I often dream of slicing through time to find myself in a different era. I feel influenced when I watch period films or read stories from other times. I believe every era had rough times one way or another. Still, when my fantasy plays, I notice things that today aren’t here anymore. For this reason, every now and then, I organize theme dinners. For two or three hours, I enjoy reliving the atmosphere of another era. Yesterday, Sunday, was the turn of an Art Deco dinner. I asked the guests to dress to match the era, even with only a few details. This helps everyone feel part of a relatively prosperous and frivolous era. Guests are usually happy to follow the suggestion. They often show up fully dressed in a costume of the specific era. Here, costumes can be easily rented or bought at a reasonable price.
You know that minimalism characterizes Art Deco. It is a linear style, geometric, clean without frills. The prominent colors are black, gold and silver, followed by white, powdery colors, purple, red and green.
I found the right fabric to sew the tablecloth. At the Tamara de Lempicka art exhibition, I bought the plates. On one of my many visits to antique shops, I found the printed glasses from 1920. They were even signed and I also found the two cute demi-tasses.
The black velvet pouches, to the left of each plate, contain the napkin and the flatware, something different. At the end of the evening, I will fill the pouches with cookies I made. The guests will take these home as a token of friendship. I cooked three typical dishes of the 1920s. As it is customary in America, each guest will bring a specialty of their choice or something to drink.
(I think the original 1920s demi-tasses are adorable.)
I searched for this period’s food. Deviled eggs seemed to have been a very popular appetizer in the 1920s. The main course was roast veal with mashed potatoes. For dessert, a typical of the era pineapple upside-down cake completed the dinner. The conversation was interesting and flowed to the tune of 1920s music.
It was a load of fun to get into the period dress and greet everyone with plumes and pearls. Ciao,
Valentina
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Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, color therapist, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a longtime blogger. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel.
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