A Vintage Madam at Porcelain and Red
A Vintage Madame at Porcelain and Red

Finally, it was the day of Citysocializer’s ‘Shop, drink and party like it’s 1929‘. The party that fuelled my 1920s revival research into an era long gone but much remembered for its frippery and flapper-y and bright young things. Intrigued about a vintage shopping trip I set off in my trying-to-be-vintage garb to Beyond Retro. I was pleasantly surprised by the thought and care that goes behind each display in their shop. After trying out a few fur hats  I realized that they are not really my cup of tea, but I’ll definitely go back for some lacy vintage blouses blouses, that I also spotted.

Not my kind of hat
Not my kind of hat

The Citysocializers and Beyond Retro were gracious hosts, we were greeted with wine and a game, where we were to spot an item of clothing that reminded us of a famous character. Each person was given a specific character, who they had to look for at every shop they visited and then share their findings on Twitter and Instagram. I wish people were more involved in the game, as it would have been more fun then.

In search of Charlie Chaplin
In search of Charlie Chaplin

Next, we went to Porcelain and Red run by a lovely lady and her daughters. Although quite new, they seem to be  making a mark in the vintage fashion scene. They had a lovely collection of hats and all their wares were tastefully decorated. We were greeted again with champagne, caramel popcorn and kitschy cupcakes.

Discussing whether popcorn was vintage enough we made our way to Rokit, our third stop of the night. What I liked best about their shop was their re-purposed leather bags. No one would realize that in another life my red bag was someone’s jacket. Yes, I bought one.

Swing dancing hosts
Swinging to the tune

So laden with shopping bags and more wine we made our way to the edgier parts  of  Brick Lane and vibe bar. Brick Lane has never been my idea of a night out that involves a bar, I am more of a go-to-brick-lane-for-curry-and-spices type of person. But  I really enjoyed the imposing spaces at Vibe. Having reached our final destination, some of us a bit light-headed, we were ready for our swing dance session. There were some who really loved it, some who wanted to love it and some like me who were content watching. Our instructor was great and woke the party up. Cheered with all the dancing it was time for the yellow sunglasses to pop out of goodie bags and soon there was a flurry of cheesy photographs.

Yellow sunglasses and toothy grins
Yellow sunglasses and a toothsome smile

It was a fun and interesting evening and as I overheard ‘…I’ve been to nothing like it before!’. I hope Citysocializer has more of these innovative events and involving more hosts might improve these events much more.

Written by Amrita Dasgupta - Visit my blog for more food and travel stories
I love to travel, discover new things, experience new cultures and then I get back home and experiment with the new food and recipes I discovered on my travels. My blog is about all those life experiences. If you’ve enjoyed this post, keep in touch with Drifting Traveller on Twitter and Facebook or by adding my blog to your RSS feed. Follow my blog with Bloglovin or Networked Blogs! If you really like reading the Drifting Traveller why not share it with people you know who'd like to read it too.