Adele's final party of the season, World Book Day at The Globe

Well after her starring role on the blog last week, Adele Geras is signing off with her final party report of the season. I'm completely impressed with her powers of observation and recall for detail and very grateful to her for paying so much attention on our behalf. Adele, I think you should book a nice relaxing holiday now.

After the delights of the Dove Grey Reader’s armchair, it was a bit of an effort, I can tell you, to get into the glad rags again and head off to  London for yet another party (sigh!)

This one was to celebrate World Book Day so it was a worthy cause and I enjoyed myself there for reasons other than the party. For one thing, there was the pre-party.  I met Jon Appleton ( of Orion Children’s Books)  and Celia Rees for a quick cuppa which was fun. Jon was in a striped shirt and Celia was wearing a t-shirt printed with the word ‘Pirates’…she’d been doing a creative writing session. She had a wonderful lapel-pin of a skull made out of rhinestones. At least I’m assuming they were rhinestones. If they were diamonds, she would be seriously wealthy and too grand to meet me for a cup of tea.   

 Then later, I was mooching in the foyer of the Globe, wondering how to kill the half hour before the party started, when a merry band of children’s book folk came into view and it was good to see them all. We went over to Starbucks where Ann-Janine Murtagh of Orchard bought us all coffees, cakes and so forth and we had a chat. I got a close look at Jeremy Strong’s blue chambray shirt, Ann-Janine’s amazing coat, which, she said, her daughter reckons looks like a dressing-gown. I can only tell you this: it is a specatacular dressing-gown! Both Ann-Janine and Wendy Cooling had beautiful necklaces on. Wendy’s came from  India  and was a pendant studded with what looked like pearls, but may have been something else, and Ann-Janine’s was a long strand of black and silver beads. Vivien French wore a long, green silk scarf around her neck and I do admire people who can do scarves. I start out with the best of intentions but somehow never manage to get it quite right.

This party was not as glitzy as the others I’ve described. I’ve only been to two before this and already I’m a bit spoiled. I was disappointed by the underground space at the Globe. I’m not really a believer in Feng Shui but it’s astonishing how many spaces do indeed feel uncomfortable, or strange or just cavernous and peculiar. This one had a tree (artificial) sprouting up in the middle of the floor and if this was supposed to make us feel we were outside, it didn’t really work. I’d  also  imagined there would be piles of books, balloons, bookmarks etc around for us to look at, and take home, but alas, there was nothing like that anywhere. They’d stuck large posters round the room and that was it. Speeches were made including a very graceful one by Alexander McCall Smith, but I found it a bit …..underwhelming.  

It was, though, great to meet new people and greet old friends. I met Caroline Lawrence, who writes the Roman mysteries for children, and that was a great pleasure. She was wearing dark brown velvet trousers and a patterened chiffon kaftan-type top with embroidery around the neck in a medley of turquoise-y shades. A beautiful cardigan in ice-cream colour stripes and a wide shawl collar made me approach PR guru Corinne Gotch. I asked who the designer was because it was so spectacular and she told me it was Per Una. It was really fabulous and looked wonderful worn with a very modern-looking delicately intricate necklace studded with small gemstones.  

 M&S in general did well at the party. Juliet Ewers of Orion and Quick Read author Maureen Lee were both dressed by them and looked terrific. Juliet had a black and white printed crinkled blouse on and Maureen was in a cotton outfit in autumnal shades with a thread of glitter woven through the fabric. Gail Paten from Orion was in a scarlet t-shirt with big white spots on it. It made the room seem more cheerful. Julia Eccleshare looked good in a black cardigan sprinkled with roses and her daughter Vanessa was spectacular in clinging emerald green jersey. When I met Kirsten Grant of Penguin I was impressed by the fact that she looked good in truly red lipstick (a rare thing!)  and I liked her square-framed glasses, scarlet bugle-bead necklace and especially the huge heart-shaped brooch she was wearing which was the exact same colour as the lipstick. Very impressive and gorgeous. 

Francesca Simon was in a dark dress with a floral print pattern in browns and beiges. Elaine McQuade, who is always elegant, was in understated grey jacket and trousers and I’m afraid that if Kerry Katona was there, I either missed her, or didn’t recognize her. Sorry! The only celeb I saw was John Simpson who is much taller than I expected and very good- looking close up. He left very early, though so I never got to talk to him.

Those teal shoes taught me a lesson. I was in comfortable shoes! Not quite wellies, but a pair of plain black mules which I love. They aren’t all that partyish but I reckoned I could get away with them and I did. As far as I know, no one looked at them all night. I was in black crêpe trousers with a Monsoon top of great antiquity (1994) which I love because of the colours: red, and darker red and bits and bobs of turquoise here and there. Floaty sleeves.Very loose to allow for canapes and Starbucks mocha with whipped cream etc.

That’s it, folks! No more parties for me for the foreseeable future. Best dressed award for the night goes to the National Theatre which was floodlit in…you guessed it!...turquoise and fuchsia!! The effect was mind-blowing. The trip across the river was  the highlight of the day. I haven’t seen the Thames at night since 1967…imagine that!...and even though it was  Waterloo rather than Westminster Bridge , I reckon Wordsworth said it best: “Earth hath not anything to show more fair.” Maybe not literally true, but yes, it was a sight I’ll remember forever.