Chic-Londres is beyond excitement at the prospect of going to see 2012 Golden Globes best actor winner Idris Elba DJing at Kilburn’s Love & Liquor. And anyone who’s seen cult TV series The Wire -in which the plays Baltimore’s drug baron “Stringer” Bell- will understand why. And while we would be happy to endure one more “actor-turned-DJ”‘s bad set just for the sheer pleasure of partying with him, it appears that Elba -who recently starred in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and has been tipped as the next James Bond- is actually a seasoned DJ, who started at the desks aged 14 and has since collaborated with the like of Jay-Z and Mumford & Sons. In short: his latest project 7 Wallace, a series of seven nights starting on 25 December when he is spinning at Love & Liquor every Friday until 15th March, is not to be missed…

However popular his next roles might be -from the forthcoming Nelson Mandela to James Bond, for which he’s hotly tipped- Idris Elba (40) will forever be remembered by his legions of fans as Russell “Stringer” Bell, The Wire’s most charismatic character. For those unfortunate who still haven’t seen the cult American series, he plays a Baltimore’s drug baron turned business student, and one of the most compulsively attractive and multi-layered character ever created for the screen. This role has made him hot property, both in England and in Hollywood, where he’s won a Golden Globe Best Actor award in 2012 for his portrayal as a tortured detective in the award-winning BBC series Luther and has been voted one of the “100 most beautiful people in the world” by People Magazine. read more

At Chic-Londres, we love a good masquerade party, especially when it comes with some eerie Victorian psychic reading and festive tunes. So the prospect of a costumed ball organised in the majestic setting of Kensington Palace’s Orangery can only appeal. Once home of the most lavish court entertainment, the 18th century building will be transformed for one night only into an icy winter wonderland, with some fun acts provided by magicians, dancers and a 13-piece brass band. read more

It isn’t as gloomy as it sounds. Really… The Day of the Dead festival -the Mexican equivalent to Halloween- is actually a colourful, vibrant celebration of lost, loved ones -whose spirits come to visit to enjoy food and music- rather than some ghoulish festival. So for those who are getting a bit over pumpkins, that’s a very attractive alternative, especially when it comes with tasy food and cocktails, some interesting arts and nightly concerts from the brilliant Rodrigo y Gabriela (who also performed for the Obamas at the White House, no less). The acoustic guitarists will bring their own instrumental blend of metal, jazz and world music to the four-day festival.

Chic-Londres saw Rodrigo y Gabriela, the rising stars of acoustic guitar, when they were headlining the wonderful Wilderness festival last August. And they are absolutely brilliant (and so does think Barack Obama, who got them to play at the White House)… So going to the four-day festival of music, food, art and film hosted by Mexican restaurants Wahaca, headed by TV celebrity chef Thomasina Miers, at The Old Vic Tunnels would be justified if only to listen to their uniqueinstrumental fusion style, blending metal, electronica and jazz. But there is more to be enjoyed, with the Old Vic Tunnels being  transformed into a little piece of Mexico, with Wahaca’s temporary street kitchen and mezcalaria bar, an exhibition of work by highly acclaimed Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide, work by the eminent Mexican artist Dr Lakra, screening of Mexican classic Santa Sangre with performance of a new live score by the Cabinet of Living Cinema and late night revelry with Communion DJs. In addition to the night time shows, Saturday 3 November, families will be able to attend an array of traditional Day of the Dead children’s workshops on Saturday 3 November, with morning and afternoon sessions including storytelling and sugar skulls paintings. read more

Nothing like a good party to beat the back to school/back to work/end of Olympics September blues… So no matter if the suntan is fading and the days are getting shorter, there is always something to celebrate. Here is a small selection of outings that Chic-Londres recommends…

