GOSSIP HOTLINE

The Roaring Twenties were in full force this past weekend at a swank speakeasy-themed gala benefitting my daughter’s school. All the “Dolls, Dames, and Daddies” were invited to a prohibition-era soiree held at a Los Angeles country club, which was founded in 1919. The perfect location!

As I’ve told you, getting my outfit together has been a week-long process. I found my vintage beaded dress on Etsy. I bought retro-looking dance shoes online. I added a long pearl necklace and a black feather and rhinestone headpiece by ban.do, which I borrowed from my friend Sara. It was gorgeous and really made the outfit. Then I threw a Dolce and Gabbana hand-painted silk jacket that I’ve had for years, over the entire ensemble. Red nail polish was big in the twenties, so I did a red manicure and finished off the look with red lips.

My husband had it somewhat easier…renting a dapper ’20s inspired tux with top hat, white gloves and cane! Very suave!

We arrived to find the windows of the clubhouse all covered up with newspaper and a “Closed” sign on the door—all to throw off any coppers nosing around the joint—ha ha! We needed a password to get into the “top secret” speakeasy. Once inside, we were met with a bathtub full of empty bootleg liquor bottles…and even a few moonshine jugs too!

Wow! Everyone looked awesome! I mean really, really awesome. I’ve mentioned before that people get into this. One woman was wearing a beaded gown and matching headband that was so gorgeous, it could easily be a major designer or even wardrobe for a film—It was that good. She told me she made it herself! Another mom made her beautiful feathered headpiece. I shouldn’t be surprised. This being Hollywood, the parents at the school are an eclectic mix and include all kinds—fashion designers, actors, lawyers, full-time parents, athletes, musicians, agents, and producers. It’s a very creative bunch—and everyone goes all out.

There were all kinds of Gatsby-esque glamour girls….flappers, showgirls and even a burlesque dancer. For the men, fedoras were very popular, but I also saw a couple of top hats and straw boater hats that were also fashionable during the Jazz Age.

Walking into the ballroom was like stepping back in time and into a sea of dressed up folks, the likes of which we rarely see nearly a hundred years later, unless you’re talking about the Oscars or something ultra-fancy like that.

We had such a good time and people we even didn’t know made a point to come up to us and tell us how great we looked, so I guess we did OK in the style department…or to use a phrase that was big back in the day…we were the bees knees!