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2 CommentsLast Friday, Azure and I were lucky enough to attend the 104th Annual Bachelor’s Ball, over at the Beverly Hilton. It’s been a long time — too long, honestly — since the two of us had a big night out, so this event helped make up for lost time.
The Bachelor’s Ball is a fancy-dress party, and a rather fancy fancy-dress party at that. It’s put on by an old L.A. society called (unsurprisingly) “The Bachelors”. There’s maybe 60 of these unmarried Bachelors, and each invites a table of roughly 10 friends, who in turn costume themselves around a group theme. As the Beverly Hills venue implies, it’s a pretty posh affair, the sort of shindig that starts with a cool champagne reception and promptly keeps the open bar wide-open ‘til 4 in the morning. I can toast to that.
Our longtime friend (and stalwart webhost provider) Andy just so happens to be one of these Bachelors, and his table’s theme this time around was gosurori, a niche Japanese fashion subculture that’s been stomping around Harajuku for over a decade now. The EGL scene is more of a girl thing, so us guys loosely followed in the vaguely-related “Elegant Gothic Aristocrat” style, with a bit of gentlemanly steampunk-ishness thrown in the mix.
Azure and I had way too much fun assembling our costumes over the last couple of weeks. Since we’re already unabashed Japanophiles, the Bachelor’s Ball provided yet another excuse to go shopping in Little Tokyo and explore new joints like the EGL-friendly Royal/T cafe in Culver City. (The maids make a mean mug of Matcha Milk Tea, there, and I’m not just saying that for alliterative purposes.)
The pictures in our photostream tell the rest of the story. ‘Twas a pretty special occasion, an excellent night out, and a much-needed break from reality.
posted by Jason 11:27 PM
