Being naturally elegant, and so well dressed that I even take time to choose what I’m going to wear when visiting my local supermarket, the Shallow Man has often been mistaken for being gay. When this occurs, I usually take it as a compliment, due to the reputation gay men have for being pretty stylish. In spite of having lived in Amsterdam for so many years, I’ve never actually been to a gay bar or party. Which in a city full of bars with so many hot Antelope to distract me is quite understandable.

However, in order to provide my loyal followers with an insight into another side of Amsterdam that they may not have experienced, I decided to attend not just any gay party, but one of the most exclusive that this fair city has to offer, the things I do for my readers!

The Shallow Man’s first gay party

Chantalle, a vision in red, and just about any other color actually, was kind enough to invite me to one of Amsterdam’s most exclusive gay parties, FTF. This is a guestlist only event that has been taking place at least once a month since July 2013. As the organiser of the event, she has gone out of her way to ensure that it remains a unique and much sought after party on the Amsterdam social scene.

Chantalle

Chantalle

Chantalle and I share a love of good food, fine wine, beautiful women,  fashion,  and chic soirees. Naturally, she felt that this party would be ideal for me. So with a sense of curiosity and anticipation, I left the Shallow Man bachelor pad and walked the five minutes it takes from home to the event which was held at a secret bar in the Pijp.

What the world needs now

http://youtu.be/Fahg2q9IrAs

As the classic Bacharach and David song says, love, is the one thing that there is just too little of.  It was a cold evening, and as I entered the secret location, the warm and friendly atmosphere washed over me. It was like jumping into a heated pool in the middle of a Siberian forest. The warmth was so great you could almost cut off a slice and eat it. Love was definitely one thing that there was not too little of at the party. The Shallow Man, a natural cynic, couldn’t help but smile, so genuinely friendly were the many attendees of the event.

What the world needs now

What the world needs now

 

Style baby

The Shallow Man sometimes attends expat events where the organisers often state a dress code, which the majority of attendees then ignore. The theme of the evening at the secret location was classy, elegant red,  or a touch of red, and the crowd lived up and even exceeded the mandate set out in the invitation.

It’s always a pleasure to attend a party in Amsterdam where people make an effort to dress up. In order to meet the dress code, I personally wore a three piece black suit with white piping and a red lining. The guests at the party displayed, flair, style and elegance with numerous dashes of red. I adore individuality in dress sense and there was plenty of this on display.

Style baby!

Style baby!

Good music, company and cocktails

Apart from a plethora of style, all the essential ingredients of a good party were present. Good music provided by DJ Eljany. Lovely people, there were more colors and nationalities present than in a detention center for asylum seekers. Finally, the cocktails. Where else but a gay party could the Shallow Man order a Pina Colada without being laughed at? Let me tell you that the cocktail provided, which wasn’t exactly a Pina Colada, but something similar, put together by one of the fabulous cocktail barman was orgasmic! Indeed it caught the eye of several fellow party goers who immediately ordered the same thing. So even at Gay Parties, the Shallow Man is able to set trends.

Final words

Having attended my first gay party, I must say that I feel like the former Roman Soldier (St Paul) who spent his time persecuting christians until God made him see, and the scales fell from his eyes.

Not that I’ve ever spent time persecuting anyone (apart from habitual wearers of denim and brown shoes) but I did have some preconceived ideas about what a gay party would be like and I was wrong. I loved the party, and if Chantalle will allow me, I’ll be going to the next event as well.

For details of future FTF events, contact the lovely Chantalle Laurent on Facebook.

No narrow minded people were hurt during the writing of this post.