Dr Doran
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Well, after MANY years of hemming, hawing, thinking about it, and not doing it (not least because I vastly prefer Art Nouveau and Victoriana to Deco) I finally joined the Art Deco Society of California last night. And I am very pleased that I did.
It was Miss 1929 who finally changed my mind: the event was at Schroeder's, a place I'd heard of for years but never gone to, a German beer hall sort of place that YOU MUST SEE if you have not seen it, and Miss 1929 sang 20s and 30s standards accompanying herself on piano with a small fine band. The crowd had about 75 people, all beautifully dressed. People came up to me to talk about my suit (a late 1930s or early 1940s Fleischmann, if you're interested) and also just to say hello, sometimes with a "Oh, you're new here, aren't you? Well, I just wanted to introduce myself."
One of the members was asking me about the Fedora Lounge, as he had heard of it. He asked me if I was going to "defect" to the ADSC as though it and the Lounge were mutually exclusive -- ha ha. But it got me to attempt the (perhaps flawed) task of comparing our online society with the live event I was witnessing. There weren't many people in their 20s at all. In fact, there might have been only 1. A great number of elegant people in their 60s dancing and epitomizing elegance. I enjoyed their attitude and conversation. Several of the people I spoke with were architects. The Society's prime mission seems to be the preservation of architecture from the Deco period, a noble goal to a historian like me. At least one of their members was a medical doctor. Many were largely highly educated, established older professionals (not that I am impugning the education of the Loungers). I did not get as much of the "singles bar" vibe there as I get on the Lounge, for whatever that's worth (not that there is anything wrong with that either. If I were single, I'd be flirting on the Lounge even more than I do). But this was only one event. The ADSC did seem to have an older vibe, altogether; but I was assured by the current president, Serafina, that as of her tenure, "Prohibition is over," meaning that the good times were ready to roll.
I had been worried about the price, but it really wasn't prohibitive at all. It's normally $50 for the year, and that year includes many events. There is even a student discount available.
I realize that some people have reported bad or odd experiences with the ADSC, but everyone I met was charm personified. I was told there that two of their members did have a habit of skulking around and frowning at people's gear (like, I guess, a live version of Style Forum), but those two hadn't been seen in awhile.
I'd better stop now, or I'll sound like I was asked to advertise the society -- which I was not, not even informally.
Anyway, all I can say is, if you are vintage (or even just love vintage), live in the Bay Area, and have not checked out the society, it might be something to look into.
It was Miss 1929 who finally changed my mind: the event was at Schroeder's, a place I'd heard of for years but never gone to, a German beer hall sort of place that YOU MUST SEE if you have not seen it, and Miss 1929 sang 20s and 30s standards accompanying herself on piano with a small fine band. The crowd had about 75 people, all beautifully dressed. People came up to me to talk about my suit (a late 1930s or early 1940s Fleischmann, if you're interested) and also just to say hello, sometimes with a "Oh, you're new here, aren't you? Well, I just wanted to introduce myself."
One of the members was asking me about the Fedora Lounge, as he had heard of it. He asked me if I was going to "defect" to the ADSC as though it and the Lounge were mutually exclusive -- ha ha. But it got me to attempt the (perhaps flawed) task of comparing our online society with the live event I was witnessing. There weren't many people in their 20s at all. In fact, there might have been only 1. A great number of elegant people in their 60s dancing and epitomizing elegance. I enjoyed their attitude and conversation. Several of the people I spoke with were architects. The Society's prime mission seems to be the preservation of architecture from the Deco period, a noble goal to a historian like me. At least one of their members was a medical doctor. Many were largely highly educated, established older professionals (not that I am impugning the education of the Loungers). I did not get as much of the "singles bar" vibe there as I get on the Lounge, for whatever that's worth (not that there is anything wrong with that either. If I were single, I'd be flirting on the Lounge even more than I do). But this was only one event. The ADSC did seem to have an older vibe, altogether; but I was assured by the current president, Serafina, that as of her tenure, "Prohibition is over," meaning that the good times were ready to roll.
I had been worried about the price, but it really wasn't prohibitive at all. It's normally $50 for the year, and that year includes many events. There is even a student discount available.
I realize that some people have reported bad or odd experiences with the ADSC, but everyone I met was charm personified. I was told there that two of their members did have a habit of skulking around and frowning at people's gear (like, I guess, a live version of Style Forum), but those two hadn't been seen in awhile.
I'd better stop now, or I'll sound like I was asked to advertise the society -- which I was not, not even informally.
Anyway, all I can say is, if you are vintage (or even just love vintage), live in the Bay Area, and have not checked out the society, it might be something to look into.
