Monday 28 October 2013

The Sunday we went to Kellerman's...


This post is long over-due as it is about an event I attended at the very beginning of September.  After our coverage of Casablanca, Future Cinema invited us back to attend another of their immersive cinema spectaculars.  The film in question was Dirty Dancing and I couldn't resist taking a few cameras along to capture it.  Follow the link here to see the footage.
 Like many ladies, Dirty Dancing has been a firm favourite for years and surprisingly for me, it isn't the dancing as much as the music that really captured my attention.  Early '60s hits from the likes of Otis Redding, Mickey & Sylvia and the Ronettes were blasted across the corner of Hackney Downs that had been converted into Kellerman's family resort.
My crew for the day, Katie and Hayley
Dotted about the 'resort' were all sorts of activities you'd expect to find on a family vacation; archery, aerobics and life-drawing were just some of the things you could get up to.  There were also plenty of food stalls present, with styles as varied as lobster, macaroni cheese and venison!  I had a schnitzel burger from Speck Mobile and it was amazing - the best value of all the stalls I looked at and was incredibly tasty.
 
When we settled down on our blankets to enjoy the film, the legions of Johnny Castle's adoring fans started getting rather excited and were almost beside themselves by the time Mr Swayze made his first appearance (I think drink may have helped as well).  Just as key scenes of Casablanca were acted out during the build up to the film, all of the dances (clearly most important parts of the film) were performed around the resort throughout the film.
 
I think I actually enjoyed this more than Casablanca, mainly because it felt like you were on holiday with 4,000 (mainly female) Dirty Dancing fans.  Future Cinema's next venture is bringing Ghostbusters to life.  It's not quite in our time range, but I can't wait to see what the next classic film to be given the Future Cinema treatment.

Wednesday 9 October 2013

A short dress and long drinks - The official Bootlegger launch

Sorry for the lack of any posts, I've been spending a lot of time in London and setting up my etsy shop (I make fans if you didn't already know!) This does mean I've got lots of things to write about - but no time to write about them!  I've decided to forego chronology and write about the latest event we covered. 
 

I was handed a cocktail as soon as we arrived
- it's a tough job but someone's gotta do it
 
We were invited by Bootlegger White Grain Spirit to their official launch, which was held in the Clapton branch of the über trendy Blue Tit salons.  I've seen Bootlegger at a few 'vintage' events over the past few months (they even sponsored the Brighton Blogger meet up in July) as they seem to have really targeted that scene.
Not recommended for dogs (unless they're real booze hounds - I thank you)
 
The salon is consciously cool, with lots of distressed wood, reclaimed furniture and vintage props, which made it the perfect place for the launch of a drink based on the erm, spirit, of prohibition era booze.  Of course, there were plenty of cocktails doing the rounds, my favourite was the Moonshine Cooler, a mix of Bootlegger spirit, sugar syrup, cloudy apple and lime juice.  There are two other Blue Tit salons in London, one in Dalston which co-owner Perry described as a little more in the Edwardian side and the newest of the three, the Peckham branch with its Art Deco styling and original Victorian tiles.

Interviewing one of the salon owners, Perry
 The Vintage 78s DJs (whom we met at the National Vintage Awards) were on hand to spin a few platters as well as providing an array of parlour games to keep the guests entertained throughout the night.
 
A selection of gramophone needles

With Annabel from the Vintage 78 DJs
doing our best promo girl poses
 
Anyone for (miniature) croquet?
 I'm sure there will be many other Bootlegger events of the vintage scene, but for now I'm going to sit back after a hard day of editing and have a nice glass of Bootlegger and apple.

During our interview, James from Bootlegger joined me in sampling
some of the prohibition-inspired spirit
 Oh, and while I remember, my dress isn't vintage - it's actually from ASDA (!) and I bought it about 7 years ago for a Christmas party.  I don't wear it very much as it's quite short but I just love the print.
 
 Have you ever tried Bootlegger or bought a really short dress from Asda ... or both?