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All set for Absolut Style

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By Angela Scanlon
Monday Mar 29 2010

Absolut Style is three days of vintage fashion, furniture and films, along with makeovers, style talks, live photoshoots and performances. It will be held in the opulent surroundings of the new ‘SET’ theatre in Kilkenny, this Easter Bank Holiday. I caught up with organiser Blanaid Hennessy to see what it’s all about...

What is Absolut Style at Set all about and how did it come about?

Langton House Hotel in Kilkenny recently opened the David Collins-designed SET theatre. The style of SET is quite opulent and otherworldly, so we came up with the idea of creating an entire other world in which to escape to for the weekend. Absolut Style at Set will be full of vintage fashion, furniture, films, style talks, makeovers, full-on nights out, fantastic food, and of course, a few Absolut cocktails. It’s not your average space, so it won’t be your average weekend!

Describe Absolut Style at Set in 5 words?

Stylish, relaxing days, demented nights.

How much are tickets and what do they include?

Tickets are €8 per day, and €5 entry into the nightclub on the Saturday and Sunday nights.

On Friday, €8 pays for five fashion-inspired films, starting with Breakfast at Tiffany’s at 2pm, and finishing with Sex And The City at 10pm. There will also be treats and popcorn goody bags.

On Saturday €8 pays for entrance to our vintage shopping centre, a complimentary goody bag, and the opportunity to attend our free style and interior master classes by speakers such as ‘I Blog Fashion’s’ Annmarie O’Connor, TV3’s Laura Cunningham and international interior designer Simon Rawlings.

You can also avail of our special €10 fashion fix hairstyles, courtesy of renowned hair stylist Kieran O’Gorman, and €10 fashion fix makeovers by GOSH cosmetics. Shutterbug Studios can also photograph you with your friend, post-makeover. There’s complimentary wine tasting in John Street Wine & Tea Rooms, and you can also redeem a West Coast Cooler with your wristband on both days!

On Saturday night €5 pays for entrance into The Mad Hatters’ Tea Party at 8pm – with free alcoholic cupcakes and special offer teapots of cocktails. Then DJs the Stylebitches and Conor Behan take over for the Stylebitches Night Out, with neon face paint, spot prizes and much more!

On Sunday €8 pays for entrance to our vintage shopping centre, a complimentary goody bag, live music, fashion films, €10 hair and makeup fashion fixes, cocktail demonstrations with free samples, spot prizes, fashion photo shoots and more!

On Sunday night €5 pays for entrance to our glamorous Casino night at 8pm, with special cocktail menu, spot prizes, and retro club night, Soul Kitchen.

Who should be going?

Anyone who’s loves (deep breath) …vintage fashion and furniture, eating great food, €10 hairstyles, €10 makeovers, having professional photos taken with friends, learning about style and interiors, getting all dressed up, dancing the night away…so, basically, to anyone who just wants to escape for the weekend – this is the place to come!

What movies are you showing?

Film Friday takes place on Good Friday, a day that can usually leave the ‘socially inclined’ high and dry. We have concocted a little solution with Film Friday – round up a group of friends and head to SET, relax in plush seats, stuff your faces and watch some movies.

Here’s the running order, oh and you can pop in and out as you please!

2pm – Breakfast at Tiffany’s

4pm – Valentino - The Last Emperor

6pm – The September Issue

8pm – HBO’s Grey Gardens

10pm - Sex and the City: The Movie

We will also take full advantage of SET’s cinema screen by showing movies on Saturday morning and all day on Sunday, everything from Gone With The Wind to The Way We Were.

Is there anything for the boys?

The more ‘metro’ male can, of course, get their hair done, have a facial, buy some design books and furniture and more. However, we know that most men won’t want to shop all day, so we also have a dedicated Men’s Den in situ, with whiskey tasting, live sport and finger food!

In a dream world, what celebrity would rock up to chill out for the weekend?

Brigitte Bardot, Daphne Guinness or Chloe Sevigny, all embody the perfect mix of dementedness and fashion.

- Angela Scanlon