Lurid Luxe: Throwing a luxury Halloween Bash!

Halloween. -A time of year that can be all fake blood and a sugar rush, or tasteful pumpkins and lace detailing… At Lifestyle Magazine, we recommend the latter! To be the hostess of your own Halloween party is to be the belle of the ball. However, fulfilling your guest’s expectations can be just as scary as Halloween itself. Your reputation is at stake and your taste under scrutiny. Get it right, and you’ll have people talking about your soiree for years to come. Get it wrong, and nobody will ever come back… the stakes are high! But fear not, to avoid being tricked, and to make your night a treat, follow our hostess’ guide to throwing a Halloween party full of lurid lavishness and creepy chic. There are three main aspects to getting it right: the cuisine, the décor, and of course… the hostess…

The Cuisine…

Ghastly gastronomy is always going to be the order of the night. Fortunately at this time of year all of the most respected manufacturers have your frightening food at the forefront of their mind. With the likes of well-known luxury makers Harrods and Fortnum and Maisons, as well as smaller more bespoke brands such as The Snaffling Pig you’re sure to be able to buy something fantastic, saving yourself the horrible hassle of making your own and allowing you to give your guest the attention that they deserve. For ultimate indulgence lay your food in a haunted house banquet style. Make the most of the eerie manor associations and go all hammer horror on that table ware!

Top Three Things to Try:

1. For alchemy-esque alcohol that will look as FAB on your table as it will in your glass, checkout: Crystal Head Vodka
2. Make an ordeal out of your horderves by serving ACTUAL pig snouts created by luxury company: The Snaffling Pig
3. For a dinner party feel with an axe murderer twist try these red riding hood inspired cakes by: Fairy Tale Gourmet London

Décor…

This brings us onto interiors! Get the ambience wrong and you simply murder the mood! While this may be a Halloween party it is of paramount importance that you make your guests comfortable, so avoid over the top horror movie-esque vibes and instead go for that silent movie classic horror vibe. To do this Lifestyle Magazine recommends Melody Rose for the ultimate in chic tableware. Alcohol served out of a teapot is subtly subversive and when the teapot is decorated with nude Victorians or skulls all the better! Grandinroad is fantastic for those little touches that make a party seem just that little bit more polished. Scatter a few of their golden pumpkins around for a touch of luxe.

Top Tip to Try…

1. The ultimate table is surely this glamorous ghostly one! Make it your own from: The French Bedroom Company
2. Really lay of the gothic castle vibes with this glittering chandelier: Sweetpea and Willow
3. Swathe the room in a spicy scent while bathing it in gothic candle light, there is only one place to buy candles: Jo Malone

The Hostess…

But of course you can have a house to die for and cuisine of the gods but if the hostess isn’t the mostest then you can kiss your ‘best party’ badge goodbye. Don’t waste money this Halloween on a tacky costume that you’ll never wear again. The real Halloween hostess uses her party as the ultimate excuse to buy herself a fabulous gown, that when paired with the correct accessories, makes for a costume far more authentic than the off the shelf options, whilst being all the more convincing for it. What sort of self-respecting queen of the night wears acrylic, after all!? Check out our top four dresses…

Top Tips to Try…

1. Oscar De La Renta (For Geisha vampire chic –pair with chop stick up-do and drizzle of fake blood around the mouth)
2. Alice + Olivia (For Gothic Heroine –pair with candle stick and pale wan makeup)
3. Temperley London (For 30s clairvoyant –pair with vintage Ouija board and velvet turban)
4. Alessandra Rich (Become The Cobweb Queen) Alessandra Rich’s Chantilly lace gown is not only utterly beautiful but the delicate lace looks dainty enough to be made of cobwebs (pair with cobweb-esque eye makeup and ‘queen of the night’ black tiara)

So transform your space this Halloween into a haunted house of extravagant proportions. A ball gowned host sat among the golden pumpkins drinking port (oops I mean blood!) from a skull tea pot screams of a spooky soiree gone right! Buying a cheeky Halloween hamper from Harrods is not cheating it is making time for your guests and providing some scrummy treasure chests that totally add to the ambience. So vamp it up, keep your classic freight films in mind and stay clear of obtrusive modern day gore fests… you won’t go far wrong. If your feeling just a little scared, then good, that’s what it’s all about!