UNSW Law Ball 2015: A Recap

By Aris Cao, Arts/Law II

A waterfront venue, open bar and 1000 baby lawyers congregating for a night of debauchery can only mean one thing: it’s UNSW Law Ball 2015. Law Ball can be one of many things; a chance to parade your aesthetics to the rest of your peers, an opportunity to finally make a move on that guy or girl you’ve been eyeing up for the past month, or just a night to get absolutely #turnt. Either way, let’s try and break down the do’s and don’ts of the memorable (or not-so-memorable depending on your blood alcohol level) night that was Law Ball 2015.

Do: Use pres to your best advantage. Not only is it a legitimate reason to sip (read: guzzle) on champagne from as early as the night before, but it is also an excuse to channel your inner Miranda Kerr by posing up a storm as your friends take 400+ photos of you. Not only is it tactically avoiding that inevitable post-dinner food baby, but also having prime DP fodder come Sunday.

Do: Make a dramatic entrance. Preferably one where your Uber driver doesn’t abandon you in a deserted laneway, leaving you to fend for yourself in the darkness with just your stilettos for protection.

Don’t: Be afraid to work it. The night’s sartorial success spanned from haute couture to haute mess and from cocktail dresses, to ball gowns that wouldn’t look out of place at a 1950s wedding. It’s fair to say that the Spring Carnival theme was both flouted and flaunted. Special mention to all the girls who donned their best Derby Day fascinators and the guys who coordinated their pocket square/tie combo as flawlessly as Chuck Bass would.

Do: Kill it on the dance floor. Come 11 pm, when drinks are flowing and the LawSoc band is belting out a flawless rendition of Shake It Off, don’t be afraid to join the heaving masses on the dance floor and show off those well-practiced white boy dance moves. And if you’re self-conscious about your dancing, fear not because the darkness means no one will know if it’s you that’s fist pumping out of sync to Gold Digger.

Don’t: Forget to eat your food. There is nothing more disappointing than to return back to your table, only to discover that the dessert you had been looking forward to for an hour has been whisked away, leaving you with nothing but an empty wine glass and limitless wine to fill the void in your stomach. Which takes me to my next point…

Do: Try and make it to afters. Whether you walk, crawl or get carried by a kindly stranger, be enticed up the three flights of stairs at the Shelbourne by the lure of spirits on the bar tab and couches to rest your feet/take a power nap. It’s also an opportunity to meet that mysterious law student that you’ve never met but is all sorts of HOT (Who are you?). After all, what happens at afters stays at afters…(until you discuss it in detail over brunch the next morning).

Do: Have a post-ball routine. Whether you’re kicking on till dawn or slumped over in Maccas inhaling a cheeseburger like your life depends on it, it’s often the post-ball aftermath that ends up being the most memorable. Nothing says bonding like sharing artery-clogging food with your nearest and dearest so make the most of it. Also, don’t forget to take incriminating snaps of one another, and if your body revolts against you the next day, remember that there’s nothing a green juice/acai bowl/bacon won’t fix. 

Xo Xo Aris Cao