It was a mod, mod, mod world at Soho House the night after the premiere of HBO Films' The Life & Death of Peter Sellers, a biopic about the chameleonic actor best known for his roles in the Pink Panther series and Dr. Strangelove.
HBO chairman and C.E.O. (and Soho House member) Chris Albrecht signed off on a members-only party to promote the film. Inspired by London in the swinging 60's, the party had Singapore slings—the drink's pink color was a reference to the Pink Panther—passed by Twiggy-esque waitresses with yellow daisies in their hair, while a David Niven look-alike made the rounds.
Open to every member in Soho House that night, the party was a revolving door of guests heading to and from dinner upstairs, including Sellers star Geoffrey Rush, who popped in after his meal.
The mod fantasia was dreamed up by event planner Kate Edmonds and Grand Central Marketing. They took their cue from Sellers' mid- to late-60's heyday (the period of The Pink Panther, Casino Royale, and, naturally, The Party). "At first, I wanted to go late-50's Peter Sellers and his dinner-jacket stuff," said Edmonds. "We had our David Niven character there, but it just went over everyone's head."
In the end, though, she went mod herself, helping to pass out yellow gerbera daisies to arriving guests (daisies having been a central motif of HBO's promotional efforts for the film). Food and gift bags were overwhelmingly British. Guests sampled miniature bangers and mash and fish and chips (with soggy peas) catered by Soho House from a menu provided by Edmonds and Grand Central, while the Singapore slings were mixed with Raffles gin. Gift bags were packed with British brands like Ted Baker, Tanqueray, Crabtree & Evelyn, and Virgin Records. Bentley Meeker provided lighting and the suitably mod illuminated projections.
"We were there for an extra hour," Edmonds said. "They had 200 people flowing in and out. They would just keep popping in."
—Greg Lindsay
HBO chairman and C.E.O. (and Soho House member) Chris Albrecht signed off on a members-only party to promote the film. Inspired by London in the swinging 60's, the party had Singapore slings—the drink's pink color was a reference to the Pink Panther—passed by Twiggy-esque waitresses with yellow daisies in their hair, while a David Niven look-alike made the rounds.
Open to every member in Soho House that night, the party was a revolving door of guests heading to and from dinner upstairs, including Sellers star Geoffrey Rush, who popped in after his meal.
The mod fantasia was dreamed up by event planner Kate Edmonds and Grand Central Marketing. They took their cue from Sellers' mid- to late-60's heyday (the period of The Pink Panther, Casino Royale, and, naturally, The Party). "At first, I wanted to go late-50's Peter Sellers and his dinner-jacket stuff," said Edmonds. "We had our David Niven character there, but it just went over everyone's head."
In the end, though, she went mod herself, helping to pass out yellow gerbera daisies to arriving guests (daisies having been a central motif of HBO's promotional efforts for the film). Food and gift bags were overwhelmingly British. Guests sampled miniature bangers and mash and fish and chips (with soggy peas) catered by Soho House from a menu provided by Edmonds and Grand Central, while the Singapore slings were mixed with Raffles gin. Gift bags were packed with British brands like Ted Baker, Tanqueray, Crabtree & Evelyn, and Virgin Records. Bentley Meeker provided lighting and the suitably mod illuminated projections.
"We were there for an extra hour," Edmonds said. "They had 200 people flowing in and out. They would just keep popping in."
—Greg Lindsay
Soho House members were treated to a members-only party hosted by HBO Films to celebrate the release of The Life & Death of Peter Sellers. Yellow gerbera daisies gave the event a swinging 60's London theme.
Twiggy-esque female caterwaiters and male caterwaiters dressed like Peter Sellers served hors d'oeuvres. A David Niven look-alike was also in attendance.
