“Taste, my dear fellow, excellent manners; there are laws for everything,” Griboyedov wrote back in the 19th century. Back then, high society knew everything about manners and the laws of social etiquette. Alas, by the 21st century, this part of Russian cultural heritage, like so many others, has sunk into oblivion.
But Evgenia Dellos and Larisa Evans have decided to revive the traditions of high society in Russia: they decided to open an International School of Etiquette in Moscow, where qualified art historians from France, England, Sweden, and Japan will teach etiquette. The school will officially open in January, and throughout December, it held promotional classes, culminating yesterday with a gala dinner at the Casta Diva restaurant.
The event was called “Dinner with Impeccable Manners in the Company of the Countess de Tilly.” Countess Marie de Tilly comes from an ancient noble dynasty and has her own atelier for refined manners, where she trains Qatari princesses and prepares them for proper behavior at diplomatic receptions at the Élysée Palace.
During dinner, the socialites listened attentively to the Countess, who spoke in French about the intricacies of etiquette (there was a translator, but it turned out that almost everyone present spoke French fluently): how to properly kiss a hand, whether a girl could introduce herself, who was allowed to rest their elbow on the table, etc.
The enlightened ladies were satisfied and, having come to the conclusion that the beginning of the revival of the Russian aristocracy had been laid, went to try on the Piaget jewelry on display in the hall, because no one would ever brand gold and diamonds as bad taste.