Thoroughly Modern – At Sea – [04/06/2014]

There are those I suppose, think we’re mad
Heaven knows the world has gone to wrack and to ruin
What we think is chic unique and quite adorable
They think is odd and Sodom and Gomorra-able
But the fact is everything today is thoroughly modern
Check your personality
Everything today makes yesterday slow
Better face reality
Men say, it’s criminal what women’ll do
What they’re forgetting is this is 1922!

Despite the fact that we’re always prepared for it, the last Grand Ball of the season always seems to come much faster than any of us expect. And this season’s was a doozy. While we stayed with the traditional black and gold theme, we layered an element on top of it that turned the show room into a gala event full of fringes, feathers and swinging beads…

Welcome to the Great Gatsby.

Five o’clock in the afternoon found the team assembled en force inflating balloons, hanging curtains and dressing up all the statues and balcony supports in the main show lounge. Gradually transforming the everyday theatre into a space that was a cross between a ballroom and a speakeasy. By the time we were finished you almost expected someone to come up and tap you on the shoulder and ask where we kept the bathtub gin…

It should come as no surprise that I’ve been looking forward to this one. Of all my costumes (and yes, I know there are many) there are only two that I do to complete perfection – one is Maid Marion, who made her appearance for medieval night months ago, the other is “Millie” (so nicknamed because of Thoroughly Modern Millie for those who aren’t Broadway followers). My father has run a 1920s Dance Orchestra since I was about 10 years old, when I was a teenager I was something of a mascot, perched alongside my Mum at the CD table. There were occasionally people who would complain that we got to go to all the gigs for free, to which my father would curtly respond: “they’re working, just like we are.” At any rate, the band meant I learned a lot about the time period in question, the slang, the music, and yes, the clothes.

I own two flapper dresses. One is standard black, and neatly matches the ones the rest of the team’s. The other I’ve had since I was a lot younger, is snow white, with matching shoes, boa, gloves and headdress.

Standing at the entrance way handing out raffle tickets, people I see every day, including some of my closest friends among the service staff onboard…didn’t recognise me. Not even a flicker…

Who’s that?!

That’s Shaughnessy of course…

You’ve got to be kidding me?

Yeah, I was born in the wrong decade…

Of course I was far from the only one in costume, the rest of the team glimmered in their fringed gold and black, the guys in pinstripes and suspenders, and most of the guests wore headdresses and pearls that had been given out to them by the dining room.

The night went off without a hitch, at least as far as I could tell; smiles everywhere despite the fact that set up did cause us to be a minute or so late opening the doors 😉

Of course once it was all over, we all responded to a silent bell that had us clambering over chairs and onto tables to take all those lovely decorations down. One of these days I will have to get pictures of the tear-down process, as it’s hard to believe how quickly it goes. It takes at least two hours, sometimes more, to dress the ballroom, and less than 20 minutes to clear it back to its every-day state.

Once tear down was complete we did all traipse up to the after-party, though admittedly none of us stayed for long. By that point the guests were having such a good time on their own that it was hardly noticed when we silently slipped out the back way and within minutes – at least in my case – had hung the feathers, beads and fringe away for another season…