How to Host a 1920s-Inspired Midsummer Soirée
St-Germain's annual summer soirée is known for melding together nature, art, and libations in the most avant-garde fashion. This year, St-Germain tapped designer Kate Young to give her own fanciful take on the Summer Solstice celebration. She chose to transform New York’s Battery Gardens–the largest perennial gardens in North America - into a surrealist oasis filled with wild juxtapositions of flavors, styles and sensorial experiences. Here, she breaks down exactly how she made her romantic, whimsical vision come to life, and shares tips so you can re-create your own midsummer 1920s-inspired party.
1) Novel Inspiration
"I love to read and turn to good books for ideas and inspiration all the time. The joyful decadence of the parties of the 1920s, like those in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Beautiful and Damned are everything. It's poetic, romantic, and tragic all at once, and you can't help but become immersed in the glamour and lifestyle of the time."
The Beautiful and Damned, $8, amazon.com.
2) Fitzgerald-Inspired Cocktails
"I love to serve cocktails that feel old-fashioned with a modern-twist. St-Germain Elderflower liqueur is great for summer, and is incredibly versatile for easy at-home mixing with any base spirit. Personally, I love St-Germain and Champagne, so for my signature Maison St-Germain cocktail, we decided to elevate the combination by adding a touch of bitterness. It’s amber colored and topped with gold dust."
3) Floral Frenzy
"The floral creations from flower artist Brittany Asch of BRRCH are so creative and outside of the norm. I was excited to see how she would work with the surrealist theme for the party, and she did not disappoint. She fashioned vignettes throughout the space with a gorgeous, strange, and avant-garde touch."
4) DJ Spin
"Having a DJ set by one of your closest friends always takes the party to another level. Andrew VanWyngarden is the greatest and had guests dancing all night long."
5) Surrealist Bites
"We used a Dali cookbook to inspire surrealist bites for the night. It's truly one of the strangest, most amusing, gorgeous books I’ve seen in a while, and was so fun to bring some of it to life."
Dalí: Les D?ners de Gala, $41, amazon.com.
6) Party Attire
"I think floral dresses are pretty much always appropriate in summer. I love the idea of an easy caftan, short or long for a host. You can serve and cook and run around barefoot and be very comfortable. Same goes for a slip dress - you just can't go wrong. For guests, I’m obsessed with this new line La DoubleJ. The prints are really fun and the shapes are flattering and classic."
7) Get the Look
La Double J floral dress, $1,165, modaoperandi.com.
Tibi satin slip dress, $165, net-a-porter.com.
8) Elements of Surprise
"It was our hope to show guests something unexpected. People were invited to forage their own paths through the grounds of The Battery Gardens as layers of St-Germain’s charming tale were unveiled."
9) Photo Op
"So much of our experience relates to the images we take on our phones now. I wanted to make vignettes that were unexpected and exciting, and give guests photos unlike anything they've ever taken."
10) Set the Scene
"Mood boards are the perfect way to get all of your ideas in one place so you can really envision the end result. Marla Weinhoff has made a lot of my fantasy come to life."
11) Party Favors
"The St-Germain carafe is a great gift because it’s an excellent vase and super elegant for mixing cocktails for a party."
St-Germain carafe, $12, shop.stgermain.fr.
The designer of the latest extravaganza from Maison St-Germain shares her tips for hosting your own whimsical fête.