This week, I was subpoenaed by the Prohibition Department of the State of New Jersey, to attend a secret 'speakeasy' event, at The Candlelight Club in London. How thrilling! {you can read the contents of my the enveloped below here by the way}…
Love My Dress Wedding Blog – Photography Copyright (c) 2011, Kirsten Mavric
What that actually means is, I received an invite from Sky Atlantic, to attend a preview screening, just for a select group of Bloggers, of Episode One, Season Two of Boardwalk Empire. Excitement overload!
Those not familiar with Boardwalk Empire can go here to learn about this brilliant TV series, set in the 1920s, and that follows the antics of corrupt Atlantic City Treasurer, Nucky Thompson {brilliantly portrayed by Steve Buscemi} as he exploits the harbour and extensive Boardwalk of Atlantic City as way of smuggling in illegal alcohol during the era of Prohibition.
It is a fascinating insight into the life of a Kingpin Gangster who monopolises a city via greed and illegal activities. And the wardrobe and styling is out of this world! Those of you who love the show as much as I do may also not be aware that Nucky Thompson's character is actually based on a real life person, Nucky Johnson. Kind of incredible that!
I adore everything about this brilliant TV production – every time I devour an episode on Sky+ I feel instantly transported back to the glamorous and decadent age of All That Jazz, of secret speakeasy parties and illegal alcohol consumption. I've even featured a Bridal Inspiration shoot inspired by Boardwalk Empire…
Image provided courtesy of Sky Atlantic
The organisation of this event was a very slick affair, and I'd like to thank Gemma Glover from Spreading Jam {whose creativity and ingenuity in designing and planning this event scores 10/10} for making it so much fun for me and my guests, Tiffany Grant Riley, Vicky Rowe, and Kirsten Mavric {who took the photos you see on this page}. From the moment I was invited and asked to keep the details a secret {in keeping with the planning of a real speakeasy event}, to our arrival at the secret entrance to The Candlelight Club, to being ushered through into a back room to be styled, to the live jazz band, to the spectacular and comletely delicious cocktails – this was a one-of-a-kind, brilliant, fun and fantastic spectacle of an event.
Imagine stepping back in time and being surrounded by 1920's flapper girls dolled up to the nine's with the most outrageous feather headpieces and jewellery, a dimly lit room full of speakeasy party goers looking for a good time and a jazz singer losing herslef in the moment, whilst a saucy Burlesque performance Artist waited in the wings to come and tease her crowd, and you kind of get an idea of what Thursday evening was like…
Me in the styling/wardrobe room {right – with my new dark hair!}…
The wardrobe was out of this world…
We stayed at The Trafalgar Hotel for the evening, which was the perfect place to get ready for a party. can't fault this stylish London city chic boutique hotel enough, the service is faultless and the rooms were so unbelievably comfortable. And they are a wedding venue too! {more on that to follow}.
Love My Dress Wedding Blog – Photography Copyright (c) 2011, Kirsten Mavric
To help us get into the spirit of things, my guests and I dressed up in replica 1920's flapper dresses, that were all supplied Vicky Rowe, who has just become the UK reseller for American Brand Le Luxe Clothing. And yes, these beaded beauties come in all kinds of colours, shapes and sizes, including frocks in cream that are perfect for Brides who adore the 1920's style…
The evening started with a few drinks on the rooftop bar/restaurant of The Trafalgar Hotel…
That's Tiffany and I below…
Tiffany is very beautiful, even when she's trying to look kind of serious…
We had a lot of fun fooling around pre-party, by practicing the Charlston… hehehe 🙂
The views form the rooftop bar were incredible!
Our taxi transported us to the venue for the evening, The Candlelight Club in London. I love this place, it's all hidden away like a real speakeasy party in the 1920's would be. It was fun climbing through the hole in the wall and making our way through to the party in the back…
Once inside, I was ushered into a backroom as a 'VIP' and given my choice of hair accessories and dresses to choose. However my friend Vicky Rowe who had just become the UK reseller for LeLuxe Clothing Ltd, loaned me a gorgeous beaded replica 1920's style flapper dress. All I had to do was choose an accessory and get my makeup touched up.