Retrospective, the Vintage Fashion Show and Party on Saturday 15th I do have a very soft spot for the Bourne & Hollingworth parties (Blitz, Prohibition, Belle Epoque, Chap Olympiad and Wyndstock) -the frocks, the bands, the sets, the cocktails…- which never disappoint. So I’m really looking forward to Retrospective, their new offering, organised in collaboration with some of the best vintage experts in London. There will be a fashion show with beautiful one-off pieces from the world’s finest design houses (Givenchy, Ossie Clark, Chanel, Dior and the like), as well as floorshows capturing the key moments in fashion history, with live re-enactments by performers of some iconic fashion events, from flapper flash mobs to Studio 54 dancers on horseback, plous DJs and cocktails. As usual, guests are expected to dress up and don their finest vintage attire, be it their granny’s Vionnet debutante dress or that funny little psychedelic number found on Portobello. www.fashionretrospective.com read more

For those wishing to enjoy the Olympics’ atmosphere while indulging in a bit of private members clubs’ luxury, the Fringe and Fish Island Riviera should prove just perfect. Both situated at 100 metres from the Olympic stadium -so great for a prime view of the ceremonies’ fireworks on 27th July and 12th August- those pop up members’ clubs bring the glam factor to Stratford, with their plush cocktails bars, gourmet restaurants, top design, DJ parties, yachts marinas… and even a beach. The East End has never been so chic!

The Fringe 2012: Luxury Warehouse and Top DJS Located in a beautiful Victorian four storey building by the river at Swan Wharf, it overlooks the main Olympic Stadium and is just a 100 metres walk from the Olympic Park. Totally refurbished to top standards, those former stables boast an eclectic mix of high-end, vintage and bespoke furniture, fittings and lighting, with crystal chandeliers by Baccarat, contemporary furniture by Vitra and art exhibitions by Tim Flach and Charlotte Cory. The venue will serve as an all day and all night retreat from 9am offering food, cocktails and coffee lounges with LCD screens broadcasting Olympic events, while access to a 800 square metres courtyard will allow guests to watch the Games in a giant screen, with the spectators’ cheers in the stadium as a background sound. For party animals, there will be live DJ sets in the evenings until 2am, with the Dixon Brothers, Dom Chung, Norman Jay and Jazzie B & the SoulIISoul Sound System. Bring on the party! www.thefringe2012.com (tickets from £35 for the evening and £75 for the day with one meal and three drinks) read more

With dozens of concerts over three days and four stages and a line up that includes big names like Rihanna, Jessie J, Drake, Rizzle Kicks, Rita Ora, Calvin Harris, Pitbull, etc., the Barclaycard Wireless Festival in Hyde Park remains the best music festival in London. For those who want to go but wouldn’t mind to escape the crowd of tenths of thousands but a more intimate experience, here is a good tip: HP is holding a series of exclusive live, with acoustic performances by the likes of Ms Dynamite, Labrinth, StooShe and Chiddy Bang to an audience of just 80 lucky fans. Cool or what?

What to expect ? There will be a series of intimate gigs taking place across the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, performed by big names like Miss Dynamite or Labrinth as well as talented up-and-comers StooShe or Josh Osho, for an audience of only 80 people. Wannabe popstars will also be able to test their skills thanks to a video karaoke booth with a festival backdrop and karaoke versions of some of the headliner’s top tunes. Fun!

How to get tickets ? The HP Live Series acoustic gigs are open to those fans already attending Barclaycard Wireless Festival 2012. Attendance to any of the special performances is managed on a guest-list basis – fans can pre-register for a place on the list by emailing the name of the artist whose session they would like to attend to [email protected] or registering on site with the HP promotional staff read more

For those who want to unleash their inner child -and still have a penchant for a bit of candy floss or naughty mischief- the fun-filled Old Vic Tunnels holiday camp should prove just perfect. Back for the second time, after a sell-out success last Easter, this rather quirky event -part of the Veuve Clicquot Season- will mix some (kind-of) sporty camp activities with some more mischievous ones- such as an adult Punch & Judy show and a school disco with no 9pm curfew. Bring it on.

Ah! To be a kid again, playing silly games, having a first crush, stuffing ourselves with candy floss and ice cream, but with no parent or carer to tell us what to do, no early bedtime curfew and a few jugs of Pimm’s thrown in… That sounds rather good, doesn’t it?

