Parties & Celebrations
Party Like A Rockstar
I met Todd English about 10 years ago when he appeared as a guest on my TV show Everyday Elegance; we clicked immediately, and within minutes we had cocktails in our hands and we’ve been friends ever since. Todd is definitely one of the most divine, fabulous, funny, sexy, and passionate people I know, and when you think about it, those are all the ingredients you need for a good party! We oversubscribed in each area when it came to his 50th birthday celebration in Nantucket. I can honestly say that as far as summer is concerned, we definitely saved the best party for last. It was, in Todd’s words, ”EPIC”!
The moment guests arrived on the island of Nantucket, the glamour factor was immediately at a fever high; the most beautiful people I’ve seen in a long time had come from all over to celebrate Todd. The party started with a dinner on the deck at the Summer House, and I personally felt like James Bond, only this time 009.5 (double 0 nine and a half). There were beautiful women everywhere! After dinner, we made our way to the Summer House Dining Room and Bar, where I presented a case of Avion Reposado Tequila. You would swear I was serving Margaux ‘82 by the way everyone reacted to the smooth flavor of this very refined tequila made famous on the HBO hit series, Entourage. The party immediately took off as DJ Telemitry gave us a taste of what to expect the rest of the weekend. A great night, or better yet, a very early morning marked the first of many parties to come.
The next day was a workday for my team as we prepared for that night’s celebration. The invitation informed guests to wear white and meet us at the pool deck for sunset cocktails, and to bring along a change of clothes in order to depart at sunrise, wearing black. Everyone took the theme very seriously, and after a day in the sun, Todd’s gorgeous group of sun-kissed guests looked great in their white attire. The whole area was decorated in Moroccan-style with Moroccan tents, furniture, rugs, and lanterns that were brought all the way from Moroccan Prestige, based in New York City. Again fueled with cocktails and Avion Tequila, I found myself feeling very 11pm at 8pm as the party kicked into high gear. Todd, looking very handsome in a white Gucci suit, was in his element, and surrounded by beautiful women, was clearly having a good time. With everyone seated at long dinner tables filled with stunning flowers, we enjoyed a spectacular dinner of Foie Gras and Lobster. The highlight was a speech from Todd followed by an amazing toast from his son Oliver. After dinner and a short burlesque performance, we all followed the flaming tiki torches down to the beach with a change into our black clothes along the way.
Set on the white sand and facing the ocean was a beautiful matching Moroccan tent that had been filled with ottomans and rugs, the DJ for the night, a fully decked out bar, and a pair of fire pits on the sand. On cue, amazing fire dancers flown in from Cabo appeared! It was nothing short of spectacular! Performers on stilts, along with dancers, flamethrowers, and drummers entertained the crowd by spinning balls of fire through the air against the full moon shining over the sparkling ocean, and all of it fueled with lots of Avion. We danced, we laughed at the many hysterically funny stories everyone told, and we listened to guitar music and sang along too. By now I was feeling very 0014.
At some stage, we made our way back to the Summer House Bar for some rock and roll performed by Morgan Door. Afterwards, DJ Telemitry took over and really got us into gear. When the police complained, we went back down to the beach for another round of tequila shots. When they complained again, the die-hard partiers, the very last group standing, came back to my room for a few more laughs and just a few more stories. When the sun came up, we went back to the beach for a Bloody Mary, scrambled eggs, bacon, and croissant sunrise breakfast.
I had to get some sleep before flying back to New York, and thankfully a handful of aspirin and a bottle of water were waiting in my room when I got back. With a smile wrapped two-and-half times around my face, I said my goodbyes to new friends and old. I have never seen Todd happier, and that was the best part of the whole weekend.
I left the island feeling very 0021.
As always, there's more to come!
