When it comes to flowers—you know us—expenses are never spared. And with our theme this year (which is Rebellion, if you don't already know), there was just no room for conventional roses or peonies. 

But how do you convey rebellion and beauty through the language of flowers at the Tatler Ball? Unexpected, wilder varieties like Australian wild bush flowers and eucalyptus made the cut, and moss and twinkling lights covered the centre of the dinner tables. It was a little wild, a little lavish and just felt now. 

#SGTATLER35 headpieces

You’ve seen that wonderfully feathered #SGTATLER35 headpiece on social media—or on Georgia Lee, who wore it to the ball. To create an accessory that was worthy of our 35th anniversary, it was critical to find the right milliner and the perfect design, down to the selection the feathers and hue of the hand-crafted creation. Which is why we decided upon renowned milliner Kristine Hakim of Singapore-based Eskpade—the go-to millinery atelier for many of our society stalwarts. Only seven were created, and couriered to a very select group of people.

Our phones buzzed endlessly the week that the invitation cards were sent out. It wasn't just the sheer pleasure of receiving an invite to the Tatler Ball (because money cannot buy you a seat—ever), our Tatler friends were also obsessed with the way our invitation card looked. 

A die-cut dinosaur rip on the inner envelope—concealed within an external gold envelope—revealed a peek of the invitation, which was sealed with a Tatler wax seal.

On the inside, the card was covered with splatters of white and gold against a backdrop of black, as we embraced the beauty of imperfection, a design theme that continued from the invitation card to both our photo walls, and the backdrop of the stage. Did we also mention that the edges of the invitation card had to be gold-glazed by hand, a job that only two artisanal printers in Singapore could achieve? 

Besides our Dressing Room soirees, where guests were introduced to the theme and offered suggestions from the season’s latest picks, selected members on the team were also on an overdrive to help guests find their perfect outfit. Our job was also to check that no two women would wear the same outfit—from their gowns down to their bags.

Instead of serving French wines—which we would have naturally reached out for—we chose two Italian wines that might have seemed unorthodox, at first.

The team tried at least six different wine pairing before we finally decided on our exceptional red: the 2009 Montevetrano di Silvia Imparato Colli di Salerno IGT from Campana, Italy and the exquisite white: Viognier Sensazioni 2016 by Luca Ferraris—a wine that wasn’t just elegant but resonated with the theme.

For the latter, there is a befitting harvest fairytale behind it as well: winemakers Luca and Chiara Ferraris shared that when they planted the Viognier grape in 2006, they were unaware that it was illegal to grow it in Piedmont, Italy. Thankfully, the law was altered subsequently, and this unusual, rebellious white wine—which manages to be both aromatic and mineral—made it through.

The seating arrangement has to be one of the toughest challenges. 

For three weeks leading up to the day of the ball, the seating plan was revised at least once a day. Travel plans change; guests who were unable to attend are suddenly able to (hurrah!) and vice versa. Due to unforeseen circumstances, like a guest falling ill, the seating chart is also amended just hours before the Ball. 

Of course, the Tatler team is clued into nuances in high society: guests are seated with like-minded companions for greater revelry, but ex-couples who have gone through acrimonious divorces or best friends who are now enemies are kept apart. Yes, of course we do know. 

Q: Why does the Tatler Ball end at 2am? A: Dancing. 

The dancefloor heats up once the award ceremony is over, and the music takes over. When it comes to live music, excellent cover bands are—believe it or not— surprisingly hard to find. Especially one that is good enough for the Ball. It's a tall order: we need the exceptional vocals, good dance choreography, and the ability to get the crowd which includes Gen. T listers to Tatler 300 leaders, to bust a move. We managed to find that in the "World’s Most Travelled Band" Liquid Blue, but they were based in San Diego. So, we flew the band down.

As mix of Tatler’s crowd has evolved over the years, so it was important that our music selection has a good mix of both recognisable hits and cool lounge mixes, which involves giving old classics a new spin. DJ Nicole Chen, who spun at the end of the night helped to curate the soundtrack for the first half of the dinner with our music department to ensure that the background tunes set the mood for the rest of the evening to come. 

For the celebration, we had countless shutter-happy opportunities in the form of photo walls and gif machines scattered across the Capella ballroom, foyer and veranda. 

Wonder why the arrival pictures look so stunning? Our splendid guests—naturally— and we also sought the talented lenses of Darren Gabriel Leow, the photographer behind most of Singapore Tatler's covers to capture our guests in the best light. There was another surprise mid-way through the Ball, when unveiled a surprise photo booth in the ballroom: a customised light box to give everyone the cover star treatment.