Stylish Events (other than #NYFW)

One thing the Americans do with style is the fundraiser event. Having peeled myself away from prep for the forthcoming MB New York Fashion Week - its the weekend and time to focus on the small people who have been scurrying around the house all week. 

Number one son is representing his school in the Viva Pop Soap Box Derby - Sunday 13th September : Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich CT (from 8am for the brave of you out there...).

Apart from the ridiculously organised lead up to the race, which should have given me a hint - car tuning clinics, photo shoots, practice runs etc - it has suddenly struck me that this event is a far more stylish affair than I had given it credit.

Back in my day and on the other side of the pond - a soap box derby was tagged on to a village spring fair week that I vaguely remember was all about building a go-kart with your dad. Halcyon days with strawberry fayres (that generally turned into fruit throwing carnage), donkey derby's (yes there were real donkeys with real kids racing on them landing in real poop when they were thrown off), and embarrassing plays with your mother wearing union jack socks (or maybe that was just my mum). Those heady times when kids were allowed to play out on the street unaccompanied for long sunny days and only have to report back to mum by tea time. 

We were all wearing platform shoes, huge waist banded flares and ridiculous prints as we channelled our inner Donny Osmond. Our parents had the luxury of far less media hype and intrusion to influence their methods and were laid back enough to realise that part of growing up was letting us run free .... note to self...do not revisit wedges, high waistbands or extreme flares this season if seen on catwalk.

So this morning instead of being in some dads garage drilling bits of plywood together, we were treated to a fabulous catered preview of things to come in the luxury of the local Ferrari showroom : Miller Motorcars. Jostling between the odd Aston Martin and Maserati my 'tween' suddenly became interested in the idea that this might actually be fun. With training dates set, race day and a cocktail party to come it certainly is a stylish intro into how to run an event... now all we need to do is come 1st!