Napier Art Deco Weekend 2018

In summary - hot. So blazing hot. But at the same time, an amazing deco I won't soon forget!

Being almost completely out of pocket I had no choice but to have fun without the usual retail therapy you get over the weekend. This meant a lot of spontaneous dancing, walking, and eating! In all honesty I find I get a whole lot of value from the weekend even without going to too many ticketed events. Just being dressed up with an entire town is worth the trip.

We flew down on Friday morning and were promptly assailed by that famous Napier heat. Having come from continuous rain in Auckland, it was most welcome - for about 20 minutes.

SJC polo and chinos, American Duchess "Londoner" oxfords

After arriving we realised the YHA reception was closed for lunch, so we grabbed a delicious rum and raisin ice cream from across the road and watched the hostel like we were information-gathering spies. It opened again at 1pm which gave me half an hour to check in then head to a 1:30pm 40's charleston lesson with Bruce ("Sarge") on behalf of the Hi-De-Ho Swing School. It was devlishly hot, but so much fun. Everyone seemed to have a blast!

We caught the tail end of the antique fair, then it was off to Bareknuckle BBQ for a veritable feast.

A meal like that warrants a bit of exercise, so back to Napier and over to the Soundshell we went to try and squeeze in some dancing. The Wellington Shake 'Em Downers lived up to their name, and even though the place was packed with muggles we all got at least one dance in.

It was a shame there wasn't a dance floor set up. We all had to put up with uneven concrete tiles, and sore knees all round the next day.

Saturday brought on another dance lesson, if possible even hotter than Friday's. Despite the heat, the class brought such an enthusiastic attitude I couldn't help but dismiss the temperature and get everyone dancing.

I had every intention of joining in the fashion parade, but after separating from Wayne without taking a room key, I managed to get stuck on the wrong side of the parade. Forty minutes later I hobble into our favourite restaurant (Kilim), completely distressed and ready to call it a day due to blisters. We were too late to hand in our entry forms, and the heat was driving me mad. I ended up having a siesta while Wayne caught the start of the fashion show.

The evening brought relatively cool weather, so out we ventured again to attend Nacktmusic - Kabarett. Glory Days presented a hilarious, raucous, sultry show that we absolutely loved.

I took the opportunity to wear my 1930s crepe evening dress again. I'm absolutely smitten with this dress! I purchased it through Etsy from Fog and Driftwood.

Sunday was our day to relax. No planned events, nothing pre-determined. In the morning I was so happy to be able to wear a dress from Frances at Mintage. It's a hand-painted dress made from parachute silk, and it's simply a dream to wear.

Paired with American Duchess "Moliere" pumps

There's a tiny swallow bird on my butt!

The heat quickly became too much so we retreated to the accommodation and I changed into the 1930's dress I made last month.

I picked up this beautiful 1930's saucer hat from the Etsy store Sol'N'Fraise.

The rest of Sunday was spent window shopping, taking advantage of the air conditioning at the Napier Antique and Jewellery Centre.

The day was capped off with a very pleasant dinner with great company, a nightcap at the Churchill, then a cheeky dance in the Soundshell while the rest of Napier slept.

While it was an incredibly enjoyable Art Deco weekend, I couldn't help but think about how wonderful Winter Deco will be while sitting in 32 degree heat. I'm looking forward to expanding my wardrobe and starting new sewing projects in preparation.