When the chance came to mark the second anniversary of this site, it was imperative to do it justice.

The anniversary event was more than just about a digital space, for me it was a celebration of the inspiration I have been blessed to come upon, since the inception of Mariankihogo.com.

It was a sincere honor to have St Martins Lane as headline sponsor. The hotel is a favorite of mine. Her Cocteau-esque like interior and level of service keeps the venue joyful. I think the best things bring us further joy when shared. This the reason why I chose St Martins Lane as host for the 2nd anniversary celebration of this site. The sharing of the joy the venue gives me with guests, brought me further joy.

The anticipated night arrived, laden with glamor. I wore a dreamy scarlet red autumn winter 2011-2012 cocktail gown by Ana Šekularac, a turban embellished with a gold tone brooch, Anita Quansah bespoke necklace, Nicholas Kirkwood for Peter Pilotto spring summer 2011 and a vintage faux fur.

Bespoke virgin fruit cocktails crafted specially for the event were had in St Martins Lane Light Bar. My wonderful and supportive guests from the creative worlds of fashion, music, art, photography etc made the night truly special and were as beautiful as our surroundings.

Guest of honor actress, muse to Vivienne Westwood, model and DJ Tolula Adeyemi’s was resplendent in a breathtaking Ana Šekularac cocktail dress, Christian Louboutin heels and Rachel Galley jewellery. Arriving to a flurry of cameras with the gracious musician Natt Weller. Weller was immaculately dressed in an all black ensemble. His coat was by his father, specifically from Paul Weller’s capsule collection for Oasis front man Liam Gallagher’s Pretty Green clothing line.

After the bespoke cocktails in a private section of the Light Bar we were ushered into the welcoming colonnaded space (which is as conceptual in vision as the menu) that is Asia de Cuba.

The three course dinner saw us dine on the restaurant’s marriage of Asian cuisine and technique infused with the tropical flavours of the Caribbean, to homestyle Cuban cooking using Asian ingredients.

Over the two years that I have written this site I have fallen in love with certain products, brands and services. It was a pleasure to share this with guests in what I affectionately call the glam bag. My mission with the bags was to give guests an experience of the loves of Mariankihogo.com away from Mariankihogo.com. It was generously filled with friends (thank you to each one of you!) of the site; Daisy by Marc Jacobs, Mulberry, Bodhi (generously put together a bespoke two piece gift set; the bath therapy and a moisturizer), Weleda, Mavala of Switzerland, Violent Lips, Biscuiteers (who made a bespoke biscuit as inspired by the Mariankihogo.com logo), Diego Dalla Palma, Orla Kiely, Revlon and Jainnisa etc.

The mouthwatering courses, the impeccable service, atmosphere amongst guests, conversation, the gift bag and guest of honor Tolula’s gracious toast made for an unforgettable dinner and night.

The purpose of this site (I wrote a piece on this for ARISE Magazine ) has always been to provoke thought and stimulate conversation. As I sat back and took in the atmosphere at the Asia de Cuba dinner table it brought great warmth to know the site had achieved that mission.

I would like to extend infinite thanks to the management of St Martins Lane for being headline sponsor of this celebration. I must also thank the staff at the Light Bar and Asia de Cuba for exceptional service.

Explore St Martins Lane , Asia de Cuba and Light Bar.

Labels: Collaboration

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