Wit’s End is the hottest vintage party in New York, and the Dorothy Parker Society is pleased to be a small part of the 2010 activities that are planned. Wit’s End was launchd by Diane Naegel and Don Spiro, a couple who have made vintage their own personal style. Diane is a designer and the publisher of Zelda, the “magazine of the vintage nouveau.” Don is a noted writer and photographer, he is the official photographer of the Burlesque Hall of Fame and teaches photography.
Wit’s End has a new home, Flute Midtown, 205 West 54th Street (at Seventh Avenue). Flute was at one time during Prohibition a real speakeasy; one of the proprietors was the legendary Texas Guinan. It’s only appropriate that the new home of Wit’s End is Flute.
“Starting in 2010, each month will feature a different aspect of early 20th century culture,” Don says. “January’s Wit’s End will be an homage to South Seas influences like the ukulele and tropical themed songs. Hollywood glamour, the Ziegfeld Follies, Jazz Age writers, and more will highlight future evenings.”
Diane and Don were kind enough to answer some questions for us. If you want to participate, the Wit’s End party is the last Saturday of the month at Flute, starting January 30th.
Q: What’s the history behind Wit’s End? How did it start?
Diane: Well, Don and I had been attending Dances of Vice for some time—the event our pal Shien Lee runs—and after awhile she wanted to branch off and do parties with a lot of various themes instead of just hosting Jazz Age parties. Since the Jazz Age events were always our favorite, we thought it would be great to have a consistent monthly club that catered to that genre—and so Wit’s End was born! We wanted to make the event that we really wanted to go to; and for us that meant a place that would have live and recorded music of the era, great cocktails of the time, evening attire, and quality people: lucky for us, everything has come true!
Don: I used to shoot photos at Bricktop’s, a friend’s Jazz Age club night in Hollywood. Shien Lee would attend. When Shien moved to New York she started Dances of Vice, the closest thing New York had to Bricktop’s. That’s where my friend Jen, who had produced a one-time only Bricktop’s night in Manhattan with NYU, introduced me to Diane. When Shien started taking it in new directions we loved it, but we also missed the pure Jazz Age aspect, so Diane and I started Wit’s End. Also, we wanted to cross promote our interests: we love boutique cocktails, dressing up to go on the town, dancing with partners, discussing history, listening to live Jazz Age music and we wanted a night where you could do all that together. It was just a club we wanted to attend, but no one else was doing it regularly so we started it. Also, I feel there is plenty of Manhattan clubs with a late 20th Century feel (and I love music from the ‘50s to the ‘90s), but no clubs represented the Jazz Age. By the way, our first performer at Wit’s End was Shien.
Q: Why do you think there is an interest in this time period, 1920s-1940s?
Diane: I certainly think that people are looking back to the Depression given the financial circumstances of our time today—looking at the values of that time, the films, the music, and style. I think we’ve gotten so casual in the way we dress today that there’s a fascination with any era that showed a different way of presenting oneself to the world. I think it’s easier to understand that in the ‘20s and after because it’s more relevant to modern dressing than some earlier eras. I also think that the music is pretty infectious! When you’re on hard times, its great to hear that uplifting sound that anyone can relate to—even if you’ve never heard it before.
Don: I think there’s a general interest in everything that is in the past, everything that came before us led us to the present. My favorite time period is the present; I prefer nostalgia through modern convenience. I love playing Duke Ellington and Annette Hanshaw on my iPod, I can buy Dorothy Parker books online, and I can print our Prohibition cocktail menu from my computer. With modern technology we have more access to the past than ever, our earliest records of pop culture in film and audio are from the 1910s and 1920s, so that set the standard. I think people particularly like the Jazz and swing age because of the style and the art that shows in the music and films that people remember. People today didn’t personally have to deal with the Depression, prejudice, and hardships of the early 20th Century; they focus on the nostalgia and glamour. After WWI life was a celebration until the stock market crashed, after that the New Deal funded a huge output of artistic creation, and those highlights stick in our memory. That Jazz Age was a golden age for America; for the first time Americana spread all over the world. It was a youth culture, morals were relaxed, people traveled more, and minorities became more empowered. We had celebrities. The world looked to the U.S. for the lead in fashion, industry, technology, music… just about everything, and anything seemed possible. On a generational level, I find more and more young people are into the time period than before. They really glamorize the era, they are too young to have heard stories from relatives who lived through the times, but they see it through movies and TV. They also realize that Jazz was the punk of its day, and dancing with a partner can be more fun that the solitary freeform moves their parents call dance. They appreciate that things made to last have more value than things that are simply new, and that many of the fashions of the 1920s and 1930s simply never go out of style. Decades old swing and blues songs are still recorded by top forty pop stars, the newest style is reimagining the old.
