Dances of Vice

[rm]

Last night we went to Dances of Vice with a ton of people, and it was a blast. Everyone looked fabulous and while there were the usual tourists (people that wore jeans and stupid t-shirts that said things like "opium den" and came to look at the freaks because they read the New York Times piece), most everyone made an effort and it was so nice to be around people who understood the idea of tailoring and there were men in braces (I need trousers with braces) and hats (although, really, hats are not for inside, but I realize that for a lot of guys in this day and age the hat is the first line of retro style choices and removing it sort of defeats the purpose).

Aside from being in a gorgeous location, and giving me an excuse to dance to big band music with Patty (didn't realize how much I liked that until I had someone I was comfortable being close to and leading; also the current TW/DW fixation makes such pleasures deeply amusing for fannish reasons too), it featured a performance from Daniel Isengart (listen here) who was a mesmeric imp of a cabaret singer with an amazing voice, hillarious theatricality and that uncanny ability to make prolonged and wicked eye-contact with each and ever person in the room.

By the end of the night there was confetti on the floor, empty liquor bottles leaning up against the wall and huge groups of friends posing for photographs and the whole affair felt like the Ivy League secret society formal none of us had ever had.

I decided that we simply had to have a group shot of all of us, and started calling it the Torchwood Christmas party, much to most people's amusement or at least forebearance (thank you, Patty) and have promised everyone a fic out of it. Although, now I'm tempted to get everyone to scan their photos from the evening (there are two others, here and here) throw them up on a community and try to get people to use them as prompts for Torchwood OC fics.

So who wants to play?

Meanwhile, I could have danced all night....

Comments

[theotoky.livejournal.com]

oh it looks heavenly. absolutely yummy.

[marchek.livejournal.com]

I couldn't resist making a new icon.

[cwoolard.livejournal.com]

...there were the usual tourists (people that wore jeans and stupid t-shirts that said things like "opium den" and came to look at the freaks because they read the New York Times piece)

See, I don't get that. If you're attending a themed event as an outsider, shouldn't you make more than a token effort to acknowledge the siprit of the event? It's not necessarily a matter of "garb or GTFO", but it's certainly be appropriate for men to wear dress shirts and trousers, and for women to wear dresses.*

If I were to go to a goth event as a non-goth, I'd at least wear black jeans and a plain black t-shirt. If I were to go to an SCA or Renaissance event, I'd at least attempt to avoid obviously modern clothing such as jeans or tennis shoes. It just strikes me as simple courtesy to the people who are there for the full experiece and don't want to be jarred out of it by something obviously out of place.

...and hats (although, really, hats are not for inside, but I realize that for a lot of guys in this day and age the hat is the first line of retro style choices and removing it sort of defeats the purpose).

I spent some time in the military, longer ago than I care to discuss. Having been drilled, over and over, that one does not wear a hat indoors, ever, and one does wear a hat outdoors, always, I still get a twinge of annoyance whan I see someone walking through a shopping mall in a baseball hat or fedora. Seeing someone in a 19th or early 20th century space who doesn't get that is, well, jarring. But I see your point that for someone who doesn't want to go for the full in-period effect, an appropriate hat makes for good shorthand.



*(And yes expecting a woman to wear a dress--or drag--is probably sexist. But it's really difficult to run a retro/historical event from before about 1970 without gender-specific clothing.)

[iterum.livejournal.com]

The tourists should have made an effort, but I choose to believe that the Opium Den t-shirt referred to a mid-90s Boston ethereal band of blessed memory.

Probably it didn't, but still.

[upstart-crow.livejournal.com]

I'd love to come to this. I wish I could get to NYC more often these days.

[radiant-bitch.livejournal.com]

Oh, it sounds so amazing. I wish I could have gone.

BTW, you seem lovely. May I add you?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. Welcome. Always good to have more locals.

[radiant-bitch.livejournal.com]

Thank you kindly! If interested, you may add me also.