How seriously do you take your birthday celebrations? Unless you organised an outrageously fancy ball straight out of an 18th century fresco in a palazzo to celebrate your 40th, then the answer is simply not enough. Saturday saw a congregation of fancily dressed people rock up to Naxxar’s Palazzo Parisio in horse-drawn carriages for a birthday bash with a difference… and everything from the food and the entertainment just screamed Marie-Antoinette-chilling-in-Versailles-at-the-weekend.
Everyone took the dress code to its absolute limit, showing up in massive ball gowns and frilly suits straight out of the 18th century.
Inside the luxurious palazzo, a massive banquet awaited the guests.
Taking decadence to its glorious limit, the tables were as outlandish as they get, groaning under the weight of all the food, with everything from grapes and pomegranates to macarons and delectable desserts. The glass and silverware was specially rented for the event from Italy, with the flower arrangements by Floreal including an abundance of fruit and Scottish thistle.
Meanwhile, the entertainment was straight out of the 1700s.
A ballet performance by Ben Spiteri and Andrea Riolo followed drinks in the garden, while guests were led to their tables by Wallace Pipe and Drums’ bagpipes. Italian magic was provided courtesy of Maxim the Illusionist, along with live statues by Gravity Live and a performance by Manchester-based quartet String Infusion. As if that wasn’t enough, guests had their fortunes told in the study… and by the end, the string quartet got the crowd to their feet by playing pop songs alongside DJ Federico Peltretti.
The lavish party’s dress code – and literally everything else – was inspired by the epic Netflix series Outlander
Set in 1940s England, Outlander sees the protagonist Claire Randall being mysteriously transported to 1743 Scotland. Forced to marry highlander James Fraser and torn between the new world and her home – and husband Frank – she finds herself in a hopeless love story that’s already given audiences four very solid seasons. Back in Naxxar, the birthday party saw the guests become the high society in Prince Charles Stuart’s Paris grand balls. Even the staff brought their own fashionable take to the night, wearing costumes by Il Costume in Rome. Providing a healthy amount of refreshments, the bar was even set up to look like an apothecary from the TV show, complete with potion-shots and cocktails made just for the night.
Of course, Malta’s most Renaissance fashion designer was there, serving the night with fire fits on himself and others.
Using only the most luscious fabrics from Camilleri Paris Mode, Luke Azzopardi created some of the guests’ shirts and outfits… because why not have one of the island’s premier designers while you’re at it?
Everyone looked their absolute best, and the whole night quickly made for ultimate #BirthdayPartyGoals worthy of its royal hosts.
The outlandish ball celebrated the 40th birthday of Justine Pergola, daughter of the Baroness of Tabria Christiane Ramsay Scicluna. The Scicluna family’s roots are as regal as they get, with Cisk founder Marquis Giuseppe Scicluna acquiring the glorious Naxxar palazzo in 1898. So it was only apt that, 122 years later, one of the line’s youngest descendants celebrated in style and looked back on her family’s rich history.
“I couldn’t have done it without the fabulous team at Palazzo Parisio and this truly was a showcase of what we can do,” Justine said of the night. “An event of this magnitude brings to light just how important teamwork is. Every detail was taken care of and we truly felt like we were part of the show. All that was missing was Jamie riding to the rescue… maybe next time!”
Article by: David Grech Urpani for - www.lovinmalta.com - @lovinmalta