My beautiful LeLuxe Clothing replica 1920's beaded flapper dress…
Image below supplied by Spreading Jam
Whilst I was in the backroom having makeup applied, my guests went into the bar and were entertained by a live Jazz Band whilst they sipped on cocktails…
Image below supplied by Spreading Jam
While the jazz band were playing, I was in the wardrobe room, an area bustling with activity, with vintage draped and hanging all over the place, jewellery and accessories bursting out of boxes and a pretty painted screen positioned to allow guests to slip in to their original vintage attire for the evening, that had been supplied for the VIP guests.
The makeup girls wore the most fabulous outfits…
The backroom where the wardrobe unit and makeup girls were was a HAVEN of vintage pretty. Actually, the wardrobe was, frankly, out of his world. This was the era of the Folies Bergere, and glamorous, extravagant entertainment acts, all around were outrageous feathre headpieces, strings of pearls, pretty beaded and tassled flapper dresses, women in circus performance outfits and top hats, it was a feast for the eyes, and photographer Kirsten Mavric captured it all beautifully in these photos…
Illegal cocktail sir? What about a Boardwalk Breeze?
I LOVED this yellow turban that the makeup Assistant was wearing, infact the two makeup Assistants looked spectacular…
Then it was my turn. The Assistant rummaged in her box and found this beautiful beaded 1920s headband for me to wear across my forehead. She then tucked my hair neatly into the back of the band to give me loose up do…
I rejoined my friends in the bar and we were soon ushered up to the floor above, which had been laid out like a mini cinema. Kirsten had used her head and quickly reserved some seats right at the front. That's me, Tiffany and Vicky below there having fun, out little goody bags contained much needed food and water – it was swealtering hot!!
….and this is what we were watching….
Image below supplied by Spreading Jam
Boardwalk Empire is set to make its highly-anticipated return to the Sky Atlantic channel on 8th October {set your Sky + boxes people!}.
As season one ended, viewers were left wondering how the cards would fall for a number of the city’s big players as Jimmy, Eli, and 'the Commodore', who seem to have been united over their mutual resentment of Nucky. As season two gets underway, Nucky is bracing himself for betrayal as well as dealing with an investigation into voter fraud which could leave him facing jail time. Meanwhile, mobsters like Arnold Rothstein, Lucky Luciano and Al Capone (played by one of the best UK Actors ever, Stephen Graham) wait in the wings, looking for the chance to grab a bigger piece of Nucky’s pie and Agent Van Alden struggles to balance his high moral values with his actions.
The first Episode is everything you could imagine it is, funny, frightening, shocking, explosive, thrilling but above all else hugely entertaining. Without wanting to give too much away, below are a few stills from the episode we viewed on Thursday – thank you to Sky Atlantic for providing these beautiful shots…
Bad times are ahead for character Chalky White…
Character Richard Harrow keeping watch on the beach os illegal alcohol is smuggled in to Atlantic City…
A speakeasy in full swing…
The somewhat sadistic Agent Nelson Van Alden. Wait until you see what happens next in this scene!
Jimmy. God he's sexy…
It was a totally brilliant night, cut a little bit short by the fact I really was not very well at all {has anyone else had this God awful cold/mild flu thing this week?} but I had so much fun with my girlfriends and can't WAIT for the second series of Boardwalk Empire to kick off on Sky Atlantic again.
Big thanks again to Gemma Glover of Spreading Jam and to my lovely friends Tiffany, Vicky and Kirsten for ensuring I had a night to remember, speakeasy, all -that jazz, full on glamour style.
Really, being subpoenaed has never been so much fun! 😉
Much love all,
Annabel xXx
♥
Links you need to visit:-
♥ Bridal Inspiration shoot inspired by Boardwalk Empire
♥ Boardwalk Empire – On Twitter, Facebook & the website
♥ Sky Atlantic – On Twitter, Facebook & the website
♥ Kirsten Mavric Photography – On Twitter, Facebook & the website
♥ Tiffany Grant Riley, of Grant Riley Weddings – On Twitter, Facebook & the website
♥ Vicky Rowe of LeLuxe Clothing UK – On Twitter, Facebook & the website
♥ The Trafalgar Hotel – On Twitter, Facebook & the website
♥ Spreading Jam – On Twitter & the website
ps – Pop out to W.H.Smiths this weekend and grab yourself a copy of 'Vintage Life Magazine' {ask for a copy if you can't find it}, which features an article written by me with a focus on the 1920's inspired Bride…
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
