940s Style fest!

wow! great hair and make up right on trend...!

If you were not an expert in creating the perfect up do ‘The Beauty Queens’ (www.thebeautyqueens.co.uk) were on hand until midnight to fix hair and makeup. 

Check out this party goers fab vintage belt

These guys look excellent in their uniforms....

The flowers in her hair look great - reminds me of Kate Beckinsale in Pearl Harbour.

Menus disguised as ration books here

Swing band -

authentic Blitz lighting

Many thanks to Alice and Pippa Cullen, fashiontent's roving reporters for the evening ....

‘The Blitz Party’ has been taking London back to the forties for the last five years with great success. With the revival of the forties look on the catwalk, the night proved a popular concept and is understandably a sell out event. 

Arriving at the Village Underground in fashionable Shoreditch we found a bank of sandbags, stepping down into the old warehouse felt a bit like we could have been going into an underground bunker. Inside Union Jack bunting, long tressel tables and grainy gramophone record style music gave the feeling of being at a local village hall dance. 

Champagne glasses and elegant cocktails hinted at the glamour of the forties era, the menus were cleverly hidden inside a ration book.

Later an air raid siren and search lights announced the arrival onstage of a swing style band, performing modern favourites in a forties flavour.

The atmosphere was great and everyone made a huge effort to look authentic, uniforms were a popular choice for the gents as well as plain shirts worn with braces and open at the collar.

The ladies wore a mix of vintage and high street, many sourcing items from nearby Brick Lane, accessorised with vintage furs, gloves and hats to complete the look. 

Victory rolls and pin curls were sported not only by glamorous forties ladies but also land girls, and if you were not an expert in creating the perfect up do ‘The Beauty Queens’ (www.thebeautyqueens.co.uk) were on hand until midnight to fix hair and makeup.

The next Blitz party is on the 17^th of September, but if you can’t wait that long twenties themed ‘Prohibition’ is on Saturday 23^rd July.

Words and photos for fashiontent by Alice and Pippa Cullen please credit

Emma Watson - she defines her generation! - Harpers Bazaar

This is a lovely image of Emma by Alexi Lubomirski, the softer styling and location so suits her. I would like to see her play a romantic lead in an art house movie. 

Visionary styling of her by Cathy kasterine. This would be a perfect image for MIss Dior perfume - 

Reminiscent of a Vogue cover of Twiggy ( aka Lesley Hornby from Neasden) from the 1960s, reflective of the strong Autumn Winter catwalk trends influenced by this era. Check out Prada's collection to see what I mean! Many of her designs would not look out of place on in an Austin Powers costume department!

Prada

This is not so sucessful in my opinion, she is startling and arresting but too hard but then that is what the 'Good Girl gone bad?' editorial and interview was all about. A clever concept by UK Harpers Bazzar.

1940s styling featured in US & UK Vogue - a big trend for this Winter

Kate Moss looking great and like an extra from 'Atonement' in this months UK Vogue - taken prior to her wedding nuptials

David Walliam's wife British model Lara Stone art directed by Grace Coddington for this months US Vogue.
The inspiration for this shoot was 1940s film noir chic.

Create this same look and live it for a real at this retro Blitz Party event in London's fashionable Shoreditch. I am sending guest writers Alice and Pippa Cullen to cover it for fashiontent. 
To recreate this 1940s inspired look visit London's Brick lane which is rammed with fabulous vintage fashion shops brimming with reasonably priced gems. Or wait for High street retailers such as Top Shop, Zara, Hennes, and web fashion supremo Asos to stock this great groomed lady like look. 1940s glam is set to be big this Winter. 

Tati Colier seen in London -

Cecilia Ferraro ( an ex student of mine) was out and about on her bicycle in Spittlefields and spotted Tati Colier on her way to a casting - a quick thinking friend took a photo of her with Tati - it was very fortuitous as photographer Cecilia had done an Art Direction project on Tati Colier's styling and a diary of her day using a friend as model.

http://schelay.blogspot.com/2011/06/tati-collier-transmits-rebellious.html see a recent post on her style here.


Photography copyright Cecilia Ferraro - pls credit

Louis Vuitton - My favorite image from the Summer brand campaign

I like this commercial brand image. Reminiscent of Grace Kelly in the Monaco hills in a bygone age of elite 1950s Hollywood glamour.Or even sub the model for actress January Jone's character Betty from Mad Men on one of her European trips with Don! This dress is as preppy as a Ralph Lauren Polo shirt. The green and pink stripe pattern will become as recognizable as the the LV symbols on her hand bag with the cache identity of the Burberry check. Perfect for the aspirational Chinese shopper who wishes to conspicuously consume our European luxery brands!