Lady or the Tramp?

A guest post by Angela Duke...

This tongue-in-cheek book will make a lady out of

you.  Buy here.

We all went to school with those girls. You know, the Paris Hilton-wannabes who think hooker heels and hot pants are sophisticated. The girls that have been swiping their fake IDs in bars since the onset of puberty. The ones who have seemingly grown up parentless. Well, after nearly a decade of witnessing this, I had begun to lose hope in my fellow female classmates of yore. Just when all hope was almost gone, the darling Derek Blasberg, New York socialite, V Magazine Senior Fashion News and Special Projects Editor and Editor at Large for Harper’s Bazaar, amongst many other titles, steps in to save the day. His new tongue-in-cheek book, Classy, is what he describes as a version of the beloved Preppy Handbook. In his genius book, Blasberg explains to girls that being trashy might get you noticed, but that is about it. “Even if you’re a trashy tramp, you can still grow up to be a lady,” Blasberg quipped to Elle. Through several well-written and entertaining chapters, Blasberg details how to be a modern lady—teaching everything from how to dress well, groom well, and behave well, even how to carry a meaningful conversation. It also covers basic etiquette, which in my book is something everyone could brush up on. I was recently at an event where an older woman walked into a room, and most of the other guests just sat in a daze instead of offering this woman their chair. I quickly learned that what was second nature to me was not something taught to others. Blasberg helps such situations by teaching ladies proper behavior for every situation. In a day where reality TV shows display grown women scantily clad and screaming at one another like heathens, Classy is a breath of fresh air. It reminds us that being classy is more important than making Page Six. As Mr. Manners keeps tweeting to his followers on Twitter, “Ladies, go out and get a copy of this for all of your trampiest friends,” I can’t help but think of a few girls who deserve this along with a lump of coal in their needlepoint stockings come Christmas. This book might even—dare I say it—stand its own next to another beloved blue beacon of manners, Emily Post’s Etiquette. I’ll let you be the final judge, but in my book, Classy is the perfect modern complement to that magnificent standard. -Angela Duke

Dapper Derek with socialite Tinsley Mortimer

My son, Joey, is getting married to a beautiful lady this weekend, so our week has been a little busy.  Angela will be doing a Monday post on resort fashion.  You will truly enjoy the post! See you Tuesday!

Now on to Embracing Etiquette with Teresa...

Taking It Higher

The best solution at times is to take the problem to a higher level instead of try to confront the rude person yourself. If an employee of a company is rude to you, take it up with management through a phone call, visit, or letter.

If you are in an establishment (restaurant, store, theater) and a person is being disruptive or is causing problems, get the manager to take care of the problem. You do not want to put yourself in harm’s way.

The same goes if someone is especially nice and helpful. Let the manager know how helpful the employee was.

Monday we will cover Accepting Responsibility.

See you soon,
Teresa
xoxo