Soul Saturdays @ Tuatara

Russell Cowie has what can only be described as a natural gift for throwing parties and hosting events. He became so successful at it whilst studying at Durham University he set up his own events company. Now I don’t know about you but there were a lot of things I was doing at University in my free time and setting up a business was not one of them.

Sadly Russ has given it all up to knuckle down at law school but luckily for us he decided to celebrate the success of his first year and finishing his exams with a rooftop summer party at Tuatara, Kings Road.  The first time I saw Russ he was drumming the dance floor of Roof Gardens into a frenzy of excitement with his partner in crime, DJ Dan Browne (as posted here) and so we had very high hopes for this event.

The party, ‘Soul Sessions’, was due to run all afternoon with a variety of DJ’s performing different sets to suit all tastes. Up first was reggae and hip hop lover Dan Bean who pulled out some absolute classics including an epic mix of TLC, ‘scrubs’. He was followed by our personal favourite Dan Browne who hit the decks and instantly had the girls swooning as he played his usual cutting edge remixes whilst looking suitably cool in his Rayban wayfarers and hoodie despite the 25 degree heat.

Before long the outdoor terrace was heaving with attractive girls and boys guzzling the ever flowing supply of Belvedere and unwinding on the Moroccan day beds. As the sun shone, the terrace was more reminiscent of a summer scene in St Tropez as opposed to SW3 and it wasn’t long before girls were on up on the raised roof dancing like they were at Ibiza Rocks.

We partied all day until a combination of dehydration, sore feet and groggy afternoon drinking caught up with us and we decided it was time to re-enter the Saturday afternoon shopping reality of the KR, making the rooftop madness seem dream like. Thank you Russell and please organize it again before its dark, cold and December. 

One for the boys...

With the summer social season in full swing there is a constant array of events going on, from racing and polo to luncheons and garden soirées. For those who are not regulars on the privileged Ascot and Henley social scene and prefer to keep it a little closer to home then Concours D’Elegance is an ideal alternative. 

Concours D’Elegance is a light hearted and fun day out set in the beautiful grounds of The Hurlingham Club in Fulham. Relaxing in the sunshine and admiring the parade of impressive vintage and modern sports cars whilst sipping on a glass of Veuve Clicquot was an ideal way to spend a summer’s afternoon in SW6. For those less interested in the revving display of boys toys there is a delicious lobster buffet, various jewellery and luxury good stands and even a hot tub display complete with a demonstration! 

The event is on for three days and culminates in a super glitzy party where car enthusiasts and galmazons alike can quaff champagne and revel to the sounds of DJ Seb Fontaine courtesy of the party sponsors, Movida. For us we were more than happy to enjoy the buzzy atmosphere, lovely weather and naturally, a glass of something cold and fizzy. 

Made, Born, and Bred in Chelsea

When Made in Chelsea came into our lives earlier this year it began like your typical rollercoaster journey; there was apprehension, dread, fear, extreme regret but then came the highs, the adrenalin rush and that buzz which led to waking up on a Monday morning with a strange feeling of excitement, why? Oh god we were hooked and counting down the hours until 10pm when we could revel, laugh and cringe at the cast of these fortunate fulhamites. Jess and I were lucky enough to have already met these glamorous girls and boys who ruled our television schedule whilst we were reviewing JuJu for DV8 magazine (review here). They were shooting a feature for Grazia and mingled around the bar with their producers demolishing the free drinks in a hive of sloaney frisson.

                                                   

Anyway cue three months later and Kingsroad.co.uk decide to not only host their Summer party at this sexy venue, they invite one of the more genuine members of the MIC cast to perform-an invite not to turn down! With girlfriends in toe we headed down to the Kings Road last Wednesday evening to enjoy the impressive vocal range of Gabriella Ellis whilst rubbing shoulders with some of her friends from the show. Christian, the manager of JuJu, knocked up a constant flow of porn star martinis which were as delicious as ever, even if some emergency dentist appointments may have been needed afterwards. Luckily Jess and I are both posses sweet teeth!

                                         

After filling up on cocktails, all in the name of research, it was time to put on our X Factor panel hats and watch Gabriella do her thing. Now I don’t claim to be Simon Cowell but I thought Gabriella’s performance was entertaining and more importantly authentic. Her passion for singing and songwriting was evident and in particular her own song Fight was powerful and spine tinglingly emotive. You cannot deny that she has a great voice and working with what I can imagine must have been quite a tough crowd, Gabriella performed with gusto whipping us into the party mood. Thank you KingsRoad.co.uk and Juju for an evening that would be fit for any Chelsea girl, ‘famous’ or not.

                                                       

Pictures courtesy of www.kingsroad.co.uk