A few weeks ago, we were delighted to be asked to make two 1920s style head pieces for two lovely ladies attending a 1920s themed charity ball in Edinburgh. One of those ladies was the lovely Laura Carroll, current President of the Edinburgh Business Women’s Club. Following the event, she kindly agreed to write a guest post on our blog about the night and has included some fabulous photos taken by the talented Thomas Haywood.
So here it is – post by guest blogger Laura Carroll:
If you ask me to name five of my favorite things on a list, that list would look like this –
- Friends
- Food
- Wine
- Dancing
- Dressing up
Put all of these together and what have you got? A perfect night out! So you can imagine how delighted I was to be asked to host the Edinburgh Businesswomen’s Club table at the Maggie’s Centre 18th Birthday Ball!
For those of you who don’t know, Maggie’s Centre is a wonderful charity based here in Edinburgh but in operation throughout the UK. Theses centres offer support and care for anyone suffering from cancer, as well as their friends and family. They have done fabulous work for the past 18th years and come together each year to celebrate another year’s successes and to raise money for the year to come. The Edinburgh Businesswomen’s Club proudly support Maggie’s as their charity of the year. I am lucky enough to be the president of the Club, hence my good fortune of being able to host the table.
This year the team at Maggie’s outdid themselves. The theme was 1920s – think Fat Sam’s Grand Slam or The Great Gatsby. I for one was delighted to get down with Downton as I am mildly obsessed with the TV show and have considered, once or twice, reverting to 1920s grandeur and graces to become ‘the strange woman down the road who thinks she’s Lady Mary’. It was of course then that I accepted the challenge of 1920s dress up with great gusto.
I think there’s a bit of an art to dressing up for these kind of events. On the one hand, you want to look like you’ve made the effort to go along with the theme, but there’s always that fine line between ‘dressing up’ and ‘fancy dress’. You also want to look as nice as you possibly can as, afterall, it is still a Saturday evening and you’re at a party. I didn’t want to get caught on the wrong side of the line and luckily I had just the answer.
Enter my secret weapon – Hannah at Arabella Bridal. Hannah has made me some stunning fascinators in the past to wear at weddings; with just enough wow to turn heads but not to out-do the bride herself. I didn’t really know what it was that I was after but I knew that even if I didn’t know, Hannah would.
After sending Hannah a few snap shots of my dress she got to work. The dress I had chosen had a nod to the 20s but wasn’t a complete replica piece; I wanted to have a 20s inspired outfit rather than look like I’d just fallen straight out of a dressing up box. It was an ivory satin, full length dress, cut on the bias with a stunning low back that ties in a big bow. Yes, I know that sounds horrific but it works, trust me. I Downton-ed it up by adding long black evening gloves and a string of glittery black beads. The piece de resistance came in a tissue paper wrapped package, placed in an ivory box and hand tied with a ribbon. My fascinator was here!
I savoured every minute of unwrapping the tissue paper to reveal the marvel that was nestled within. And what a marvel it was! Hannah really had outdone herself by producing a highly embellished Art Deco style headband, tied at the back of the head with a ribbon. Diamantes dangled from the centrepiece seductively, in a way that would make the Dowager Duchess blush. With my hair swept up into a modern side bun it really did look the bees knees.
I spent the evening with item number one on my list, enjoying items two, three and four. But it was being able to indulge so fancifully in number five that made my evening perfect.
If you are interested in purchasing a piece like the one worn by Laura, please contact us for more details. Prices start from just £100.