What inspired me to write this article were the several young ladies who sent me messages to ask for guidance on where to find knowledge about etiquette. Their thirst for improvement and great content touched me and I thought it could be great to have a list handy of the sources that have taught, inspired and helped me.
Etiquette knowledge is achievable through many channels. I started with books, Youtube videos and when I felt I was still craving for more, I took an online course and passed the certification. Then, realizing Etiquette is not fixed but is evolving with times and mores, I continued looking for contents. I kept on learning. By sharing my passion on Instagram, I was able to meet wonderful people, experts or amateurs, with whom I created an “online friendship”. They are online friendships and yet, we are so connected by the mutual keen interest for the subject that they are sustainable. The beauty of the 21st century!
Anyways, I will start with…
School of Affluence (Anna Bey). She started as a blogger and has now her online finishing school called “School of Affluence".
She teaches how to be elegant, likes to provide tips on how to date affluent men,… but I mainly follow her for her etiquette lessons and her vision about femininity. She is active and post very often. I like her real in-depth approach, it is pure personal development and she always goes deeper into interesting topics while refreshing our memories with some basics from time to time.
I follow her Youtube Channel and her Instagram.
Next is…
Devoreaux Walton.
We have met on Instagram and had the opportunity to collaborate together. She has a great Youtube Channel "The Modern Lady" which I definitely recommend for the numerous pure etiquette videos. Her instagram page is just like her smile, inspiring. But what I most definitely recommend is her book “Je ne Sais Quoi”. Oh My! This book is just everything and you MUST read it if you want to start your journey as an elegant person. I have actually wrote a review about it.
Also, …
You cannot learn Etiquette without following The School of Manners (Andreea Stefanescu) on Instagram. First of all, I am naturally attracted by beautiful souls and she is one of them. Her level of empathy, compassion, understanding of the others are as high as her etiquette knowledge. She is very active and post regularly awesome advices. I always learn something new. Most of her contents is created by her (to mark a difference with other profiles who would share existing content that you might have already seen). I can tell she works diligently on each posts and videos to provide excellent information.
Little bridge here - be aware that etiquette differs depending on where you are on the planet but the differences are in the details. Good manners have the same essence everywhere: respect for others and self-respect. The goal of Etiquette is to interact all together as civilized human beings.
That being said, the next one I recommend is…
William Hanson, the leading etiquette expert in UK. I have been following him since his humble beginnings. I’ve first known of him when I read “The Bluffer’s Guide of Etiquette” as he is the author and he has a second one I recommend you to read as well, “The Bluffer’s guide to entertaining” (I might do book reviews in a near future…). I am pleased to see that he is now Director of The English Manner London school of etiquette from which I sign up to Webinars whenever I see one I like for my continuous learning experience. They are short and affordable lessons you should definitely consider.
One blog I really like…
elegantwoman.org (Eunice Leong). A blog fulls of great articles from grooming to finishing. I remember spending a lot of time reading it. I’ll just let you have a look and judge for yourself.
Now, let’s check some French profiles…
Wether you want to learn French Etiquette or French is your mother-tongue, just like me, you’ll find absolutely EVERYTHING you need to know on Hanna Gas’s blog "Apprendre les Bonnes Manières" (Learn Good Manners). I recommend to subscribe to her newsletter to receive her posts. She posts regularly and always comes up with details about etiquette you did not know…just when you thought you’ve learnt everything! She also has a Youtube Channel and an Instagram account. We had the pleasure to work together and Hanna is one of my “online friendships” I cherish the most.
Another one is…
France de Heere. She is one of my tutors I had the pleasure to learn from and she is a dream. First of all, she is a true aristocrat (so you really feel like you’ve learnt from reliable sources) and her Atelier du Savoir-Vivre is located in Versailles City, which helps to put yourself in the mood when you go there for your training. Of course, she knows about the French Art de Vivre perfectly but I have also enjoyed seeing her enjoying how enthusiastic people are to learn. I follow her on Instagram.
There is also…
Guillaume Rué de Bernadac, who is now based in Shangai and runs his own etiquette business there, the Académie de Bernadac. I think we have connected through Instagram.. We had the pleasure to talk as I had a thousand questions to ask when I started.
He took the time to speak with me and even agreed to be my mentor. I love his ways of teaching; very clear, very practical and he definitely has the French touch. You would enjoy his posts and especially his videos.
Now, understand that I have many other etiquette experts I follow that are also inspiring but these are Ma crème de la crème selection. Since I am continuously learning and discovering, this article can definitely be modified later.
Luckily for you, I used to have an in-depth programme that would provide all the knowledge to develop the skills you need, this programme is no longer delivered through consulting however, it will be available in a comprehensive book I am working on! Don't hesitate to subscribe to get an alert whenever it is out!
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