Q: At a Wit’s End party, what can one expect to happen?
Diane: If you come early, you’ll start out grabbing a bite (some free hors d’oeuvres at the bar or ordering dinner from Flute) and mingling with other guests. Then there’s a free dance lesson—usually Charleston, Balboa, or basic Lindy—that happens before the band goes on. The band plays two sets during the evening, and the rest of the time is filled with period danceable music playing. We’ve added some fun giveaways to the lineup as well, and of course, there are amazing cocktails to enjoy and great conversation to have the entire time! I think I imagine it as a modern interpretation of what some clubs of the ‘20s/’30s might have been like
: some people dancing, some mingling or lounging, most drinking, and all making that extra effort to look fantastic!
Don: Flute Midtown is an authentic Prohibition era speakeasy, once run by Texas Guinan, and that sets the tone. You can expect a lot of people having fun, dancing to the hot jazz or talking over cocktails. You won’t see jeans or baseball caps; the dress code is enforced to keep the mood. Some people are in vintage attire but it isn’t a costume affair, most are in modern suits and dresses, adding to the atmosphere. The music is paced for dancing. It’s also an early night by New York standards, so you can enjoy yourself for a few hours then go to a late night bar or show.
Q: You always have fantastic live entertainment, whom can we expect to see at the parties in 2010?
Diane: We’ll be having a lot of our favorites back this year as well as some new friends! We’ll definitely be having the Moonlighters (Jan. 30), Grandpa Musselman & His Syncopators, The Red Hook Ramblers, Gelber & Manning, Molly Ryan with Dan Levinson and his band, and more! We’re also looking to have some special guests, especially in April and October when we launch new issues of Zelda: The Magazine of the Vintage Nouveau!
Don: There are so many great bands that we want to showcase and expose to our patrons, deciding is always a tough choice because we are only once a month. We have been proud to feature bands like Baby Soda and Cynthia Sayer, and I would love to bring in bands from the West Coast and Europe someday, too. And there are always surprises: last October we were fortunate enough to have Michael Arenella and Drew Nugent stop by to join Gelber and Manning for an after hours jam that will be hard for others to top. We also want to collaborate more with other events. Last year we provided a specialty cocktail to the Salon at the Player’s Club and produced a Speakeasy Night for the Museum of the City of New York. We plan to keep cross promoting Dances of Vice, the Art Deco Society of New York, the Dorothy Parker Society and, if things go well, we hope to be involved with organizations around the country, perhaps the world
Q: Vintage theme attire is encouraged. Where can one shop for the right outfit?
Diane: There are a lot of outlets to find vintage today, but for me, I’ve had the best luck on eBay, shopping online, flea markets, and a handful of finds in shops here in town. As far as NYC, I’ve had the most luck at the Chelsea Flea Market, Cobblestones on East 9th, and The Family Jewels on 23rd. (I have to admit, a lot of my vintage attire is bought in Los Angeles, Ohio, and I recently found great stuff in Austin, Texas.) It’s always a treasure hunt, and a challenge to find that dress that will fit you AND be what you’re looking for! The first issue of Zelda has a great NYC shopping guide, too. Although I will mention that there are a lot of dresses and other articles of clothing made today that can be festive and fun for our night when styled the right way. We love vintage, but we know it’s tough to get a hold of and certainly don’t require it. Dress well, and in the spirit of the era, and you’re good to go. We don’t think of it as costume, but rather just taking an evening to really dress in your finest!
Don: There are a lot of great places for women to find vintage wear. It’s much harder for men but, luckily, menswear hasn’t changed style too much. Wear what you likely have in your closet: a dress shirt and business suit will work just fine. I have vintage, but when I wear a modern suit I just add suspenders, a pocket square, or a vintage tie to aid the proper look.
Thanks to Diane and Don, and we hope to see you at Wit’s End in 2010. All information and a calendar of events about Wit’s End is here.