 Looking up at the brick architecture of Putney Bridge, I made my way to a destination only London's most decadent view; the Hurlingham Club. Why? Thanks to my editor over at Male-Extravaganza, to attend a rather prestige event that I was told about only the day before (it doesn't get any better than rushing around your house in the early hours of the morning for a 2 hour train ride on a line that trundles to the verdant side of West London). Was it worth it? Without a doubt, the answer would be yes. Immediately upon entering the white halls of the dining hall, decorated with distinctive leafy green and poppy pink floral arrangements, I knew that this was not any ordinary event. Waiters drafted in, whooshing around in all corners of the room, nervously serving food worth more than my life to the city's hoi pollioi. Served champagne, whose bubbles rose higher than my aspirations, I was accompanied by Emily Smythe (of Stella Artios) and esteemed fashion blogger Jai'me Jan. Emily's cherry and flowery personality coupled with Jai'me's eclectic interests made the event worthwhile. We talked about everything from blogging, university to even relationships as we convened around the whiter than Joey Essex's teeth furniture. Bringing an element of style to the event was My-Wardrobe's brief lingerie fashion show, showing off their latest SS14 pieces; its worth checking out! Each guest was given a goodie bad, courtesy of Sugarpova, which alongside delicious gummy candy, came with Benefit 'Beyond Mascara' and a Benefit nail filer. Commencing at 2pm was the culmination of the decadent festivities; the tennis. Summertime debauchery was the theme of the afternoon, sitting alongside some of the country's finest, watching former tennis champions alongside current lodestars was awe-striking. I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to tennis, but there were many recognisable faces. The first match saw ATP players Jo-Wilfred Tsonga battle it out against Kei Nishikori. The harrowing suspense of the game between Japan's rising star and Frances own was surpassed by a comical match between Mansour Bahrami and Mikael Pernfors versus Peter McNamara and Goran Ivanisevic. Bahrami was hilarious! His trick shots and on-court entertainment made the match, and it was especially amazing how he had no professional training, and taught himself to play with just a mop! all the players were quite the comedians. The crowds were chuckling along, after wooing Tsonga who, after winning, took his shirt off... no one complained. Finally, the iconic Tim Hennman fought against the equally epochal Mark Philippoussis. The emblematic match was full of adrenaline, I rooted for Philippoussi but ultimately, Henman proved victorious! Both had previously won the Austrlain Open 4R, and watching these players and the aforementioned ones was an exhilarating experience. As cliched as it may sound, my rather unexpected trip to the Tennis Classic was one to be remembered. It was full to the brim with gaiety and I met some wonderful people. And the tennis, well, it was amazing! Thanks to Stella Artois, the official beer supplier for both the BNP Paribas Tennis Classic at Hurlingham and Wimbledon,, I was able to attend an event and witness tennis pioneers play in the beautifully verdant grounds of Hurlingham.
Though, we can all agree that Tsonga stripping was the best part... Some sports style inspiration: |