ALL THAT JAZZ
A decadent evening of music and art saw guests embrace the spirit of the 1920s at the National Gallery
the national gallery hosted a night of pure glamour to toast its approaching bicentennial, which transported the evening’s attendees – all members of the cultural glitterati – back to the Roaring Twenties. Sandy Powell made a dramatic entrance through the red velvet curtains in a trailing Roksanda gown and flats, which she soon swapped for gold platforms after scaling the neoclassical steps, while Alice Eve swept in, resplendent in Monique Lhuillier, before posing for pictures. After selecting from the rows of aperitifs laid out at the bar – Maya Jama opted for a Negroni that matched her sunset-red dress, Nicky Haslam a Martini and Bella Freud a glass of Nyetimber – guests mingled under the fiery gaze of George Stubbs’ Whistlejacket. Rooms had been furnished with tasselled side lamps, vintage chess sets and leather chaises longues, on which Bianca Jagger and Eliza and Amelia Spencer settled down for cosy chats. Felicity Jones, who had just returned from filming The Brutalist in Budapest, admired the masterpieces while looking rather like one herself in her ruffled Erdem gown. ‘If I could have anyone paint my portrait, it would have been John Singer Sargent,’ she told Bazaar, adding that her wedding-dress design was based on one of his paintings. Later, rumours of a surprise musical performance circulated, and Francesca Hayward was in the know. ‘I’m so excited to see Celeste!’ she exclaimed. A hush fell over the crowd as the hotly anticipated singer took to the stage, to conclude the evening with a jazzy rendition of Lou Reed’s ‘Perfect Day’. bt