To get ourselves into the mood, we Kir Royaled up at Beluga (call it pre-pre-pre-drinks) to "celebrate the success of a recent merger". We could get into this.
We started at Planet Bar for post-work pre-pre-drinks. The concierge opened the doors for us, the receptionists greeted us. We felt pretty special although there wasn't much happening there. We sipped on cocktails and discussed life plans. I got self-conscious about my weathered phone.
Wouldn't have recognised him
Next was Twankey for pre-drinks. A big name in the industry was seemingly having a meeting there, dressed in giveaway t-shirt and jeans. If he'd worn a shirt and tie, Larissa probably wouldn't have recognised him. Interesting.
HQ, admittedly, is where I felt a little like an imposter but only due to our bumbling through the wine list. We talked out the demographic in Cape Town and people's perceptions of how others live. We also lied to the waiter and told him we were reviewing his restaurant for a magazine. We'd rather not say which magazine, of course: company policy.
Then to Neighbourhood, where there was a comfort in the casualness. We saw friends and met 2010 FIFA World Cup tourists. The shots came out and we swiftly moved from ambassadors to am-badass-ers. We landed up at Dubliner until 4am. Need I really say more?
As a whole, our outfits certainly went quite a way in allowing us a sense of entitlement to the swankier establishments that we were keen to try out. While we felt comfortable in our surroundings, we weren't particularly comfortable readjusting our shirts/lipstick/skirt the whole time.
What was particularly interesting were the conversations that we shared between us. It's not that we usually talk trash but we were certainly discussing more intellectual and in-depth topics than usual. So the clothing and surroundings did permeate our behaviour.
Firstly I believe in the magic of dressing up. We loved the novelty of looking fancy. But for Larissa and I, it really was just a novelty; camouflaging ourselves and infiltrating a different set. If we dressed like that every day, that snazzy feeling would soon lose its lustre and be begrudgingly considered a uniform (shudder).
Secondly, our creative nature demands that we question everything, particularly preconceptions. We're social explorers. Yes, advertising is a business-focused creative industry and we should be mindful of how clients perceive us. But we're also creative people who need to prioritise the nurturing of our creative self-confidence. One of the most obvious ways is by simply looking different to the corporate crowd.
And of course, nothing beats the kick you get from a friend in finance who still can't believe you get to wear shorts and a t-shirt to work.
