Santa Monica CA (West Hollywood Today) 04/08/2013 Photos & story by Karen Ostlund
Britweek celebrated British Drama TV Series “Downton Abbey” with a 1920’s vintage party, to honor executive producer and Gareth Neame and actress Laura Carmichael.
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| Executive producer Gareth Neame and actress Laura Carmichael |
Last Friday May 3rd an exclusive Downton Abbey Vintage Party was dedicated to executive producer, Gareth Neame and cast members. It was held at The Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica.
Downton Abbey is a British period drama television series created by Julian Fellowes and co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece.
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| Food-tasting by FIG Restaurant |
The series first aired on ITV in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2010 and on PBS in the United States on 9 January 2011 as part of the Masterpiece Classic anthology.
The series, set in the Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey, tells the story of the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era — with great events in the history having an effect on their lives, and on the British social hierarchy.
Such events include news of the sinking of the RMS Titanic in the first series; the outbreak of World War I, the Spanish influenza pandemic, and the Marconi scandal in the second series; and the Interwar period and the formation of the Irish Free State in the third series.
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| Richard Halpern & his band |
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| Vivien Sheriff gowns - pieces of old fashion elegance |
Guests were encouraged to dress in their best vintage attire to celebrate Downton Abbey and Britweek 2013, while listening to 1920s music from Richard Halpern & his band and live tap dance performances.
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| Richard Halpern & his band and live tap dance performances. |
Pre-prohibition cocktails were served using No.3 London Dry Gin, The Glenrothes Single Malt Scotch, The King's Ginger Liqueur and Fever Tree.
Wine was provided by Fotinos Brothers Winery and food by FIG Restaurant from Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows.
Two special vintage photo booths were on display to capture the evening, one from Boots, and one with the vintage car, Jaguar 1936 and next year’s Jaguar F-Type 2014. (photo above)
Three vignettes installations with models from Artist International welcomed guests freeze posing to create effect as they showcased the Vivien Sheriff pieces and beautifully capture the essence and elegance of the Downton Abbey era and set an Art Deco mood to the festivities.
Vivien Sheriff, milliner to Royalty & the stars, is also representing the best of British vintage-inspired headwear of timeless glamour of the days of the Silver Screen.
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| The Glenrothes Single Malt Scotch |
Proceeds from the event were benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters.
They are the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network.
Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 18, in communities across the country.
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| Center, designer Sue Wong dressed in long black dress and right, actor John Savage with friends. |
Downton Abbey has won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries, Television Film and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries.
Highclere Castle in Hampshire was used for exterior shots of Downton Abbey and most of the interior filming. The kitchen and servants' quarters and working areas and several "upstairs" bedrooms were constructed and filmed at Ealing Studios.
