Every Friday night Cafe de Paris holds an amazing show full of singers and performers.

La Rêve has recently catapulted Café de Paris back to its former glory, these sell out shows are taking the town by storm as the spirit of The Roaring Twenties inhabits the ballroom once again to the rapturous reception of the great and the good within. Still more intriguing are the stories behind the curtains, the warring clans of the performance scene, hijackings, kidnappings, litigation and sordid stories of sex and violence in the bedrooms and corridors that maze backstage.

…THIS FRIDAYS LINE UP:

Tonight’s compere straight from cabarets most respected high flyers La Soiree it’s MISS BEHAVE

Also on the bill:

Amazing slight of hand and feats of wonder from JAVIER JARQUIN

Another La Soiree star MOOKY CORNISH will be splitting our sides.

Classical pianist burlesques dark princess CHRYS COLUMBINE.

ELLIOT MASON hilarious chanteur

Hula hoopa wonderment supplied by JESSIE ROSE
Mystical gypsy Ane Angel will be mesmerizing with her dark arts and wonderful command of fire!

Again from La Soiree and shows worldwide we have HUGO DESMARIAS

dj sets from BOOM BOOM dj’s, LUCIFER BOX and MARKABRE CHARADE.

Dressing up is not compulsory but is strongly encouraged

3-Course Dinner + Show + Club – £45 advance
Show + Club – £12 advance
Club Entry (after 10pm) – £8 advance

Sarah-Louise Young at La Reve, Cafe de Paris. Photo: Michel Dierickx

THIS SATURDAY!

Featuring jaw dropping acrobatic feats, show stopping music acts and eye popping outfits, Belle Epoque has been designed to enrapture your soul, trick your mind, and release your inner exhibitionist.

From the people who brought you The Blitz Party and Prohibition, Belle Epoque will take place in Shoreditch on Saturday 9th April 2011.

Step into a fantasy world where masked villains melt in to the crowd as corseted courtesans drape themselves over gilded balconies. Throughout the evening, guests marvel at the spectacular surroundings, inspired by the aerialists and trapeze artists as they twist and turn from the ceiling. Daring dancers dazzle as heady cocktails tantalise.

Shoreditch Studios will be transformed into a lavish music hall, complete with a stage, trapezes and three floors decked out with golden balustrades and lined with crimson velvet curtains. Intimate nooks and cosy crannies on the mezzanine levels create perfect spots for surveying the crowd, while other floors play host to cocktail bars, absinthe fountains and a boudoir dedicated to costume make up.

Both live bands and DJs play an eclectic mix of music, a diverse and original sound that ranges from sultry chansons and jazz standards to boisterous big band hits and classic rock and roll.

The evening’s dress code is strict, but stretches the limits of the most far-fetched imagination. Reach into your inner desires and pull out a theme. Be it femme fatale or feisty fan dancer, a petticoat clad showgirl or a powdered Marie Antoinette, ladies go for big hair, feathers and risqué hemlines – and, if possible, try to squeeze into a corset. Gentlemen should aim for a devilishly dashing look, using masks, hat and disguises to create an air of mystique. Think twirling moustaches and swirling cloaks, silken top hats and crisp tails.

Tickets priced at £20 are available through the website or by calling 020 7724 1617

Saturday 9th April 2011
8pm-2am (Aerial Acrobatics start at 9pm)
www.belleepoqueparty.com

Shoreditch Studios
29 New Inn Yard
London
EC2A 3EY

For further information about Belle Époque,
Please contact Nadia Walford at Essence Communications
T: 020 7467 3910; E: nadia.walford@essence-communcations.com

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, armchair, c. 1884-6. © V&A Images

This Saturday sees the opening of “The Cult of Beauty” at the Victoria & Albert Museum, the most comprehensive exhibition devoted to Aesthetic Movement yet to be staged in Britain. Spanning roughly the period from the 1860s to 1900, Aestheticism was much more than simply an artistic movement: it was a lifestyle, a state of mind, and a strikingly modern means of personal expression. What began among a small group of friends who rejected what they saw as the ugliness, mechanisation and stifling conventionality of mid-Victorian society became a design movement that touched every aspect of life, from fine art to furnishings, from fashion to bookbinding.

