Client
The V&A

Venue
The V&A

Brief
We were invited to pitch for the V&A’s annual Summer Soirée, tasked with creating a programme of entertainment that blended the opulent glamour of the current Cartier exhibition with the playful decadence of the upcoming Marie Antoinette showcase, a bold fusion of luxury and legacy.

Outcome
Inside the Dome, guests were welcomed with a drinks reception featuring Cartier’s brand colours – rich tones of blood red, silver, and gold. Jazz vocalist Sarah Goodwin performed a bespoke set from a glittering golden podium, dressed in a dramatic cape gown that shimmered with old-world glamour.

Outside, the aesthetic shifted to the soft pastels of Renaissance Paris, complete with a show-stopping dessert station: a giant cake-shaped bar referencing the iconic “Let them eat cake.”

Our violin duo in full period costume performed a punk rock-inspired set in homage to the Sofia Coppola ‘Marie Antoinette’ film, blending the rebellious with the regal and the contemporary with the classical.

In the garden, the energy continued with our Marie Antoinette Tea Party led by drag superstars Ginger Phlappage and Cara Melle, dressed as life-sized pastel macarons in custom couture and towering wigs turning Versailles excess into high-camp performance art.

Elsewhere, our artist Sonya created stunning digital sketches of guests in gold finery, perfectly capturing the fusion of Cartier elegance and Versailles extravagance.

The Result
A rich, immersive evening where fashion, art, music, and fantasy collided, perfectly in tune with the V&A’s reputation for culture and creativity.