March 6, 2020 |
A rubber doll, a Cock Destroyer, and Philip Treacy walk into a bar… No this isn’t your idea of gay heaven, but the best sort of way to spend a Thursday evening courtesy of 10 Men and Tom of Finland Foundation. Last night we made our way down to the basement of the London Edition hotel for an after-party of epic proportions. This was all in celebration of Tom of Finland: Love and Liberation, the first public exhibition dedicated to the late pioneering illustrator, which opens at The House of Illustration today, as well as our upcoming Issue 51 of Ten Men! Our fantastic hosts for the evening, co-founder of the Tom of Finland company Durk Dehner, designer and club-kid extraordinaire Daniel Lismore and our Editrix Sophia Neophitou, united the worlds of music, art, fashion and fetish for one unforgettable night where PVC and leather were worn by the masses. Guests sipped on delicious passionfruit cocktails that were, of course, made using Tom of Finland Vodka, and mini-beef burgers courtesy of Berners Tavern were a hit throughout the night.
Inhibitions were firmly left at the door as guests dazzled on the dancefloor in their most eccentric looks. There was Max the Tribrid in a pup muzzle, Dahc Dermur VIII in their signature fierce paint and Spooky Kid in a polka-dotted showstopper. And did we mention Pandemonia was there too? Fashion’s real-life latex-clad Barbie doll brushed shoulders with Made in Chelsea’s Mark Francis Vandelli and Twitter’s favourite pornstar Rebecca More. Speaking of porn stars, the legendary Aiden Shaw made an appearance, followed by a gaggle of OnlyFans’ biggest stars who were turning heads left, right and centre. Some of London’s finest design talent came along for the ride also, including Roland Mouret, Lou Dalton, Daniel Fletcher, Bianca Saunders, Bethany Williams and Robyn Lynch. Soundtracked to the excellent selections of DJ Kat Hudson, it was non-stop dancing until the lights came on with guests spilling out onto the street and onto their next party destinations. It was the perfect way to celebrate the king of gay erotica, all thanks to the incredible Richard Villani. Can we do it all again next week?
Photographs by Dave Benett. ‘Tom of Finland: Love and Liberation’ is open at The House of Illustration until June 21st.
