Como aparecer numa festa sem ser convidado e em grande estilo
Porque todo o verdadeiro cavalheiro deve saber como entrar de penetra numa festa incrível... e sair-se bem
- Texto de: Joseph Bullmore
Parties are a matter of life and death for some people. In Evelyn Waugh’s novel Vile Bodies, the blacklisted Simon Balcairn decides that, should he not gain entry into Margot Metroland’s landmark mixer, he may as well "end it all now". In a daring act of self-preservation, then, the young society columnist pairs a fake beard with some ceremonial medals and heads once more unto the breach. It is both his first and last outing as a party crasher. Unbearded several pages later by the wily Father Rothschild and promptly ordered to leave the party at once, Balcairn – true to his word – promptly pops his head in the Aga and joins those ancestors who’d fallen at Acre and Agincourt.
O romance de Waugh faz 95 anos este ano, mas ninguém o diria a julgar por aquela pequena cena. O discreto odor a desespero, o traje excessivamente elaborado, a atitude de tudo ou nada: estes sintomas ainda persistem nos passeios de NoHo e de Berkeley Square. E quem deles sofre não fica sem tratamento.
The Wedding Crashers
A quick Google search has just furnished me with several dozen articles with titles promising ‘x tips for crashing a party’. The advice within ranges from the painfully obvious (don’t pretend to be Madonna as "her face is probably too well known") to the utterly unlikely ("Eat breakfast at the restaurant on the day of the party, and stick around till things kick off"). Everything in the middle, meanwhile, stands as good – if well-trodden – advice for a social situation of any sort: dress appropriately, be confident and don’t overdo it.
To that list we might add a fourth diktat: be charming. At least, that’s the view taken by an 11th-century Iraqi text that was uncovered for the first time just a few years ago. Entitled, rather happily, The Art of Party Crashing, the ancient book champions humour and charm over subterfuge and gall. When asked by a gatekeeper for a name, for example, crashers are advised to smile sweetly and say simply: "I’m the man who saved you the trouble of writing an invitation". After that, apparently, your entry is assured.
Breakfast at Tiffany's
A outra opção é apostar em grande — ou ir para casa. Esse bem poderia ter sido o lema dos alegres penetras em O Grande Gatsby, de F. Scott Fitzgerald. «As pessoas não eram convidadas — iam até lá», observa, maravilhado, o narrador Nick Carraway acerca das festas ruidosas realizadas na maior casa de Long Island. «Por vezes, chegavam e partiam sem sequer terem conhecido Gatsby; vinham à festa com uma simplicidade de coração que era, por si só, o seu bilhete de entrada».
