Last weekend, my husband and I went away for a weekend in Manchester. It was long anticipated after being pushed back for two years due to Covid. And my goodness, was it worth the wait.
First stop on the trip was the Vintage Beauty Parlour, where the lovely Bethany did my hair and make up, ready to go to see Dita Von Teese that evening. I'd had a voucher that my husband had got me for Christmas pre-pandemic and I was very excited to use it. We decided to go with a classic Hollywood look, with victory rolls for my hair. To start with, Bethany curled my hair. While the curls were setting, she did my make up and then finally did some kind of magic with my hair to give me the most beautiful victory rolls I've ever seen. It was an amazing experience getting my hair and make up done and so interesting watching Bethany work. Also, huge bonus points to her for having an adorable little pug called Dita Von Pug who hung out with us, chewing her cuddly toy duck the whole time.
Next, we ventured into central Manchester to get to our hotel. After a slightly fraught thirty minutes of trying to find our parking space (thank goodness my husband was driving- I would 100% have just abandoned the car in the middle of the road and walked at one point if it had been me), we arrived at Hotel Gotham. Situated in what was an art deco bank, the hotel is gorgeous and impressive, with a good touch of quirky!
Shortly after checking in, we made our way up to the bar. We had the option to sit out on the patio, with a stunning view of the city but I decided not to chance the wind blowing my hair around before we went out for the evening! I had my new favourite cocktail- Lavender Bee's Knees, which was made up of gin, lavender and honey and was absolutely delightful!
We popped back to our hotel room, where I just need to put on my dress and heels- no need for me to do hair and make up! I'd decided on a floor length black dress with lace panels in the bodice and a lace train. I felt super fancy! Hopped in a taxi and ten minutes later we're at the Manchester O2 Apollo. I'll be honest, to start with, I did find being in such a crowded place quite tricky, as this was the first show I'd been to since before the pandemic. However, once we'd got seated I'd calmed down and was enjoying seeing everyone else's outfits. The majority of the audience had also got super dressed up and everyone looked amazing.
I have no photos of the actual show, as understandably, there was a strict no photography policy. But Oh. My. Gosh. It was incredible! Dita was, of course, absolutely breathtaking. Her acts were such a stunning spectacle of glitter, glamour and just general 'wow'. One of the acts involved her sitting on top of a giant red lipstick and honestly, I think I need one of those for my office. And I'm only half joking. The rest of the show was equally amazing- there was a very funny MC (Comedian Jonny Mcgovern, if you're wondering) and a whole range of other incredible acts. The pole dancer, Laszlo Major, was insaaaane- I found myself audibly gasping at his ability to seemingly defy gravity on the pole (and wearing trainers. How?!). And talking of defying gravity, Dirty Martini also made an appearance with her tassel twirling act. Pure. Magic.
I would absolutely recommend going to see Dita in person if you ever get the chance. An amazing night out and a great excuse to get dressed up!