If you find such a prospect tempting,  the cavernous -but oh so versatile- tunnels under Waterloo station will get transformed from tonight until Sunday into a holiday camp, with indoor crazy golf, badminton and basketball courts, a ping-pong table, a bouncy castle, trampolines and some wet sponge throwing- amongst other activities. read more

The supremely elegant Hurlingham Club -a favourite of the Royals and Ladies Who Lunch- is more used to host chic garden parties than flamenco and electro nights… until this Friday, when its grounds will be turned into a hedonistic party place. To launch the Season, and coinciding with the MINT Polo in the Park tournament this weekend, Veuve Clicquot is organizing a summer party which should rock the club’s manicured lawns.

What It will be a proper party, with a live performance by very cool guitarist Jackson Scott and his gipsy-influenced band Mano de Dios, followed by sets from (much in demand) DJ Hugo Heathcote, Isaac Ferry and Sunday Girl- so expect plenty of dancing, from flamenco to electro to pop. There will be chill out areas in the gardens and of course lots of champagne. Oh… and it will double up as the polo players’ party for MINT Polo in the Park so it will be eye candy galore for the ladies.

Who With an organising committee that reads like the pages of Tatler, the party should definitely attract a well connected crowd. Think dashing young aristos -Quintessentially’s founder Ben Elliot, triple-barrelled millionaire Jacobi Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, Prince William’s ex Rose Farquhar-, shoe designer Beatrix Ong and up-and-coming actress Olivia Grant, socialites Donna Air and Clare Milford-Haven… and plenty of “sons and daughters of ” such as Tyrone Wood,  Lydia Forte and Isaac Ferry. read more

The Blitz party -one of Chic-Londres’ favourite soiree- is back! So time again for ladies to don their red lipstick and draw on those stockings, and for gentlemen to dust off their medals and pin up their bunting. Almost coinciding with the 68th anniversary of D-Day, the fun-filled retro party returns to London on Saturday 9th June at the Old Vic Tunnels, transformed into an air raid shelter for the occasion. What best way to remember and honour Britain’s finest than with 1940s cocktails, music, dancing and a good dose of neighbourly spirit?

Fun-loving party girls who like a handsome man in uniform can rejoice: the fantastic Blitz party is back, this time at the Old Vic Tunnels (CL’s new favourite venue). As in its former Shoreditch home at the Village Underground, the tunnels will be transformed into a wartime East End air shelter, complete with sandbags, searchlights, blackout curtains, oil lamps and military bunk beds. Ration books will replace bar menus and scarce provisions will line the walls, while the dedicated Spitfire Bar will quench the thirst of soldiers with hearty British ale and champagne. Spread over five rooms, the two live stages will host live swing bands, performers and DJs. Union Jack waving and neighbourly spirit are the order of the evening, with original newsreel and wartime films projected to add to the atmosphere. Bunker opens at 8pm, floorshows & entertainment from 9pm, blackout till late- Dress Code: 1940s glam, home front utility clothing and allied uniform all welcome- Tickets £20 read more

She may be best known as Mrs Mark Ronson (or for those saucy Agent Provocateur ads), but Joséphine de la Baume is also a talented musician in her own right. The gorgeous French model and actress, who forms half of pop band Singtank with her younger brother Alexandre, will play an exclusive acoustic set at the Sanderson on 30th May, launching the third season of Sanderson Sessions.

Sanderson Sessions (previously Sanderson Predicts) -which played host last year to Violet, The Shoestrung, Glasser and Yasmin and was attended by Bob Geldof, Nick Grimshaw, Ellie Goulding, Edie Campbell,  Jamie Winstone, Alfie Allen, Patrick Wolf, The xx, Solange Knowles, Tim Noble and Sue Webster- is back for a third consecutive summer. As in the previous years, the program will showcase some of the most innovative new bands, who will take over the hotel’s courtyard for a series of evening concerts. read more