Aestheticism’s breadth and complexity can make it hard to pin down, but William Morris’ famous statement – “Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful and believe to be beautiful” – neatly sums up both the aims and the totalising ambitions of the movement, of which Morris was one of the most influential figures. Others whose lives and careers were linked to Aestheticism include members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, James McNeill Whistler, and Oscar Wilde.  Aesthetes believed in art for art’s sake and the pursuit of beauty as an end in itself, not as a moralising or edifying force – something that shocked the artistic establishment of the day. They were committed, too, to the belief that every object should be a thing of beauty wherever possible, elevating decorative art to the status of fine art and breaking down the traditional boundaries between art forms. The V&A itself is to a large extent a product of this philosophy, meaning that there could hardly be a more appropriate venue for the exhibition. In fact, if you’ve ever enjoyed a meal in the museum’s gorgeous Green Dining Room, a Morris creation, you’ve already experienced one of the greatest surviving Aesthetic interiors.

Edward Burne-Jones, Laus Veneris, 1873-78 © LaingArtGallery, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

The Cult of Beauty gathers together over 250 objects from public and private collections, including masterpieces of portraiture, rare surviving examples of Aesthetic dress and jewellery, sculpture, books and architectural designs. Visitors are led on a roughly chronological journey from Aestheticism’s beginnings in bohemian London’s sitting-rooms, through its explosion in popularity and subsequent mockery in the national press, to its eventual evolution into the Decadent Movement of the 1890s. Among the obvious highlights – including a 360-degree recreation of Whistler’s breathtaking Peacock Room, portraits by Rossetti and Burne-Jones, and illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley – are some less well-known but equally fascinating gems: Christopher Dresser’s almost Deco-like teapots look 60 years ahead of their time; the intriguing ‘Fan of Lady X’ was decorated by twenty of the leading artistic figures of the day, but the identity of its original owner remains a mystery.

Frederic, Lord Leighton, Pavonia, 1858-59. © Private Collection c/o Christie’s

In keeping with the all-encompassing nature of Aestheticism itself, the visiting experience is an immersive one. No plain white walls and stark gallery lighting here: backdrops are painted in the key colours of the Aesthetic palette – a rich peacock blue and the ‘greenery-yallery’ mocked by Gilbert & Sullivan and favoured by Aesthetic artists at their original exhibitions. Shimmering projections of key Aesthetic motifs, the peacock feather and the lily, complement the exhibits and add to the intensity of the atmosphere. It’s a hard balance to strike between overwhelming and enhancing the displays, but the curators have pulled it off to a marvel. The one element that doesn’t quite work is the looped recordings of poetry: not audible enough to really allow you to appreciate the language, they end up being merely offputting.

Though Aestheticism is perhaps less widely understood today than many 19^th-century artistic movements (though this exhibition is sure to change that), our modern attitudes towards the relationship between life, art and design owe it a huge debt. It was the Aesthetic Movement that confirmed the modern notion of the artist as celebrity and as public property; that cemented the idea that what you wore could express not your occupation or social rank but rather your sense of self and personality; that developed, in a way which has fascinating parallels with the modern vintage movement, a taste for drawing on the styles and tastes of previous eras – Classical Greece, the Middle Ages – in an eclectic attempt to return to a more refined and enduringly beautiful past.

“The Cult of Beauty” runs from 2 April to 17 July before moving on to Paris and San Francisco.

I am ever so excited this year to be participating in my very first Tweed Run, along side dear friends Fleur and Jen. I love cycling and I can’t think of a more enjoyable afternoon in London. You can read all about Fleur’s previous adventures here.

