Booze, Glorious Booze! Part 2

Following neatly (if not promptly) on from my last post about Gin, is today's offering, which is in fact about Cider. Those who knew me in my late teens and early twenties will know that I have imbibed a fair amount of cider in my time, particularly one memorable (or perhaps I should say dimly remembered by me but nonetheless notorious) incident involving several litres of Strongbow (also known as Wrongbow), the steps at The Dome in Tuffnell Park, and a badly bruised posterior... a photo of which was kindly photoshopped into an amusing picture by none other than Dave Gorman. But that is a story for another day ;)

No, cider holds a special place in my heart, and so, when David Carter of Tart and 40 Winks fame invited me and Naomi along to the launch of a rather stylish, fruity cider-themed event, I couldn't possibly say no. But before we get to the cider, something a bit more traditional! I had Afternoon Tea at Brown's Hotel with my dear mum!



Oh, I do love an Afternoon Tea, and it's particularly delicious at Brown's! My favourite bit is the sandwiches, my mum's the scones, clotted cream and jam. What about you?

After I'd eaten my bodyweight in sarnies and cakes, and drunk a couple of litres of tea, I swooped off to Vintage Secret Towers to get changed for the party. Suitably attired, Naomi and I then headed off to Fitrovia, to 33 Fitzroy Square, to be precise.

The Jacques Townhouse is a splendidly stylish venue, designed top to bottom by Mr Carter, filled with delicious treats and Dragon Den favourite Vintage Patisserie cupcakes, Benefit eyelashes, dressing up clothes and... Cider! The cider itself is something I have always seen in the supermarket but never tried - a fruity, fizzy draught, in two flavours, Fruits Des Bois and Orchard Fruits. I loved the Orchard Fruits variety! The idea behind the event was to introduce girls to the delights of Jacques, by getting David in to design this pop-up townhouse and hosting mini-parties several times an evening for a couple of weeks. But how about a peek inside the house?



The intricate cakes were just for show, but Angel's cupcakes and the assorted canapes went down a treat. Everywhere you looked, there was something to see, from frothy pompoms, to vintage suitcases and hatboxes, old photos and ephemera, plus a secret 'garden' filled with glowing bunnies, plush cushions and vintage tea cups.



I wore my well-loved but still fabulous Whirling Turban outfit (I wish I could get another!), while Naomi wore a smashing early 60s cotton, floor-length evening gown, which could have been made for her, it fitted so well. There were some truly gorgeous outfits on display as well, which were all captured by the official photographer. We of course, couldn't resist having a go in front of the camera!



Here we are, posing away, with a snap of the gal in my favourite outfit. It's a playsuit/overall with a very 30s look, and the girl (I think her name was Adele...) looked amazing in it. If you're curious for more, have a browse on the Jacques Facebook page for more. All in all it was a splendid night, and lovely to see some famous faces up close, including Sophie Ellis Bextor (incredibly stylish but so thin), Donna Air (also very thin) and a girl from the Sugababes. David did a wonderful job with the decor, and by all accounts the 10+ day event has been a great success. It's certainly made me very amenable to Jacques cider!

The official events were slightly different, in that each girl received two drinks and a cake, and was let loose in the house for an hour and a half. If any attendees or girls who unfortunately missed out on the free spaces are interested in something similar, hosted by yours truly, Naomi and of course, Mr David Carter, then why not come along to Tart! You get the dressing up, the makeup, unlimited food, cake and drink, plus four glorious hours of fun! You can get in touch with David for more info... and gosh do I have some wonderful photos to post very soon, to tempt you all further!

Must dash, love to each and every one of you!

Fleur xx
DiaryofaVintageGirl.com