What do ex-president Bill Clinton, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, street artist Banksy, ex-servicemen and theatre performers Combat Veteran Players and The Big Issue have in common? All have participated to events organised at the Old Vic Tunnels, arguably the most exciting artistic venue in London. With its quirky masked balls, original theatre performances, edgy art exhibitions, “Secret Cinema” nights and glamorous fund raising parties, this series of cavernous Victorian tunnels, acquired by the Old Vic Theatre in 2010, offers to this previously neglected South London corner a suitably gothic-y venue to an eclectic mix of events. Here, its creative director Hamish Jenkinson, who cut his teeth working with Madonna, Guy Ritchie and Kevin Spacey before taking over the Tunnels (as well as becoming UK chairman for charity Free the Children), talks to Chic-Londres about his ever expanding and inventive art venue.

How did you discover this place?  I was invited by Banksy in 2008 to a street art festival called the Cans Festival in Leake Street, underneath Waterloo station. Because Banksy is so secretive, it was all folded up so no one could see what was happening inside the tunnel, which back then remained closed 99% of the time. I started exploring and saw a side door on the tunnel wall, which I kicked open. That’s when I discovered those Victorian vaults, built in the 1850s to prevent Waterloo train station from sinking into the marshes. I learnt later that they had been used as a raid shelter during the Blitz and squatted by tramps in the 70s, until they were finally boarded up and forgotten. read more

While some might escape to warmer -or snowier- climates to end 2011, a lot of Londoners will be staying in the city to celebrate the arrival of 2012. As usual, London won’t be short of parties on the 31st. Here are a few suggestions for those still undecided.

Masked Ball at Paradise Following the success of its New Years Eve parties over the past few years, Kensal Green’s most theatrical pub will once again open up to host an elaborate masquerade extravangaza. DJs s will be playing over the venue’s two floors from 8pm to 4 am, while ticketholders arriving before 9.30pm will receive a complementary cocktail. And don’t forget: No mask, no entry! £25 www.theparadise.co.uk

Henry Conway at Sanderson The flamboyant party organiser, who has made his mark at clubs like Mahiki and Bungalow 8, is bringing his own brand of extravagance to the Sanderson on the 31st. Guests at his “evening of weird, wild and wonderful” will be treated to unusual delights like shows of stilt walkers and fire dancers, with music provided by a live band and DJs. £75-220www.sandersonlondon.com read more

Parisian pop duo The Two might be a relative newcomer, but the band mates’ names are already well known… Not surprising given that Ara is the daughter of prolific designer Phillippe Starck, and David the son of French composer Jean-Michel Jarre and English actress Charlotte Rampling. The duo, which has been praised by cult French music magazine Les Inrocks and debuted in Parisian legendary theatre l’Olympia, will perform in London on the 15th and 16th September at Momo Restaurant.

While it would be easy to dismiss them as celebrity brats trying to milk their genitors’ fame, there is definitely more to the Parisian band formed by David Jarre and Ara Starck than their well known surnames. Instead, The Two prove that talent can definitely be hereditary.

Unassuming and obsessively creative, painter Ara and magician David formed their duo seven years ago when they met in Paris. They have since created a rather inspired folksy music, sung in English, using the magic of uncluttered melody and vocal harmony; not surprisingly, David is also a multi-instrumentalist. read more

Secretly dreaming of unleashing your inner French Cancan dancer, WWII hero or gangster surrounded by Roaring Twenties showgirls? If so, London seems to have become the perfect place for that, with fabulous vintage parties in creasingly popular amongst revellers who have become tired of classic clubbing. With themes such as Belle Epoque, Blitz and Prohibition, they combine extreme attention to historical details to impressive inventiveness, to befound in the choice of entertainment, decor and costumes. Each party is infused with its very own atmosphere, with music and cocktails themed around each era. In brief, dressing up has rarely been so much fun.

