It happened. On Saturday, December 1, 2012, we partied like it was 1929! These are the pictures from The Great Gatsby Party, hosted by Drink Eat Play in Los Angeles. My party pals are Kristen & Kristen and I think if we had shown up at Jay Gatsby’s mansion, even Daisy Buchanan might have envied our decadent frocks. As one of the lovely Kristens stated most wisely, “We need to dress up more than five times a year.” I second that!
The queens of the speakeasy.
Unless otherwise captioned or clearly a photo booth picture, all of the photos in which I appear were taken by Kristen Suszek — check her out at Neurotic Tendencies. We did all of these photos with our iPhones and a healthy dose of Instagram… Ah! I’m glad we have mobile technology in 2012 and they probably wished they had in the ’20s. Thank you, K!
I wore my Great Gatsby Dress with sequins and satin from JoAnn Fabrics and accessorized it with a faux fur coat by Coldwater Creek, red suede Mary Jane heels from ShoeDazzle, pearl rope necklaces from the local party store, real pearl earrings from my own jewelry collection, and a peacock feather in my hair.
Speaking of my hair, I had it done professionally by the only person I have ever truly trusted with my hair. Vanessa of Styles by Vanessa created this look based off some pictures I found and I think we achieved the perfect 1920s look! I fashioned a headband out of some scrap satin lining fabric and Vanessa secured the peacock feather in the asymmetrical curly chignon.
There were mobs of people, just as you would read about in The Great Gatsby novel. The Kristens and I navigated our way around through the VIP lounge, where we enjoyed open bar pours from multiple liquor brands and finished off the evening with complimentary cigars. I think I connected with Mae West on a spiritual level when we got to the cigars.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drink-Eat-Play/186763821339819?ref=ts&fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drink-Eat-Play/186763821339819?ref=ts&fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drink-Eat-Play/186763821339819?ref=ts&fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drink-Eat-Play/186763821339819?ref=ts&fref=ts
I am so glad that I wrestled with those sequins! My dress was unique and unfortunately for many ladies, they found themselves wearing the same frock as others, having purchased their dresses from the same vintage-look retailers. The best surprise of the evening came when one of my newest readers noticed me and we had a lovely, albeit short, conversation and I am now shooting myself in the foot for not taking a picture together. So, when she reads this, I’d just like to say a huge THANK YOU because you made me feel like a rock star!
I think we, as a society, really need to make more effort to dress up like the days of old. The men looked fantastic (I’m such a sucker for a man in a good suit) and you know what else, they were total gentlemen. The women were elegant ladies with just the right amount of party kick! There was still plenty of debauchery and loose flowing liquor, but there was also a noticeable decorum that took over the event and it was so refreshing. So this is me, the girl who sews retro clothing, saying that the next time you wonder if you should take a little extra time to dress up a little more… this is me saying YES, you most definitely should! Invest in that suit and own fewer pairs of ratty jeans. Get your dress impeccably tailored and own a smaller number of really great dresses instead of a closet full of cheap ones. You’d be surprised how much the world smiles on you and you smile on it when you look and feel like a million bucks.
Photo bomb!
After the party, Kristen S. and I went to the historic Roosevelt Hotel for some food. (I did not go to bed until 5am, in case you’re calculating time.) People stopped us to compliment our looks and in the middle of Hollyweird, I daresay we brought some class to the neighborhood! Kristen snapped this picture of me next to the Christmas wreath and I think it’s a great segue into the Holiday Season.
Kick up your heels! 2012 is going out with style!