This year the Tweed Run has partnered with Pashley bikes to create a one off Tweed Run Clubman bike to be auctioned to the highest bidder. The only one in existence, it is perfect for city cycling and for Tweed Run adventures. Ideally suited for both ladies and gents, the Clubman offers the discerning cyclist a superior urban ride.

As it is for the Tweed Run, Pashley have gone all out and have come up
with some special Tweed Touches! Tweed Run specs include:

* Black mainframe with ivory head-tube and seat-tube banding.
* Chromed fork blades
* Gold head-tube lug lining – all hand gilded
* Special dated ‘Tweed Run London 2011′ down-tube and seat-tube graphics
* 21ｽ” frame

Hand made in the Pashley factory in Stratford upon Avon, this is really a one off.

To make sure the winner is able to fully enjoy their new bicycle righ away, the Tweed Run is pleased to offer the successful bidder two Tweed Run London places. (Now fully sold out)

100% of proceeds from this auction will be donated to Bikes4Africa, a Rotary International of Britain and Ireland project helping people to change their lives through education. Many African children live in remote communities, a long way from their nearest school. Without reliable, affordable, motorised transport the only way these children  can get to school is to walk.  In searing heat, their journey to education on foot is a daily epic mission.  Having a bicycle makes a world of difference for these children, and for their families and communities too.

The auction is running on eBay, with an ending time of 12:45, 07 Apr, 2011.

Bidding has started to get a move on!

Little Vintage Lover Fair returns to the wonderful Dragon Hall on King Street, Norwich on 2nd April 2011.

Little Vintage Lover Fair is a Vintage Clothing & Collectors Fair Circa 1920′s-1980′s. It features Clothes, Textiles, Collectables, Vintage re-worked and Inspired.

Always a great atmosphere, live DJ’s, Tea and Cakes served on Vintage Tea ware. Come join the Norfolk Vintage fashionistas. wear your best frock! x

Visit the Little Vintage Lover Fair for more information

Dance the night away in an original 1920s dance hall to smoking swing, hot R’n'B and Jump Jive.

Tickets are just £5 and you can bring your own food and drink and dance the night away to sounds  from the Swing King DJ’s; Mark’s Kickin’ the Boogie and Woody’s War Department.

A fabulous night guaranteed.

 Wives and Sweethearts explores soldiers’ relationships from the 18th century to the present day through a deeply-moving selection of letters and photographs. Displayed alongside are sweetheart brooches, jewellery and other touching love-tokens.

 Explore the ‘Wives and Sweethearts’ online exhibition here.

 Divided into themes that address the different stages or aspects of soldiers’ love lives, the display asks why a relationship with a soldier is different from that with a civilian. Throughout history, how have those who have served in the Army combined their life with partners and families with their military duties?

 ’Courtship and Engagement’ explores the beginnings of soldiers’ partnerships. The section focusing on weddings highlights the immense contrast between wartime and peacetime marriage ceremonies, especially in the 20th century. ‘Women of the Regiment’ looks at the roles of women in the Army during the 19th century, while the images brought together under the heading of ‘Army Families’ show more modern soldiers and their families.

 The largest part of the exhibition looks at what is perhaps the hardest aspect of life with a soldier; the long periods of separation it often entails. Finally, ‘Reunion’ takes into account the fact that soldiers’ return to their loved ones, although usually joyful in the long run, can often be painful and difficult at first.

 Highlights from the exhibition, revealing individual relationships and stories in poignant detail, include:

• A gold ring in a crystal casket sent by Quartermaster Sergeant Porter to his wife after the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815, to let her know that he had survived.
• A letter from Mrs Jones to her husband Sergeant Louis Jones serving in Gibraltar in 1902, to tell him of the death of their eldest child, Teddy, aged three.
• Beautiful embroidered First World War postcards sent from the Western Front by Private H L ‘Holly’ Christmas to his sweetheart Miss Ada Manley in 1916.
• A note sent from Sergeant Anthony Baker serving in the Korean War in 1950, to his wife ‘To the only girl who ever mattered…’
• A ‘bluey’ sent to colleagues by Captain Karen Timperley while she was serving in the Gulf War in 1991, revealing that during the conflict the Army Chaplain was inundated with requests to marry serving couples.