Belle Epoque: Depraved Hedonism The sexiest of the lot, the Belle Epoque party celebrates Parisian decadence in the 1900s. The decor resembles a lavish music hall, with golden balustrades and crimson velvet curtains, while acrobats and French Cancan dancers provide the entertainment. Ladies are encouraged to release their inner courtesans by wearing corsets, suspenders, petticoats and chokers, while the gents can go for pleasure seeking aristocrats in top hats and tails or depraved artists. Detail we love: the absinthe cocktails flowing from liquor fountains.www.belleepoqueparty.com read more

London males, rejoice! The legendary Parisian cabaret, whose admirers over the years have included Elvis Presley, Liz Taylor, JFK, Salvador Dali, Madonna, Pedro Almodovar and Beyonce, has just arrived in London. For one month, the most sophisticated and avant-garde burlesque act in the world presents a series of racy shows at the fashionable Supperclub in Notting Hill. Chic-Londres was at the opening on Tuesday 24 May, for an evening of naughty and utterly fabulous fun.

One might think that attending guests such as Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, hairdressing legend Vidal Sassoon, “Sex on Fire” American band Kings of Leon and writer Zadie Smith -plus countless beautiful models- would be enough to distract roaming eyes from the show, right? Well, wrong actually, because who wants to peer at good old Ronnie (or even a topmodel) when the entertainment in question is provided by the infamous Crazy Horse girlies, an integral part of the French heritage whose show has seduced over ten millions spectators since its inception in 1951? read more

A balmy night, a gourmet picnic, a great movie and some of the most stunning outdoors views in London… That does sound like the perfect summer alfresco outing and -providing the weather remains accommodating- it will be, thanks to a program of pop up cinema screenings under the stars that will take place in iconic locations including Kensington Gardens, Regent’s Park, Greenwich Royal Observatory Gardens and the Brompton Cemetery.

Founded by Sally Wilton, the owner of the Lexi -a boutique cinema that has become a social hub for the Kensal Rise/Queen’s Park creative community- and George Wood, The Screen on the Green managing director, the Nomad hosts a summer season of “cinematic journeys” through London’s greatest parks and green spaces, in venues including Kensington Gardens, Regent’s Park, Holland Park, Hyde Park, Richmond Park, Bushy Park, Greenwich Royal Observatory Park and the Brompton Cemetery.

Each venue has been given its own sub-theme, with a selection of films that connect and embrace each setting. In Greenwich Park, for example, the big screen will be set up next to the Royal Observatory, with the theme of time and space synonymous to the venue being reflected in the programming, with cult movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. There will be something for everyone, from cult classics to mainstream guilty pleasures, with Chic-Londres favourites including Casablanca in Dulwich Park (28th May), Fargo in Kensington Gardens (17th July), The Birds at Bushy Park (28 juillet), Some Like It Hot in Holland Park (18th August) and Pan’s Labyrinth in Brompton Cemetery (8th of September). read more

Forget about austerity, recession or budget cuts… For those who can afford to pay £1,200+ for an entrance ticket, next September will -supposedly- see the biggest party ever, organized simultaneously within 24 hours in 80 of the most luxurious venues around the world, including the Orient Express, super yachts and private members clubs. Does it sound a bit ostentatious in those difficult economic times? Yes, but at least this display of hedonistic fun, if not in perfect taste, is at least for a good cause: raising sixty million pounds for charities.

“Inspired by Phileas Fogg” (says the invite), the Global Party is the brainchild of entrepreneur David Johnstone and hedge fund tycoon and philanthropist Lord Stanley Fink, also former Tory treasurer philanthropist and chairman of ARK, the charity which broke a record in 2006 by raising £28m in one single evening. Both men presented their project to the London press at a lavish pre-launch party held at jet set favourite the Marbella Club and private villa La Zagaleta in Marbella on March 17th. read more

Fancy watching a polo match -or just ogling the cute players- while sampling some great Argentinean steak? Gaucho, the luxury Argentine restaurants group, brings international polo to London’s O2 Arena for the first time on 24th February: a fun day out for polo fans and families.

If there is one thing that the Argentineans are really passionate about -apart from football, tango, wines, meat and possibly the Falklands- it has to be polo, which attracts to their country the best players in the world. Now there is a chance for novices to discover it and for existing fans to watch some of the best players in the world, not only in an affordable way and outside the traditional summer season, through this arena polo one-day tournament, but also in a more spectator friendly way. read more