Now that Goodwood Revival has swept its grounds for the year, where else is a chap or chapette to go in search of the vintage glamour of yesteryear? Where can a gentleman don his opera cape, top hat and walking cane, and a lady her finest party frock and feather boa, so they can mingle among the glamourously dressed in forties fashion, 1930s style and decadent party rags?
The answer is the Grand Silver Jubilee Ball, held by The Chap Magazine on 12th October to celebrate 25 years of publication. Nowhere else is one likely to see such a finely dressed parade of vintage hairstyles, retro glad rags and elegant examples of fifties fashion, thirties style and the sequinned flapper dresses of the 1920s. Expect the odd Regency top hat and breeches as well, for this will be no era-specific jolly, but a celebration of all vintage styles throughout the ages, from the decadent 1820s to the flamboyant 1950s.
And what entertainment befits a grand vintage ball such as this? What do flaneurs, chaps, chapettes, dandies and dandizettes like to dance the jitterbug and the lindy hop to? For starters, our forties frock-wearing gramophone handling DJ will be spinning vinyl from the 1930s to the birth of rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly, and the first act to grace the stage with his immaculate attire and rakishly angled hat will be none other than Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer, that giant-spectacle wearing, banjolele-toting chap hop superstar.
Next on the generously proportioned stage at Hamilton House will be the the Silver Jubilee Hot Jazz Serenaders, a specially assembled quintet of clarinetists, saxophonists, drummers and all-round jumpin’ jive musicians, who pledge to light up the stage and turn the sprung dancefloor of the grand ballroom into a bouncing sea of dancing dandies until the wee hours of the morning.
And it is not only the performers who will grace the stage. Our roving judges will be combing the aisles for the best-dressed and most luxuriantly coiffed guests, thence to award them grand prizes for their sartorial and tonsorial efforts. Prizes from our sponsors range from a tweed jacket by Walker Slater for best-dressed chap; a voucher for vintage lingerie from What Katie Did for best-dressed lady; a luxurious moustache maintenance gift box from Captain Fawcett for best male facial hair, and the special award for most decadent outfit of the evening (male or female) will win a gorgeous silk dressing gown from Geoff Stocker.
Tickets cost just £25 to this once-in-a-lifetime grand ball, where one may mingle with the finest dressed folk who worship the golden age of retro glamour, or, for a special occasion, a table for twelve may be booked to ensure that you keep your nearest and dearest never too far from the ice bucket.
Dinner in the restaurant adjoining the venue, offering a Polish feast and a-la-carte options, will be served from 5.30 until 8.30 pm, allowing one to glide straight into the ballroom without interruption. Places may be pre-booked from www.tickettailor.com or just turn up and order on the night.
The Grand Silver Jubilee Ball runs from 7pm until 2am. Book your tickets here for the vintage party of the decade.
