For those who love love love etiquette
Prior to the turn of the century, Semi-Formal would have meant black tie. Men wore tailed coats or dinner jackets, waistcoats and pumps or patent leather shoes. Bib front shirts would be starched to the extreme and if they were traveling to the event, gloves and top hat would be worn. Women would have dressed…
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This is a list of events and what time they generally should begin. I’ve also added the level of formality, or if they are traditionally women only or separate sex. Breakfast 7-11am / Informal Formal Breakfast 8-11am / Formal Hunt / Sport Breakfast 11am – 12pm / Informal to Formal Elevenses or Coffee 11am-12pm /…
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Did you ever wonder what Informal actually means? What exactly are you supposed to wear to a Business event? Join the club. Casual, Informal, Semi-Formal, ect. were originally meant to tell you what type of seating you might expect. From that you could gather what type of clothing to wear. Here’s the thing, when it…
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Glove etiquette really isn’t all that complicated. In the 19th and early 20th century, one generally wore them when one left the house. They were expected to be clean, well fitted, tight to the hand and matched to ones outfit. “Worsted or cotton gloves are not permissible anywhere, nor under any circumstances. Ungloved hands are…
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One thing I can’t deny, the last three hundred years or so of history of the west has been a progression towards informality. Sure, there have been bumps on the road, but there is no mistaking, we’ve gone from a more formal culture to a less formal culture. One area that this is readily apparent…
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I touched on this briefly when I discussed the breakfast tray and the tray cloth, but I love breakfast accoutrements and I can’t stop posting about this topic. Sorry, not sorry. Breakfast sets were china sets made specifically for both tray service and/or for your morning table service. Breakfast sets made for trays generally contained…
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It seems that during the Regency and on into the turn of the century, people used any object at their disposal to send secret signals to the object of their desire, fans were no different. I hope you’re well and happy flirting!
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Here is a quick overview of fans, fan anatomy and styles. This is not exhaustive and is just meant to be a quick reference. Fan Types Fixed Fans As I said in my last fan post, the fixed fan was likely the earliest form of man made hand fan. The earliest of these is a…
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“What grace the fan lends to a woman who knows how to use it! It undulates, it flutters, it expands, it closes, it rises, it falls at will. It is the most powerful weapon in beauty’s arsenal.” – Madame de Stael Man made fans date from around 3000 BC. But really, what that means is that’s when we…
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Now that we discussed the napkin to a torturous degree. Let’s look at the current American rules for using your napkin at dinner: Firstly, the general rule is to place your napkin in your lap as soon as you sit down. There are two exceptions to this rule. When attending a formal dinner, you will wait for…
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