The annual Capital Club Ball took place at the Capital Club – unbelievable its now in its 17th year – and I was a founder member! This years theme was “Shanghai Jazz”, and featured a pretty cool live band creating the, er, sounds of the twenties, plus the obligatory in-house casino. A great dinner, some 300 people, and some very fine Pinot Noir Burgundies coupled with a few courses from the White House Chef’s repertoire. The suit I had made a few years ago – actually out of upholstery material I purchased in Sri Lanka, while Meggie hat is even more interesting. Made entirely from dyed feathers, we picked it up in an antique store on Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco. It turns out to be a Jack McConnell vintage ‘red feather’ hat from New York. The red feather, tucked into the label, denotes it was a bespoke item. They now fetch hundreds of dollars at auction, and we’ve no idea when it was last worn. I’m sure it enjoyed it’s moment in the limelight in Beijing – it was certainly the most admired of all the headwear on show!