You can catch the exhibition until July 30th in the White Space Gallery at the National Army Museum, details of which can be found here.

Ruby Slipper’s Retro Romp is a 3 day celebration of vintage brought to you by Devon’s burlesque funsters Kinky and Quirky.
From Friday 1^st to Sunday 3^rd April 2011, vintage and retro loving folk from the South West and beyond can indulge themselves at this fabulous event being held at The Rainbow Hotel Torquay Devon.

For just £99 per person (based on 2 sharing) lovers of all things retro will get Friday and Saturday’s dinner, bed and breakfast, a 3 day shopping pass, a 2 evening’s entertainment pass and a Sunday cream tea – and an extra £30.00 will get you dinner, b & b and entrance to the final show on Sunday night.

Opening from 11.00am – 4pm each day, visitors can root and rummage, ooh and aaah, try and buy and, get their full quota of retro retailing from a treasure trove of eclectic sellers.

There will be a programme of events throughout each day to try too, so for those that want to learn the Lindy, try a Victory Roll, get some vintage beauty parlour tips, doodle some cabaret life drawings or pose like a pin-up this will be THE place to do it.

After dark will see the red velvet and gold lame Club Rainbow hotting up as hosts Kinky & Quirky sprinkle their brand of fun & frivolity with a bit of sparkle and some fantastic music to make the joint start jumping.

A killer line-up will feature some of the best names on the U.K rockin’, cabaret and burlesque scenes including a hillbilly hoedown from the Bonneville Barons, extreme hula hooping from Pippa the Ripper, the chap- hop king Mr B, The Gentleman Rhymer and the Axe-tastic Anna Fur Laxis.

Full details of this very exciting event are available here – call Sarah Bell 0785 999 6368

Ruby Slipper’s Retro Romp in Torquay is sponsored by Vivien Of Holloway The best of 1940s & 50s reproduction clothing.

As a big fan of the 1950s, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and musicals, I personally am particularly excited about this Vintage Secret announcement. Coming soon to the West End is a spectacular musical, featuring music from the most exciting decade in 20th Century music history. With a song list that will have everyone tapping their feet, there’s bound to be dancing in the aisles!

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, the new West End musical that tells the electrifying story of the night in 1956 when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis came together to make music and ended up making history, will star Ben Goddard (Jerry Lee Lewis), Derek Hagen (Johnny Cash), Francesca Jackson (Dyanne), Robert Britton Lyons (Carl Perkins) and Michael Malarkey (Elvis Presley), joining the previously announced Bill Ward (Sam Phillips).

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET features over 20 classic hits including: Blue Suede Shoes, I Walk The Line, Fever, Great Balls of Fire, Hound Dog, Folsom Prison Blues and Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.

MILLLION DOLLAR QUARTET will open at London’s Noël Coward Theatre on 28 February 2011 with previews from 8 February 2011. Tickets are now on sale here

A Most Curious Party has recently relocated to Norwich and is holding the regions first vintage wedding fair on the 16th April in the beautiful surrounds of St Andrews Hall.

With over 50 carefully selected suppliers representing not only the classic, elegant side of vintage but those who deal in the quirky, fun and decadent side of vintage too that ensure you and your groom’s can express your personality on this important day.

There will be hair and make up demonstrations, live bands from barber shop quartets to Beatles Cover Bands and dance demos going on throughout the day.

A most curious party will also be providing a vintage tea room for you to get your breath back and get a sugar hit with delicious cakes served on antique china by 40s and 50s waitresses.

Vist the vintage wedding fair website for more information on exhibitors