Regency tailor receives surprise proposal at Royal Pavilion ball

A Brighton Regency fashion tailor received an “absolutely magical” surprise proposal at a ball he hosted at the Royal Pavilion this month.

While hosting his first Regency Ball on Saturday, 11 May, Zack Pinsent was shocked when his boyfriend, Alex Zarlengo, used the occasion to propose.

Mr Pinsent, 29, is known locally for only wearing period clothing and running his own company, Pinsent Tailoring, in Hollingdean which creates historically accurate bespoke period clothing for men and women.

After helping to organise a much smaller banquet for 20 people at the Royal Pavilion to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III in May last year, tickets for this year’s ball, which went on sale in August 2023, sold out at lightning speed.

Mr Pinsent said: “This brought in 150 people from 17 different countries, all with dietary requirements the length of your arm.

“Originally there were a couple of naysayers, saying ‘It’ll never work’ and then I sold all 150 tickets in less than three minutes.

“It crashed my computer. People were saying it was harder than getting Taylor Swift tickets.

“I had people emailing months after and I had a waiting list of 200 people which is insane.

“We had people fly from Korea, California, Chile and Mexico – I had to pinch myself.

“People really stepped up to the plate and are really keen for the next one.

“The good thing is that now I have good proof of concept; it definitely has legs.”

Guests of the ball were encouraged to wear Regency English court dress of the 1800 to 1818 period, including Regency evening and ball dress and national historic dress.

Before the ball, Mr Pinsent also hosted a Regency market and concert soiree on the Friday night in the Pavilion Museum which was open to anyone.

Guests were also invited to promenade around Brighton the next day.

Mr Pinsent added: “What was amazing was that my first ever client was there wearing the outfit I made for his wedding and my fiancée was wearing my latest outfit, so that was a nice symbiosis.

“There were moments when I got to stand in the corner of the room and look at the sea of white feathers and go ‘Oh my God, I did this.’

“I have been imagining this scene forever, I have imagined this day more than my wedding day and now I’ve got that to work out!”

Speaking of his surprise engagement, Mr Pinsent joked that he was completely unaware of his fiancée’s plans.

He said: “[Alex] was fully prepared that I might faint.

“It was the end of the evening after months and months of work and it was a very overwhelming situation anyway.

“I thought he was going to tell people to take the pineapple and flower centrepieces home!”

Mr Pinsent said he could only ever imagine hosting the ball at the Royal Pavilion.

He said: “As a Brightonian, I grew up in the shadow of the Pavilion my whole life. I went every weekend.

“It is phenomenal how many people don’t know the Pavilion exists or even what it is.

“When I started to go viral in 2019, a friend said they typed in Brighton Regency and I came up before the Pavilion did and that is a big problem.

“There is nowhere else that comes close to it in the world, it is a wholly unique building.

“Every time I go, there is some new detail that I have never seen before.

“Generally, during the day, everyone is listening to their guides, but to see it filled with music and light and laughter, it is not a dusty museum at all.

“It’s like a toy chest waiting for someone to open it up.

“It has wonderful people at the helm now which is why I was trusted to put this event on.

“They have been phenomenally helpful and incredibly accommodating, and they really loved it and want to see me do more things there.

“I would love to do talks or smaller galas, not always these big galas.

“Watch this space because I am hopefully going to be working with the Pavilion over the next few years.”

Considering the resurgence in popularity of Regency era fashion among viewers of Netflix’s period drama Bridgerton, Mr Pinsent said he enjoys the show despite its historical inaccuracies.

He said: “Bridgerton is really fun. What I love about it is that it has sparked people’s engagement with the past.

“For me and my sister it was Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley.

“I have been doing this for many years before Bridgerton was even a twinkle in Shonda’s eye.

“It shows that there is a huge love for the period and the silhouette and romance of it – more so than I think for other periods.

“It is an excellent springboard to introduce people to a time period.

“I find it weird that [Bridgerton] hasn’t come to the Pavilion yet!”

Pinsent Tailoring is based at Rodhus makers’ space in Hollingdean. You can find out more here.