Dress up for vintage dance

Long before Mad Menmade tailoring and hourglass figures chic again, Dublin had a thriving vintage scene. To many, it's a niche Venn diagram, with overlapping interests from Vespas to rockabilly, but it has always been united by music and fashion.

One of the most recent additions to the retro roster is the Vintage Dress Dance at the Workmans Club at 10 Wellington Quay. Held midweek, it aims to capture the mood of old-time dance halls. Karen O'Neill was inspired to set up the vintage dress dance by a friend who is a community development worker. "She decided to put on a dress dance for the older generation in her area to allow them to re-visit their dancehall days. It was so successful that I decided to throw an updated version that would appeal to everyone. We recently had a man from the US navy show up in his uniform, so it shows that everyone, of all ages, enjoys a vintage night.

One of the DJs is Domino Whisker (daughter of artist Charlie and fashion-designer mum Mairéad), who was initially more interested in the vintage aesthetic and fashion. She cites everyone from Dita Von Teese to 2005 film The Notorious Bettie Pageas encouraging her interest in the vintage look. She usually kicks off with some boogie woogie and doo wop from the Dominoes or the Andrew Sisters. At the next event, Dublin beat band The Pacifics will play live with cocktails on offer at the bar.

Attendees are encouraged to dress up – and they do. "I didn't think people would, but everyone did," says Whisker. "I'm really into big hair, so I try to have the biggest quiff whenever I go."

The Vintage Dress Dance (featuring The Pacifics) is at the Workmans Club on Tuesday, May 24th from 8pm. SINÉAD GLEESON