Month: May 2015

Mad Men Finale Party at The Offbeat Bar

Posted on May 24, 2015February 11, 2016 by stilettocity

The time had to come. The end of “Mad Men,” the show that had everyone hooked on the styles, the social political revolutions and the changes in the corporate advertising world through the decade of the 1960s. We got to know all the characters, we identified with them, whether it was their personality, their aspirations, their defeats, or just their love of a drink and a great outfit. After seven seasons and numerous awards, the show cannot only say it changed the cultural landscape in the TV genre but impacted people’s lives.

Since I’ve been watching “Mad Men” via iTunes downloads, I knew I couldn’t wait until the required next day to watch the finale. I wanted to be among friends, to say goodbye to these characters I’d come to love. So I gathered my ‘60s loving pals to go to a screening party.

I wore a primary yellow with red pinstripes ‘60s vintage shift dress, vintage gold drop earrings, vintage watch pen necklace (a tribute to Joan who always wore something similar), vintage patent leather red heels and a folded magazine purse to give a nod to our advertising champs.

We entered The Offbeat Bar where they went all out to make a great night – a drink menu with cocktails named for the characters, two big screens to watch the show on, photo ops with cut-out faces of each of the characters and “Mad Men” logo backdrop and a drawing for prizes for those who dressed up. All this with no cover charge! My kind of place!

We grabbed a cocktail to loosen up before the show. I had a “Roger That” – a strong mix of whiskey, soda and fruit.

Then we gathered in front of the screens as the last episode EVER played before us. It was so much fun to be in a room full of people who adore this show. We cheered for Pete and Trudy when they boarded the plane to their new life. We turned into mushy messes when Stan and Peggy got together. We clapped for Joan and her strength to start her own business. And we cried with Don when he talked to Betty about her cancer diagnosis. We were with them for every moment! And now we’ll miss them that they’re gone. Thank you to everyone with the Mad Men cast and crew for an amazing viewing experience!

Then it was time for the prize drawing as my friends and I twisted the night away to some great ‘60s tunes. I won a print from the character Lou Avery’s “Scout’s Honor” comic book, from part 1 of Season 7, signed by the artist Christian Cordella. And of course I had to take some snaps of all the people with great outfits! Check out the photos:

It was the the perfect way to spend the evening and say goodbye our beloved series. Thank you to the Offbeat Bar for creating a great night. Be sure to check out this groovin’ little place in Highland Park. They offer different theme nights around the sounds and pop culture of the ‘60s, revolving art installations and cocktail specials.

The Offbeat Bar, 6316 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

Dance to the beat,
Kastle

Tags: 1960s fashion, bars in Los Angeles, Kastle Waserman, Mad Men

Month: May 2015

Cocktails in the Historic Tap Room

Posted on May 16, 2015September 19, 2015 by stilettocity

I always love a chance to dress up and head out to an elegant setting. Recently the Art Deco Society had a gathering at the Tap Room, located inside the historic Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. A rare, surprise cold snap in LA had me ditching what I was going to wear and reaching for my velvet dresses. I opted for this slinky, black Film Noir Dress from Pinup Girl Clothing, black fishnets, stilettos and a vintage orange hat with pearl and rhinestone details.

I met my friends inside the lovely lounge setting designed after the hotel’s original bar, which opened in the 1930s, shortly after the end of Prohibition. The Tap Room features innovative cocktails and upscale bar food. The room opens up onto a terrace deck area that overlooks the sprawling hotel garden framed by palm trees and hilltop view of LA.

If you are interested in having a sit-down dinner before or after Tap cocktails, be sure to check out the hotel’s award-winning steakhouse, The Royce.

The Langham Hotel just celebrated its 100th anniversary last year and thankfully has not gone the path of so many modern-obsessed renovators. It’s maintained its style and preserved its history. There is a choice of classic rooms, historic suites, and cottages. I can tell you first-hand, it’s fabulous place to kick up your feet. I had a staycation there a couple of years ago and it really feels like you are away from the bustle of Los Angeles and in the heart of luxury.

The Langham Huntington Hotel is located at 1401 South Oak Knoll Ave in South Pasadena.

Kastle

Bar photos courtesy of The Langham Huntington, Pasadena

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Tags: bars in Los Angeles, hotels in Los Angeles, retro style

Month: May 2015

Endless Summer Style

Posted on May 11, 2015August 15, 2015 by stilettocity

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.

Looking for awesome summer style? When it comes to summer essentials like women’s tees, tanks, sundresses, and shorts, ModCloth has you covered. Never before has ModCloth added SO MANY summer styles to New Arrivals all at once. Dive in to an endless assortment of playful patterns, colors, and silhouettes that’ll have you lookin’ fierce till fall!

Now I always like to kick off the summer with at least one new light and playful dress for the season. Here are some of my favorites, click the image to shop*

Rock the retro look in a bright color for summer with the Topiary Tour Dress or put on a colorful a cheerful print like the Haute Flair Balloon Dress.

You can’t go wrong with classic black and white polka dot print dress or skip through town in the playful sun umbrella pattern of the Day in the Shade Dress.

