On a very whimsical decision, my friend and I decided to buy tickets to see the Grand Budapest Hotel via Secret Cinema. Some of you may know about Secret Cinema but if you’re new to this, it’s a cultural experience where large-scale productions are created in order to tie in with the movie they are showing during that time and for their current installation, they showed the Grand Budapest Hotel (click here to find out more). Everything was a bit hush-hush, especially since the slogan for Secret Cinema is to tell no one but closer to your event, they sent us information about where to meet, what to bring and also what to wear.
One of the most challenging task for us was the 1930s dress code where guests were told to ‘Come dressed to impress in your most elegant suit . Shine your shoes, press your pocket square and be sure not to forget your finest silk tie. Pipe, top hats and cane optional!’
However, that didn’t stop me from going through my wardrobe and pulling out my finest wool suits and silk kimonos. Eventually, my friend and I decided that we were going as the Crown Prince of Japan and his private secretary and to complete our look, I even sewed a bow tie and pocket square for my friend at the eleventh hour.
We thoroughly enjoyed the event and suffice to say, our acting was good enough that we didn’t have to resort to our cover story of actually being con men dressed up as a prince and his secretary.
Stephen Yong 