There was a time young women went to finishing school and men travelled around the world for a Gap year. All to one end: equipping them with the skills needed to survive real life out of school and college. Whether it was learning how to put together a tray of canapés, wearing the right dress shoes or even making small talk, this was considered essential training to manoeuvre a minefield of etiquette and customs that could make or break one’s social and professional image.
In the 21st century, unfortunately, there is no place for finishing schools or Gap years… not if you are a mere mortal anyway. However, in a double jeopardy, the need for these social skills is more essential than years past. With the old social markers vanishing and the differences between a Californian Pinot Noir and a Chilean Pinot Noir becoming more nuanced than ever before, the way you present and dress yourself becomes your identity. Yes, there may be no need to learn how to courtesy or pluck a pheasant but smartly (not blindly) interpreting fashion trends into your wardrobe, understanding the complex world of pop art and holding an intelligent conversation about the new world geography of wines are among the things that mark and define you today. Often, indelibly.
So what’s a person to do?
Come to Manners and Mischief – your one-stop portal for all the knowledge you need to navigate through this ever-confusing, ever-transient, ever-more-complicated world of skills, etiquette and customs that are essential to climb up the social and corporate ranks in the 21st century. All presented in easy, bite-sized pieces.
Read, imbibe and then come back to tell me what else you want to explore. The ranking system for caviar? What’s the difference between a dinner jacket and a normal jacket? What to do when you are handed a menu with no prices? It’s all here… you just need to ask.