Getting Fancy for a Good Cause
Friday night was Frocktail Party 2010, the second annual event in support of juvenile diabetes research. A group of friends who lost their mutual friend to juvenile diabetes decided last year to put on this event in support of people who struggle with it, and Frocktail was such a huge success that they decided to repeat it, and I hope that they continue to! It was so much fun!
The event's concept is simple and awesome: women donate dresses that they have and don't want anymore, and the dresses are assessed for their value by a vintage clothing pricer, then they are presented for silent auction with starting-bid price categories. The starting bids were as low as $50 and as high as $300 (or perhaps there was higher, but this was the highest I saw). There was also a vintage category, for dresses that were from a different era, and some priced racks where dresses were under $50 and could simply be purchased rather than bid on. Some of the dresses were crazy, some of them were outrageous, and some of them were downright awesome. The donations ranged from high-end designers to regular brands, and were in all shapes and sizes.
Each dress, by nature of being a donation, was unique. So, if you saw a dress that you loved and it actually happened to be your size, you really had to get a bid in there and keep your eye on it. It was imperative to hover near the dress price-card all night, despite the crush of people looking at dresses and bidding, and despite the whole huge other room that was still part of the same party but had a d.j., a nail bar, and a hair style bar, and also an alcohol bar. Both rooms were bustling, and the auction room had a particularly high energy. Drew and I were enlisted at one point to bid on a dress for a friend, who was bidding for her friend's boyfriend who couldn't be there, and she was worried that the friend whose boyfriend was bidding might see her trying to win the dress. It was fun and exciting, and the atmosphere was great.
The nail bar and hair bar were really interesting. The Frocktail Party had various sponsors and Schwartzkopf Professional hair salons was one of them. There were two stylists at the party doing people's hair for them (who would show up to an event like that without their hair done is a mystery to me, but there you have it). It was likewise for nails.
Drew and I had *such a great time*. I can't say enough how much fun I had. Drew caught an earlier train out of Kingston and so we both got home around the same time and were able to eat dinner at home and drink some wine, and then get all snazzed up. Drew looked so great! We had never dressed up together before, so it was really fun to see each other in fancy clothes. We were a hit at the party, too - a few different photographers asked to take our photo. At one point we were near the hair bar, talking and enjoying ourselves, when a photographer got our attention and asked us if she could take our photo. We said yes, and here it is:
I love it! It's one of my new very favourite shots of us. And don't we match so well? That was not explicitly planned, though I think Drew might have had an idea from seeing the dress on Skype (what a guy!). The hat that I'm wearing is an amazing little fleur-de-lis top hat created by Two Back Flats, made of white satin with a satin bow, rhinestone trimming, and a white ostrich plume at the back. It was a hit as well, and I had at least a dozen compliments on it through the night. Really it was just so much fun to wear.
It was a late night and a good night. We travelled by streetcar, and it was a really foggy night that made us both feel like we were in London, England during the time of Sherlock Holmes. That, plus the fact that we were dressed up, made the entire experience feel very extemporaneous. After a night of dancing, drinks, and lots of flashing lights, the ride home was a bit dreamy. I drifted along happily with tired feet, memories of pretty frocks and people, and the lovely feeling of Drew's hand in mine.
The event's concept is simple and awesome: women donate dresses that they have and don't want anymore, and the dresses are assessed for their value by a vintage clothing pricer, then they are presented for silent auction with starting-bid price categories. The starting bids were as low as $50 and as high as $300 (or perhaps there was higher, but this was the highest I saw). There was also a vintage category, for dresses that were from a different era, and some priced racks where dresses were under $50 and could simply be purchased rather than bid on. Some of the dresses were crazy, some of them were outrageous, and some of them were downright awesome. The donations ranged from high-end designers to regular brands, and were in all shapes and sizes.
Each dress, by nature of being a donation, was unique. So, if you saw a dress that you loved and it actually happened to be your size, you really had to get a bid in there and keep your eye on it. It was imperative to hover near the dress price-card all night, despite the crush of people looking at dresses and bidding, and despite the whole huge other room that was still part of the same party but had a d.j., a nail bar, and a hair style bar, and also an alcohol bar. Both rooms were bustling, and the auction room had a particularly high energy. Drew and I were enlisted at one point to bid on a dress for a friend, who was bidding for her friend's boyfriend who couldn't be there, and she was worried that the friend whose boyfriend was bidding might see her trying to win the dress. It was fun and exciting, and the atmosphere was great.
The nail bar and hair bar were really interesting. The Frocktail Party had various sponsors and Schwartzkopf Professional hair salons was one of them. There were two stylists at the party doing people's hair for them (who would show up to an event like that without their hair done is a mystery to me, but there you have it). It was likewise for nails.
Drew and I had *such a great time*. I can't say enough how much fun I had. Drew caught an earlier train out of Kingston and so we both got home around the same time and were able to eat dinner at home and drink some wine, and then get all snazzed up. Drew looked so great! We had never dressed up together before, so it was really fun to see each other in fancy clothes. We were a hit at the party, too - a few different photographers asked to take our photo. At one point we were near the hair bar, talking and enjoying ourselves, when a photographer got our attention and asked us if she could take our photo. We said yes, and here it is:
I love it! It's one of my new very favourite shots of us. And don't we match so well? That was not explicitly planned, though I think Drew might have had an idea from seeing the dress on Skype (what a guy!). The hat that I'm wearing is an amazing little fleur-de-lis top hat created by Two Back Flats, made of white satin with a satin bow, rhinestone trimming, and a white ostrich plume at the back. It was a hit as well, and I had at least a dozen compliments on it through the night. Really it was just so much fun to wear.
It was a late night and a good night. We travelled by streetcar, and it was a really foggy night that made us both feel like we were in London, England during the time of Sherlock Holmes. That, plus the fact that we were dressed up, made the entire experience feel very extemporaneous. After a night of dancing, drinks, and lots of flashing lights, the ride home was a bit dreamy. I drifted along happily with tired feet, memories of pretty frocks and people, and the lovely feeling of Drew's hand in mine.
Lovely!
ReplyDeleteYou two look fantastic! Love this...and I wanted to attend that party too!
ReplyDelete