It was Billy Strayhorn who wrote and Ella Fitzgerald who sang that you must take the A train to get to Harlem wasn't it? I imagine when those lyrics were birthed that there were more jazz lounges and cats donning everyday three-pieces suits than luxury million dollar residences and dudes donning jeans that defy gravity, but I digress. As the collective wand of time waves over the landscape, it's interesting to note how the people that once stepped out in sequin and gaberdine with pride have been regretfully updated by those holding onto an unfortunate shrinking pride of what once was. Times change and such is the course of life. However, it's also interesting to note that in speaking of that famed iconic neighborhood that gave culture Armstrong, Hughes and Holiday, there are some things that never change. Although rezoned and updated, the noteworthy legacies that defined a time and place never get paved over so easily. It's about what we do today that keeps us conscious of what they did then.
Enter Bows, Ties & Revelry and its efforts to create a legacy founded on roots on friendship, community, humanity and pride. The holiday gathering that started out with a small tight-knit group of friends but transformed into an annual event of New York area professionals, notables and those seeking festivity, is now in its 5th year. How fitting that this year on December 9th the collective brings their soirée to Harlem's famed Schomburg Center in a party themed 'Rise Up' that coincides with two powerful exhibitions on Black Power and Power In Print. Now don't let the harmless words like 'themed' and 'soiree' create skepticism. On one hand, Bows, Ties & Revelry is an after hours party during the holiday season that aims to have a focus on celebration, toasting and merriment. On the other hand, BT&R is also a modern function that aims to pay homage to the creativity of their eclectic guests while carrying on in the tradition of what getting dapper and dolled-up in one of the best cities on that planet can be like. With that in mind, rising up and putting your best foot forward, be it bedecked in velvet loafers, Swarovski sling-backs or stingray oxfords is in your best interest just as long as you arrive as the best dolled and dapper you. Consider that what was once penned as their 'Salty Black Tie' aesthetic has now evolved to 'Your Best Holiday Haute' come to life.
What the friends first started out to do was to come together and celebrate the year, give thanks and show appreciation by sharing in each other's company. That has now been extended to all the guests in how BT&R seeks to get locations that showcase the diversity of the city, cultivate guest lists that bridge the worlds of the creative and the executive alike and sheds light on how their thankfulness might inspire you. For the 5th year now, they have supported The Momentum Project and its mission to feed the hungry, marginalized and vulnerable of New York City. So for an evening at a historically-prided venue in a melting-pot neighborhood, isn't it reason enough to don satin & velvet, and silk brocade & bouclé and join in BT&R's seasonal jubilation of music, dancing, food, cocktails and community? It's with that on the brain that I'll refer back to Ella's entrancing bars and further add to that dialog by mentioning the modern pulse of a seasoned neighborhood and the history it's known for creating as all the more reason to take the A to Sugar Hill or more notably, the 2 or 3 to 135th on December 9th. For more information and updates on attending Bows, Ties & Revelry 'Rise Up' visit BTRNYC.com.
www.BTRNYC.com
