This New Year’s Eve, you can wear that kitsch jumper your granny knitted for you with pride – vintage is well and truly in fashion. It gripped the trendy sets in 2011 and it seems our love of all things retro is here to stay, with more party nights celebrating bygone eras this year than you can shake your legwarmers at.
Promising to recreate the wartime revelry of the Forties, The Blitz Party will host its annual shindig in an underground east London air-raid shelter. If you usually go OTT with your fancy dress, fear not, you won’t be alone – there’s a strict dress code, so if you don’t look vintage, you’ll stick out like a beacon. So get out your needle and cotton, and make do and mend.
And lads, yes, this is indeed probably your only opportunity to make reality that fantasy of dressing up as a dashing World War I soldier.
Andria Stirling, organiser, agrees: “The men like to come in army uniform for two reasons – it’s easy and they instantly become 10 times more attractive; the response towards them seems to be a lot bigger in unform.
“The women spend a lot of time and effort on their hair, and wear everything from original vintage to high-street vintage, but everyone makes a magnificent effort and that helps contribute to creating a brilliant atmosphere.
“Vintage parties like this are becoming more popular as it’s a chance for people to dress up and use their imagination. London’s clubbing scene is dull and uninspiring, so this affords people the opportunity to have a bit of glamour in their lives.
“And the sheer scale of the event will be spectacular; two stages, masses of live bands, DJs, a separate swing- dance room. It’ll be magnificent.”
So polish off your medals, wave your Union Jack with pride – and don’t forget to draw on those stockings, as you dance the night away in six rooms of entertainment, boasting 1940s cabaret acts, DJs and swing dancers.
Or if you’d prefer your vintage a bit more psychedelic, Paper Dress Vintage in Shoreditch is hosting its first themed NYE party.
With a limited amount of tickets, guests are promised an authentic experience – so don’t think that false eyelashes will a Sixties chick make. Instead, consider The Doors, Flower Power, Timothy Leary, Summer of Love, Woodstock and Hendrix to make sure you fit in with the in crowd.
Organiser Steve Bix says: “It’s a Sixties psychedelia theme and we’re aiming at people who are into vintage who want to get dressed up and have a party with a friendly atmosphere.
“We’ve got two up-and-coming bands playing – Dead Coast and Speak & The Spells – then DJs will be playing until the end of the night.
“Vintage fashion and style have become quite high up on the zeitgeist; harking back to the quality of music that’s stood the test of time. It’s quite different to the manufactured pop coming out at the moment.”
The event runs on until 4am, with DJs playing a mix of psych, mod, northern soul and vintage rock ‘n’ roll. It’s bound to be a heavy night, man.
Blitz Party. £50
29 New Inn Yard, EC2A 3EY
theblitzparty.com
Tube: Hoxton
Paper Dress Vintage. £10+
114–116 Curtain Rd, EC2A 3AH
paperdressvintage.co.uk
Tube: Shoreditch
