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Style and etiquette
Dress codes, table manners and confidence.
How to accept a compliment or a gift gracefully
Accepting a compliment or gift gracefully means saying thank you and one specific thing about it, then stopping. No deflecting, no gushing, no explanations.
How to ask your date what to wear, with examples
Ask when the plan is set: venue and outfit matter equally. Examples for formal events, daytime dates, trips and when your date says wear whatever.
How to be good company at a dinner table
Good dinner conversation is mostly listening: ask, follow up with a second question, share the talking, and leave money, exes and politics for later.
What black tie means for men and women
Black tie means a black dinner jacket with silk lapels, or a knee-length cocktail dress or floor-length gown. Polished shoes and a real bow tie finish it.
How to compliment your date's appearance, with examples
Compliment choices, not bodies: the outfit, the colour, how they wear it. Examples for first dates, dressed-up events and established relationships.
What to say when your date is rude to waiting staff
Thank the staff member on the spot. Then raise it with your date once, calmly, and see if they hear you. Here is how.
How to behave at dinner with your date's friends or colleagues
Follow your date's lead on what to share, make an effort with everyone at the table, and keep your table manners tight.
What to wear to a daytime event such as a garden party
Read the code, then dress for heat, terrain and hours standing. Breathable fabrics, supportive shoes and deliberate sun protection work everywhere.
How to dress when nobody tells you the dress code
Ask your date what to wear, look at the venue's photos, and wear smart casual with one removable layer. You can always adjust once you arrive.
How to eat bread and butter at a restaurant
Break bread into bite-sized pieces and butter each piece as you go. Keep butter on the edge of your side plate, on your left.
How to eat messy or tricky food on a date
Order what you can eat neatly until you feel relaxed. Go slowly with tricky dishes, use the restaurant's tools, and laugh off spills instead of apologising.
How to enjoy a tasting menu on a date
Tell the restaurant your dietary needs when you book, eat small across courses, and save conversation for between each course, not during it.
Grooming checklist for the day of a date
Do the heavy lifting the day before: haircut, nails, outfit. The hour before, focus on what they will notice: skin, breath, scent.
Guest manners when you stay at a partner's home
Ask about house rules, offer to help, and leave your room as you found it. A guest who is easy to have around gets asked back.
Handwritten thank-you notes for a gift or trip, with examples
A handwritten note for a significant gift, trip or invitation says what a text cannot. Three to five sentences is enough.
Should you hire or buy a dinner suit or evening gown?
Buy if you expect several formal events a year and can have it tailored; hire if it is once or twice. Fit decides more than cost.
How to host a restaurant dinner for your date
Book ahead, arrive first and set the pace. Your date never waits. Give the better seat, suggest dishes, watch their glass: this signals respect.
Yes: bring something small at the door, not for the meal
Bring something small and thoughtful: flowers or chocolates given at the door. It shows appreciation for the host and respect for your date's social world.
What to say when someone asks how you two met
Agree a short answer about meeting online before any event. True and brief beats invented, and stops repeat questions.
How much to tip in Australia
Tipping in Australia is optional: restaurants add no service charge, and about 10 per cent for good service is common in upmarket places.
How much to tip in the UK and what a service charge means
Tipping in Britain is optional: check your bill for a service charge first, and if none is added, 10-15% for good service is well received.
How much to tip in the US: restaurants, bars and valets
In the US, tip sit-down wait staff 15-20% of the pre-tax bill, bartenders $1-2 a drink or 15-20%, valets $2-5, and taxi drivers 15-20%. It signals respect.
How to introduce your date at an event, with examples
Use their first name, add one detail about them, and say nothing about how you met. Examples for galas, work dinners, friend's parties and business contacts.
How to look confident somewhere you have never been
Arrive early, know what you need, watch before you act, sit up straight, move slower than feels natural, and match your host's pace.