freesheet, there’s conversation, conviviality and excitement. Season events provide the perfect op-
portunity to assemble a group of friends for a communal day out, but if you’re looking to attend alone, you can reason- ably expect to meet new people too. Te great British reserve is somewhat diluted after a few glasses of fizz and you’ve got a number of ice-breaker conversation topics available to you: whether it’s the betting odds, the music, the setting, or that infu- riating steward who objected to the length of your dress.
Te Clture Tere’s a reason this one comes last on the list: we suspect that “culture” is really a thin disguise for the less lofty allure of the above. For busy Londoners who rarely get a chance to attend the free galleries and
museums available to them, culture and entertainment, however, are still un- doubted factors. Many Season events at- tract the finest in their professions, whether it’s Olympic rowers, world-class opera singers or bestselling authors. Tere is also a sense of pride in uphold-
ing the history and traditions of an event that may have begun 300 years ago (at least in the case of Royal Ascot). Te custom of the morning suit, for example, can be at- tributed to Regency-era dandy Beau Brummell, who first decreed that formal day dress should be worn. Finally, we should also pay tribute to the
scenery – after months of an urban back- drop, there’s something truly exhilarating about the sweeping lawns at Glyndebourne or the view of the South Downs from Goodwood racecourse.
Lucy Hume is associate director at Debrett’s, a professional coaching company and authority in cross- cultural etiquette, founded in 1769. For information on Season events and other British traditions, the two-day Quintessentially British Programme will introduce you to the history, social conventions and customs of the British way of life. For other courses and experiences for ex-pats in the UK, please visit
www.debretts.com/academy, or call 020 3705 2210.
Chelsea Flower Show
www.focus-info.org FOCUS The Magazine 11
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