Hump Day High: Social Strain Enhances an Already Incredible Night
When you step into Arden Leigh’s home, or her lair as I like to call it, you immediately notice the aesthetic combines Sherlock Holmes’ office and a gentlemen’s smoking club. Leather couches, dark wood bookcases and a quality selection of scotch make it clear that Arden knows her business: seduction. She’s a sexuality and seduction educator, writer and coach, as well as the lead singer of her band Arden and the Wolves.
She recently hosted a haunted mansion-themed dinner party, and it was a veritable who’s who of the L.A. goth and music scene. Her idea was a merging of Halloween and Thanksgiving — all the spookiness of Halloween with grown-up food instead of candy. I got there early to help her set up (what are besties for?) and to get last-minute details squared away. It was an impressive guest list, and Arden rose to the occasion with a decadent culinary spread. The menu featured bacon-wrapped dates, baked brie, pull-apart sausage pesto bread and an apple walnut salad, followed by two kinds of pot pie, turkey, sautéed squash and caramelized sweet potatoes. Dessert was one of the highlights — a homemade blackberry crumble and multi-tiered cake decorated with fondant autumn leaves.
I was sporting a little black dress with a plunging neckline accented by a WVapes cartridge on a black lanyard. Coordinated and practical. I enjoyed Ice Queen, a recently released hybrid strain that packs quite a punch. Throughout the night I’d pop out to the balcony to enjoy a bit more and keep my buzz going strong. It’s a lovely social strain, and I had some great conversations throughout the evening. I definitely spent a good bit of time gushing about how much I love living in San Diego but how nice it is to visit L.A. and see friends.
One of the first guests to arrive was Nadya Lev, CEO of Aconite, a London software company. Next were our good friends Jan-David Soutar and Kayce Neill, who arrived simultaneously but not together. Then came Ariel Levitan, of MXMS, and her boyfriend Nick Annis, who recently toured with Kesha as her guitarist. With them was Jeremy Dawson, formerly of Shiny Toy Guns, and currently Ariel’s collaborator on MXMS. Over the summer Arden and I became members of Cloak & Dagger, a private Hollywood club recently voted best member’s only club by L.A. Weekly. Its organizers, DJ Adam Bravin (She Wants Revenge and Love Ecstasy Terror) and producer Michael Patterson, arrived along with Lisa Derrick — socialite, sorceress and another fixture at Cloak & Dagger. Others came and went throughout the night, but most of the aforementioned appeared in the family portrait Arden organized toward the end of the evening.
It was an incredible night. A few things you can expect when Arden Leigh hosts a party: fascinating guests, great food and an epic soundtrack. I would have been petrified to put together a playlist for such a discerning collection of guests, but Arden managed to wow everyone with her selection. A magical night, and one I look forward to repeating next year.
Originally published at Dope Magazine.
