While perusing my lovely lovely vogue uk december issue and its magical contents i came to a very interesting piece that i had ear-marked as a must-read before i had even gotten the magazine; 'come dine with me', five party people describe their dream feasts.
it's basically 5 'famous' party goers talking about their perfect dinner party, the guests, the food, the table placement, the topics of conversation, the clothes, and who would be the last to leave. Just fanciful, frivolous stuff, but so much fun, and reading some of them i was pleasantly surprised. Lily Cole's in particular was so entertaining. She actually has a nice turn of phrase, very dry. Here is her 'dream feast'.
Who? Isadora Duncan, Albert Einstein, Salvador Dali, Edith Piaf, Jean Cocteau, Marilyn Monroe (in her misfits era), a 33 year old Jesus, Buddha, a young Ada Veen (from Nabokov's Ada or Ardour), Plato, an early Sixties Marlon Brando, Jerome D Salinger and Bob Marley.
Where? A Platonic, not of this earth garden.
Hot topics? Marlon, Bob and Marley and Albert tell Jesus about the merits and necessity of pacifism and human rights in the 20th century. Plato and Buddha discuss the nature of time, and indeed how this dinner is possible. Jesus says anything is possible. I agree. Albert Agrees (with more authenticity). Marlon and Marilyn commiserate with one another about the difficulties of being a sex symbol. I ply Marlon with sympathy. Ada proclaims there is nothing to commiserate about when one is being overly sexed. Buddha smiles. Jean cosies closer to Jesus, and Edith begins to sing. Isadora is dancing around the table. I pick Jerome a flower, but he asks: 'Who wants flowers when you're dead?'. Buddha reminds him he is not. Salvador remarks on how surreal this dinner is (and that he was right all along) . 'It's all make believe isn't it?' breezes Marilyn.
What would everyone be wearing? Clothes fit for dancing.
What would you dine on? Greek food, champagne, and sushi for the sushi-eating vegetarians of the world.
Who would you sit beside? Albert and Marlon
Last to leave? Me!
Apart from Lily's slightly pretentious referring to J.D Salinger as 'Jerome', i thought her ideas were really interesting. Her guest list was just lovely, who would have thought edith piaf and jesus would sit on the same table? with einstein and marley? and don't you just love what they would all talk about? i had a little chuckle at it, it was just hilarious.
So, and here's the exciting part, i want to hear what your ideal dinner party would be! answer all those questions, plus this extra one; biggest flirt? . I'm so incredibly excited to hear your answers! Isn't dreaming and fantasy so much fun? And just to get you all into the 'dream feast' mood, here's what i would put:
Who? Jane Austen, Daphne Guinness, Coco Chanel, Evelyn Waugh, Marianne Dashwood and Willoughby, Olivier Theyskens, Marie Antoinette, Oscar Wilde, the doctor, Edith Piaf, Alex Turner, Karl Lagerfeld, Cleopatra VII, Claude Monet, Sofia Coppola, W.H Auden and Johnny Depp.
Where? Cliche, yes, but a candle-lit table under a marquee and canopy of stars next to the Petits Trianons. (What? I just love versailles). And lets say 'out-of-time', so neither before the revolution nor after it.
Hot topics? Well, style, clearly. We'd all chat away about gorgeous clothes, lovely accessories... Oscar might remark about the frivolous frippery of it all, whilst wearing some fabulously flamboyant neckerchief. Then of course we'd move on to books, we'd all analyse and share our favourites. Austen chatting away about the mysteries of udolfo, which funnily enough, johnny would have read (i see it as his kind of book). Marie Antoinette and Karl would discuss Rousseau, Waugh and Sofia might discuss P.G Wodehouse, with Daphne chiming in that it all sounds remarkably like her own family. Then let's leap frog into history. Queenship would be a hot topic, a comparison between the two present unavoidable (and who would win? redoubtable cleopatra or flighty marie?). Alex might take up guitar round about now, with Johnny with him. Edith would croon merrily. Coco, Olivier and Karl (with Oscar trying to chime in) analyse all the outfits (they like Marie's and Daphne's of course, but think Auden could have managed to make a little more effort). The Doctor sits next to me fiddling with his sonic screwdriver and musing about the stars. Monet paints Willoughby and Marianne staring deeply into each other's eyes (i've taken them from the early part of the novel, not the late, evidently). And then, at sofia's behest, (she did write it after all) we all play a round of 'celebrity heads' and edith jumps on the table to serenade us.
What would everyone be wearing? Something completely fabulous, of course. Lots of colour, lots of style, dramatic mixture of historic and modern, rings on your fingers and bells on your toes, high high heels and, in the immortal words of lily allen; fuckloads of diamonds.
What would you dine on? mussels, chilled pea and mint soup, garlic pizza, chicken cous cous salad, honey and rosemary roasted almonds, chocolate cloud cake, creme brulee, panacotta... all downed with pink champagne.
Who would you sit beside? Jane on one side, so i could shamelessly milk her for writing advice, and alex on the other, so could shamelessly bat my eyelashes and flirt all night.
Biggest flirt? I would like to say Johnny, but i know he's a family man. maybe, considering this whole dinner party is an out-of -time experience this could be an out-of-time johnny, in which case he could flirt unrestrained? But then, considering the amount of french champagne at this dream feast and the men invited, maybe i would be the biggest flirt? (even with the gay ones... especially with the gay ones).
Last to leave? I would never let Johnny/Alex/the doctor/olivier go. EVER.
[click to enlarge this table setting i spent a lot of time on haha] thoughts? I'd love to hear some of your dream feasts. hit me with them!
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