The party action plan
Add in a couple of glasses of a nice New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, the odd smoked salmon canapé and the chance to break out my rather well-worn dancing shoes and . . . well, I can barely contain myself.
Like any one in possession of the X chromosome, the preparation for said soirees, of course, always begins well before the actual day/night/afternoon/evening in question.
Like most of the fairer sex, I will spend hours, sometimes days, occasionally months and - in one well-documented case - even a few years, trying on different outfits, fine tuning my repertoire of witty banter and admiring my reflection in the mirror as the imaginary flash bulbs go off.
Play Station Sing Star is also a must-have on the list of kitbag broken out in anticipation of the big day/night/afternoon/evening, allowing those of us who enjoy a little sing along to ensure voice is in fine fettle from the privacy of our own lounge rooms.
As must be obvious by now, for the really monumental occasions, I together with everyone around me, am almost sent into raptures.
Work, sport and anything constituting a household chore slips way down the priority list as all energies are concentrated on preparation for the big event.
All of which may go some way to explaining why I have never gotten around to getting hitched to husband-to-be despite the fact he had the outstanding foresight to pop the question nearly four years ago.
But anyway, I digress.
What I mean to say is that with the impending Ragtrader TNT Fashion Retailer of the Year awards night work-mates, team-mates and house-mates are starting to get more than a little nervous.
And with the Ragtrader team pulling out all the stops for the big event this year - who could blame them?
At this point I could do the obvious and promise you this, the third instalment, is going to be bigger and better than ever before. But in fairness I think the ingredients really speak for themselves.
As I may have touched on before in this column, in order to truly celebrate the achievements of Australia's most successful fashion retailers, this year we have implemented a number of changes in both the way the awards are judged and the way they are celebrated.
Aside from adding a host of new categories to this year's awards, we have also engaged a panel of industry experts to help us define what makes a truly mighty fashion retailer stand out from his or her meeker counterparts.
We have also opted to ditch the awards luncheon in favour of a swanky evening cocktail party instead. Staged on November 29 in the prestigious Establishment Hotel ballroom, this year's awards will see more than 200 of the industry's leading lights make an appearance.
Former model-turned-television presenter Chloe Maxwell, who doubles as the partner of Wallabies star Mat Rodgers, will command the mike as MC for the evening while prodigious design talent Alex Perry will appear as guest speaker.
Add the other vital ingredients for a good time - you, myself and the all important goodie bag - and the equation is complete.
Now, where did I put my mirror?