Unflappable! Make-up and hair students to glam up Great Gatsby extravaganza

Make-up and hair students from UCB have been selected to bring the glitz and glamour of the Roaring Twenties to a Great Gatsby ‘pop-up party’ at Birmingham’s O2 Institute.

A talented team of 12 students is geared up to transform a troupe of actors, dancers and singers performing at Order of the Gentleman’s Party Like Gatsby on Saturday, May 27.

The event, which has become an international phenomenon after starting in Munich as a homage to F Scott Fitzgerald's novel, is the chance for partygoers to dress up and travel back in time, with entertainment from aerial artists, acrobats, dancers, a live band and DJ.

Ultimately, for one night, the institute, which holds 2,900, will become a secret speakeasy-style space, complete with high octane performances and chic cocktails until 4am.

Anna McBartlett, HE Employability Tutor for UCB’s Specialist Hair and Media Make-up department, said: “After World War One, women’s style loosened up and they were heavily influenced by the fabulous fashion of the flapper girls such as Clara Bow. 

“Actress Greta Garbo, another icon of that time, was, without a doubt, one of the decade’s most alluring film stars, some would say she was the epitome of old Hollywood glamour. The look was rouge, dark smoky eyes, pencil thin brows, marcel waves and, to finish the look, feathers, headbands and pearls.

“We were thrilled to be approached by organisers of Party Like Gatsby and asked to do the performers’ make-up and hair, our students being given free reign to take inspiration from the traditional look and make it their own. They can get creative and experiment with more whacky, avant garde ideas or go for the more traditional. Either way, it’s a theatrical event and everything will need to be over the top. We can’t wait to get started.”

To help the event’s partygoers perfect the Twenties look, UCB has also produced an invaluable tutorial video for Order of the Gentleman events’ website and social media.

Since its launch, Party Like Gatsby has visited the likes of London, Paris and Singapore. 

The event, launched on the back of the 2013 film The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio, has been known to attract more than 1,000 partygoers.

Tickets for the O2 Institute gig costs £23.90 (for people aged between 18-26), £26.50 for an early bird ticket and £34.90 for an exclusive ticket.