Apologies and Going out

Hello readers (by that I'm making the assumption that anyone has the inclination to read my musings),

I would first like to apologise for not updating this blog in 6 months! I can't believe it has been so long. The only excuse I can offer is that I have had a rather stressful time with completing my final year of my degree and spent alot of my time sitting in a corner of the library, reading intimidatingly large piles of books, writing and rewriting my dissertation and other essays. All whilst repeating the mantra, in my head, not out loud or I really would have looked deranged, that it was going to be alright, that I was intelligent enough and working hard enough to do well. Now that I have finished my studies for the summer, before I being an MRes, which although I know will be stressful, I know will be incredibly enriching and enjoyable. Anyway, I will be blogging frequently from now on, fingers crossed, and will include details and outfits of the various exploits I have undertaken recently and will be undertaking shortly, including my graduation ceremony, which is happening next week, the exquisite dresses I have recently bought, including the original twenties dress I wore to a graduation party, a trip to the historic and picturesque town of Ludlow and the exploits I got up to in London. 

Now that I have got my excuses out of the way and tried to provide enticing details of future posts, I have decided to post today about my experiences of going out for the evening in the modern world, which although great to catch up with friends and dance can sometimes leave me feeling bereft of any glamour or enthusiasm by the time the evening is over.

I headed into Birmingham with a few dear friends, where we frequented a club, not my natural habitat I must admit, I gave the vintage clothes a night off as have had experience of numskulls spilling beer all down the back of my beautiful dresses.

I had a nice night, I indulged in some alcohol hoping it would make me less self concious about my lack of dancing ability (I hope some day to take some dance lessons, but not in the kind of dancing that would be useful in a club anyway). There was a large room with a packed dance floor, low level lighting and music with a thumping baseline/ However to my surprise and utter delight there was a smaller more intimate room which played some great 1950's and 1960's music. I am always struck when frequenting these places about the lack of glamour of the venues, usually the floor is covered in many unknown substances, broken glasses, and the occasional abandoned shoe.

When confronted with all of this one cannot but yearn for a much more beautiful and refined evening party. I wonder sometimes why I feel so at odds with many of my generation.I fantasise about being invited to Jay Gatsby's party, or heading to a party in the 1920's à la Midnight in Paris, in there elaborate costumes. Oh the glamour! Imagining myself being a part of such an event, my senses engulfed in the cloud of smoke, the glamorous haze and exuberant boldness of the guests, the careless abandon and frivolity. I realise that I am romanticising, but allow me my day dreams!


Before the evening out had began I turned on La conga blicoti by Josephine Baker, turned off all the lights in my room and danced imagining I had even a small part of the dancing ability, beauty and poise of Josephine, and completely failing. A person whom I knew about but learnt alot more when we studied her in one of my modules about The Body Politic, and will be blogging about her in future.


As this blog entry would be pretty empty without an outfit post, here is a picture of the dress I wore for my birthday, at a beautiful Italian restaurant with my friends. I am wearing a Marks and Spencer slip, the detailing of it giving an ode to the past, and a beautiful but very delicate lace dress, that made me feel like I was channelling the mysterious twenties vamp, Theda Bara ( I wish!).

All this talk of 1920's and 1930's glamour has me reaching for the remote control, I'm going to spend the evening immersed in the opulent surroundings of twenties London with Agatha, Nina and the exuberant Miles.


Evalily Harlow xxx


p.s. I know that the quality of the images so far have not been great as they have mostly been taken on my phone, and most have been taken in the rather boring surroundings of my hall, but the photos on my next post, which I will upload in the next couple of days, I promise, were taken by my sister, who is training to become a professional photographer so they are much better.