I love the sixties. I mean I wasn’t actually around for them but if I am ever asked to a themed sixties party, I have no capital outlay; my wardrobe can be alarmingly easily adapted with just the help of a hair-sprayed beehive stuffed with loo roll…

And Saturday night was a case in point.  Mike Wiluan’s new film set (built for ‘Serangoon Road’, his second joint venture with HBO) was the venue for his 1960’s themed party thrown in honor of a very special man.

My skiiing sunblock (a bit dusty from lack of use) provided the perfect lip colour and my black and white dress bought from Breakfast at Tiffany’s – which has shrunk to an indescent length – may look mad when I usually wear it (impulse buy three years ago) but was delightfully in theme.  The finishing touch was a bra strap as my make shift headband, holding together a rather dodgy homemade beehive.  Oh, and the ridiculously large necklace, which I do actually wear quite often, is Primark’s finest and cost a staggeringly good value £2 when I bought it in London a few years ago.

No outfit is ever complete without earrings: the huge clip-on silver earrings – as seen in first pic – that have to be taken off to answer the phone (so 50’s/80’s…I love it!) are from one of those Orchard Hotel fairs, from Esme Parish Silver’s stall and cost me $50.  Last but not least, the clutch bag is a real 1960’s beaded number and belonged to my grandmother.

But enough about clothes. This was a party like none other (or certainly none that I have ever been to) and was seriously impressive….even to the most hardcore of party goers.  It really was what 1960’s Singapore must have looked like (it’s so hard to believe this is all just cardboard, stud walls and facades):

Costumes were brilliant, from homemade to hired; there was even an Austin Powers:

Interlaced with the guests (there were an appropriate 60 or so of us) were extras milling around on rickshaws, selling vegetables and calling down from buildings.

Dinner was sit-down and delicious and a pop-up hawker style street market served up all the classics, from beef rendang to prawn sambal with petai, washed down with teh tarik.

Post-nosh entertainment was by way of a specially built cabaret club with live acts including the hilarious Hossan Leong fresh off Wild Rice’s ‘La Cage aux Folles’, followed by retro-fabulous dancing til dawn.

For more on Mike’s notorious and very cool parties, read my earlier post here.

Iconic sixties image (top) courtesy of Blu Bird Vintage