OH, Nina, what a lot of parties,' lamented Adam Fenwick-Symes in Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies, published in 1930. The Bright Young Things with whom Adam socialised knew how to party, at 'Masked parties, Savage parties, Victorian parties, Greek parties, Wild West parties, Russian parties, Circus parties, parties where one had to dress as somebody else...'as Waugh wrote.
Now the pandemic has subsided, it's official: the party is back—and we don't just mean the 'Midnight Orgies at No. 10', as Waugh described... oh wait, hang on. 'Carrie does throw a great party,' whispers someone who knows.
The recipe for a great party relies on a few key ingredients. First among these is people. Interviewed for a documentary in 2014, the Society photographer Hugo Burnand explained that former Tatler editor Jane Procter once gave him some advice on getting the best shot. 'She said: “You're going to have a picture of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, and a picture of Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger... but the picture I want is of the Duke of Marlborough with Jerry Hall.” This level of contrast is key to a successful guest list. 'You always need a good helping of younger guests,' says Nicholas Coleridge, chairman of the V&A Museum. 'Nothing is sadder than a gathering exclusively of oldies.' Tor Dashwood, co-founder of digital party-planning platform House of Party Planning, agrees. 'You don't want to do a singles area, but cleverly put together some single people and mix old and young. It's a bit sad when there's an older table.'
Denne historien er fra March 16, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra March 16, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
