A Mad Hen’s Party

I’m a HUGE fan of the TV series MadMen, so when it came to choosing what to do for my hen’s party I knew straight away that it was a perfect opportunity for an excuse to get dolled up … MadMen style!

So I hit the vintage and second hand shops searching for the perfect outfit, I found it a the Bells Belles Vintage shop in Castlemaine, Victoria.  Although the skirt of the dress was already rather full, I wanted it fuller – and I was able to get a vintage tulle petty coat at Bells Belles too. I also spent weeks practising how to put on the 1950s style makeup and how to get my hairstyle right. I was REALLY happy with how the whole outfit came together. And it was fantastic to see my friends put in lots of effort in getting their outfits together too.

For the actual hen’s party, I invited friends over to my place for a french cooking class organised by Cassis Events with Pierrick Boyer from Le Petit Gateau and afternoon tea.  My bridesmaids and I prepared an afternoon tea of typically MadMen era snacks including; french onion dip, chicken sandwiches, vol au vents, devils on horse back and of course cheese cubes on toothpicks in an orange!

One of my bridesmaids, Janet was brilliant at keeping the lychee martinis and Pimm’s flowing – YUM!

I bought all the girls vintage aprons, that they got to take home and we even managed to get one on Pierrick – hilarious as it was pink with polka dots! Pierrick taught us how to make macarons (yet NOT macaroons … he was very determined we understood the difference) and all got to join in and take home a goodie bag. Best of all we got to eat everything we’d made – YUM. Pierrick also brought me a present of freshly made Tart Au Citron, it is my fiance’s favourite dessert and he was thrilled I managed to save him some!

Two of my friends brought their new babies along to the afternoon and having the bubs there and passed around everyone, really added to the “housewife” theme. I LOVE some of the photos of everyone talking about the babies or passing them around – they almost seem like the perfect accessory to our outfits!

My now husband is a photographer, so he got a friend (and fellow photographer) Rebecca Humphries (rebecca.m.humphries@gmail.com / 0411 757 212) to photograph the day. She did a great job of capturing the candid moments and the whole colour of the day.

In the evening, after our cooking class and a few hens day games we headed into the city…..STILL dressed in our outfits. I was keen to find locations that sort of suited our outfits, so we sipped cocktails at Lily Blacks and Bar 1806. And we got loads of comments about our outfits and the fact that it was great to see a hens party with a touch of style.

All in all a fantastic hens day and I can’t wait to find another excuse to wear my dress again!

Photography by Rebecca Humphries (rebecca.m.humphries@gmail.com / 0411 757 212)

In Chloe’s words: “I decided I wanted something different for my hen’s party … something with a bit of elegance and style! I’m mad about the TV show MadMen and in fact all TV shows and movies with vintage or old fashioned clothes. So, I hit the vintage clothes shops, found the PERFECT dress and shoes, practised the makeup and hair for weeks, and invited ten of my best girl friends round for a french cooking class and cocktails to celebrate my hen’s party. We had a fantastic afternoon, helped along by the very flamboyant french chef Pierrick Boyer from Le Petit Gateau in Melbourne. I love the idea of sharing everything about my day and all the photos with you, Ms Polka Dot, and all your followers!”

Chloe’s favourite cocktail is a Caipirinha.

Ms Gingham says: “There’s a few things that are noticeably missing … the presence of cigarette smoke EVERYWHERE (especially around babies and when cooking) and Donald Draper strutting in at all hours demanding his dinner and scotch! What a fabulous theme for a hen’s night or any night out for that matter!”

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