Savoir-Faire: A Guide to Living with Style and Grace

Manners

A formal dinner on the set of "Madmen." Photo from interiordesign.net. 

'What do you think of modern civilization?' 'I think it would be a good idea.' -Mahatma Ghandi

I have been traveling a lot lately, and have another trip coming up this weekend.  While I can't wait to get where I'm going, I'm already dreading dealing with some of the characters that airports seem to attract.

Many people these days have forgotten their manners.  Some knowingly act outrageous, while others are simply ignorant (I will admit that I am not always sure of what is appropriate - see my post on Wedding Etiquette, for example).  For the former group, there is not much we can do.  They will likely continue to behave like spoiled reality TV stars and ruin commercial airline travel for the rest of us.  For the latter, however, a basic etiquette lesson could help.   

A dear friend of mine gave me a wonderful book for Christmas entitled "A-Z of Modern Manners."  I recommend it to all of you.  It is a relevant and witty guide to etiquette, covering every subject from airplane travel to PDA to how to eat kumquats.  Etiquette books make very chic gifts and are also fun to collect.  You can buy "A-Z of Modern Manners" on Amazon.com.  

Maybe we should start handing out copies at airport security lines.

xx Ally

Wedding Etiquette

                      

 Above, the "Tiffany Setting" Engagement Ring from Tiffany.

I was at Bloomingdale's the other night, helping my friend choose an engagement gift for her boss.  We pulled up her registry and picked an item that we felt was appropriate cost-wise.  Ten minutes later, we were each holding up a side of an enormous, heavy lasagna dish.  In our flowing conversation, my friend casually mentioned that the party was to be a small cocktail gathering in a very elegant apartment on Park Avenue.  We looked down at the huge pan we were holding, looked at each other, and burst out laughing.  Was she honestly about to walk into a fancy engagement party carrying a mammoth lasagna dish? Being new to all of this, we called her mother, who advised us to buy a pretty frame or limoge box instead.  We felt ridiculous. 

In our mid-twenties, the wedding ball has officially started to roll, and my friends and I seem to have constant etiquette questions.  I gathered those that I've heard the most and reached out to reliable sources.  I peppered in my own opinion, and my conclusions are below...

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