Enjoy fun in the sun in style!
Kastle

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Tags: fashion blog, ModCloth, summer dresses, summer fashion

Month: May 2015

Rebel Bingo: Old Game with a New Twist

Posted on May 9, 2015 by

For many people, hearing the word bingo brings to mind images of silent septuagenarians hunched over stacks of bingo cards and straining to hear the numbers on their cards get called. It’s a game that’s much more commonly known as an idle, quiet pastime, and having existed since the 1500s, it’s hardly anything anyone would call revolutionary.

A London-born version of the game, however, is set to change this and the way that we view bingo in general. Finding its new home in Los Angeles and New York, the elusive Rebel Bingo* had been an underground show for a while, before finally “coming out of the shadows”.

Calling Rebel Bingo the “Black sheep of the bingo family,” Freddie “Fortune” Sorensen and James “Flames” Gordon accidentally developed the game in a church basement, after chancing upon a bingo set. According to an article on the LA Times: “After the night was over and we would relax with a few drinks, we noticed there was an old bingo kit stored down in the basement, and one night we started fooling around,” says Sorensen, who prefers to go by Fortune. “We didn’t know the rules, so we made it up and gave away silly prizes. It spread through word of mouth and turned into this cult thing.”

How exactly is Rebel Bingo different from “traditional bingo”? Fortune says that the point is to be as different from traditional bingo as possible. More a show than an actual game, Rebel Bingo is standing up against the traditional, established form of bingo – the one that we all imagine as soon as we hear the word. Paul Bradley of the LA Weekly writes, “Fortune’s telling, there’s the bingo 99 percent and the bingo 1 percent, and this rigid order is kept in place by a boring old guard that’s intent on stopping the lively young upstarts represented by Fortune’s ilk who want bingo to be fun, freaky and flirtatious. “We do have pretty hard and fast rules … as every rebel should,” he says. No. 1 is “no old people” — followed by “no boring people.””

It may seem a bit odd that someone should have such strong feelings for bingo, but it’s worth noting that Fortune and his crew hail from the UK, where bingo is quite a big part of their lives. There are TV advertisements for online bingo portals, and the BBC reports that there are now over 350 websites offering online bingo to Brits. Information on Free Bingo Hunter, a website dedicated to cataloguing these bingo portals, shows that they often have events and promotions that play on world events. What is nothing more than an idle pastime for most of the world is a force to be reckoned with in the UK, and Fortune and his friends have sought to subvert the established order of traditional bingo and turn the game into something more in line with the interests of the youth.

Now what to wear to an event like this? In sticking with the non-traditional bingo theme, something sexy with a rebel spirit would be a good fit, like this form-fitting scuba knit dress with deep-V mesh neckline, paired with a bright blue moto jacket*.

Don’t forget accessories* like this fun bingo charm bracelet and tote bag.

Already having been held in 25 cities all over the world, Rebel Bingo continues to play shows in Los Angeles and New York regularly.

Though the show began as invite-only, you can get tickets to the show and sign up for their mailing list on the Rebel Bingo website to see where they’ll be playing next.

BINGO!
Kastle

Rebel Bingo photos courtesy of Flames and Fortune/Rebel Bingo

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Tags: bingo, events, Fashion, Los Angeles, Rebel Bingo

Month: May 2015

A Toast to Mad Men at The Prince

Posted on May 3, 2015April 20, 2016 by stilettocity

With the hit TV show Mad Men coming to an end, so many of my friends are sad to see it go – we can’t get enough of the style and the scandal, and the suburb detail of the period-perfect fashions and interior design. I’ve especially enjoyed the smart writing and clever twists and turns of each character punctuated with both humor and drama and a soundtrack that always hits the right note at pivotal moments.

So in tribute, I gathered my vintage-loving pals for a night of cocktails celebrate our love of the show. After doing research for previous blogs on places around Los Angeles where the show actually filmed, I decided we should meet at The Prince Bar and Restaurant. Lit with red lights, red circular booths, velvet baroque wallpaper with noble accents of knights in shining armor and romantic paintings, The Prince looks like a place where time stands still. Even calling on the waiter harkens back to another time – little butler lamps with buttons at each table to ring when you want service.

A beautiful horseshoe wood bar is a focal point and where my pals met up. While the bartender could have been a little better (my friends had to instruct him how to make drinks like a Sidecar and a Tom Collins and I found the wine selection limited to cheap chardonnay and merlot), we were all in awe of the surroundings – especially after seeing Don, Betty, Roger and Joan sitting at the bar and booths on the show.

For the evening I wanted to wear something special so I brought out my turquoise and gold shimmery wiggle dress by Tatyana and gold sparkle stilettos.

My pal Sandra D. didn’t disappoint in a customized vintage dress actually worn on Betty Draper on the show, which she scored at a costume sale. Word has it both Mad Men actress January Jones and costume designer Janie Bryant have been trying to get that dress back. But Sandra isn’t selling – and seeing her look so good in it, it’s clear why!

So with a toast to good friends and an amazing show, we say thank you to Mad Men for years of smart, stylish, entertaining television. I look forward to binge-watching it again and again!

The Prince Bar and Restaurant is located 3198 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90005

Cheers!
Kastle

Tags: 1960s fashion, bars in Los Angeles, Mad Men