Saturday, August 22, 2015
Dress to Impress - Colours For Travellers As Guests and Potential Guest Speakers
Always be prepared to give a speech. You might be invited to after you have told an acquaintance or friend that you give speeches. You might be invited to as a VIP guest or stranger at a small gathering. You might feel the urge to do so, seeing that the organiser of an event has not been thanked.
At a French informal banquet, as I spoke French, after a toast to the English travel writers from our French hosts, I was nudged by the person next to me, who said, "You speak French. Speak on behalf of all of us." I stood up while the photographer from the local French newspaper took a picture. My first thought was, am I dressed for dinner in France in sufficient and suitable chic for a chateau?
Am I wearing matching ear-rings, bracelet and ring to co-ordinate with my watch? Am I wearing matching belt, bag and shoes, matching in colour and fabric? Am I wearing suitable shoes (closed toes? Is black right for evening in summer? Are my bra strap and slip straps invisible and/or do-ordinating with my evening blouse?
Is my outfit contrasting with the colours of the wall paper. Am I wearing a clashing pattern, so I am a riot of roses, in red, swirling, looking loud, against a neat square geometric pattern in refined and muted rust colours conveying the historical and elegant atmosphere which I have invaded?
After enquiring amongst the committee, family, or organisers whether somebody else plans to give a speech or vote of thanks, so you don't duplicate or steal from their limelight, you could offer to do so ensuring that you are announced and there is quiet. You also have time to check on spellings and pronunciations of names. Are you dressed for the occasion, to give a speech and be photographed as the VIP or visitor?
Each traveller and each country has different likes and colour traditions. The most obvious examples are weddings and funerals. It is handy to pack clothes suitable for day and evening, ordinary daytime and luxury evening surroundings. Even when travelling on a budget to India I was on a flight delayed at Heathrow airport several hours and a fellow traveller invited me to his wedding, after several house of conversation and sympathy. By then I knew his name (Patel) but not the name of the bride and groom.
As a travel writer on press trips, I was often marched around a building site or camp site in the morning by the tourist board, then taken to a dinner opened by a speech from the mayor at the five star hotel which had offered us overnight accommodation or sponsored the trip. The promised time to change and shower in between before dinner often vanished during the traffic delay on the motorway.
I learned to have spare shoes in my tote bag, and a glamorous scarf and necklace or ear-rings to cover or enhance a plain black or white tee-shirt, or tee-shirt with embossed gold pattern or wording.
Wedding Colours
Wedding colours in the UK, UK and many countries are white for the bride (copying the fashion set by Queen Victoria). White was not previously the fashion, which only the rich could afford.
If you visit costume galleries you may be surprised to see that in earlier times a bride wore her best outfit, which in days before washing machines would have been in a dark colour. Only the rich could afford a dress worn only once, liable to show stains, unsuitable for any other occasion.
Guests don't wear white if the bride is wearing white. It causes confusion. Why? Because, often half the guests are from the groom's side and don't know the bride, have not seen her for many years, or have never seen her before being distant (on the family tree, or distant by living miles away), relatives or work colleagues of her family.
As for waiters and photographers and bystanders, they are equally likely to be confused. And the bride wants to be centre of attention in the photos. Easier to find her in a crowd and greet her or say goodbye.
However, in Asia brides often wear other colours such as red. As for guests, why not white? White is used for the shroud in a funeral, for the dead to go to the afterlife pure.
As a speaker, may your words and clothes always make a good impression.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and speaker.
Please look at and like my other posts here on travel as well as elsewhere on the net.
At a French informal banquet, as I spoke French, after a toast to the English travel writers from our French hosts, I was nudged by the person next to me, who said, "You speak French. Speak on behalf of all of us." I stood up while the photographer from the local French newspaper took a picture. My first thought was, am I dressed for dinner in France in sufficient and suitable chic for a chateau?
Am I wearing matching ear-rings, bracelet and ring to co-ordinate with my watch? Am I wearing matching belt, bag and shoes, matching in colour and fabric? Am I wearing suitable shoes (closed toes? Is black right for evening in summer? Are my bra strap and slip straps invisible and/or do-ordinating with my evening blouse?
Is my outfit contrasting with the colours of the wall paper. Am I wearing a clashing pattern, so I am a riot of roses, in red, swirling, looking loud, against a neat square geometric pattern in refined and muted rust colours conveying the historical and elegant atmosphere which I have invaded?
After enquiring amongst the committee, family, or organisers whether somebody else plans to give a speech or vote of thanks, so you don't duplicate or steal from their limelight, you could offer to do so ensuring that you are announced and there is quiet. You also have time to check on spellings and pronunciations of names. Are you dressed for the occasion, to give a speech and be photographed as the VIP or visitor?
Each traveller and each country has different likes and colour traditions. The most obvious examples are weddings and funerals. It is handy to pack clothes suitable for day and evening, ordinary daytime and luxury evening surroundings. Even when travelling on a budget to India I was on a flight delayed at Heathrow airport several hours and a fellow traveller invited me to his wedding, after several house of conversation and sympathy. By then I knew his name (Patel) but not the name of the bride and groom.
As a travel writer on press trips, I was often marched around a building site or camp site in the morning by the tourist board, then taken to a dinner opened by a speech from the mayor at the five star hotel which had offered us overnight accommodation or sponsored the trip. The promised time to change and shower in between before dinner often vanished during the traffic delay on the motorway.
I learned to have spare shoes in my tote bag, and a glamorous scarf and necklace or ear-rings to cover or enhance a plain black or white tee-shirt, or tee-shirt with embossed gold pattern or wording.
Wedding Colours
Wedding colours in the UK, UK and many countries are white for the bride (copying the fashion set by Queen Victoria). White was not previously the fashion, which only the rich could afford.
If you visit costume galleries you may be surprised to see that in earlier times a bride wore her best outfit, which in days before washing machines would have been in a dark colour. Only the rich could afford a dress worn only once, liable to show stains, unsuitable for any other occasion.
Guests don't wear white if the bride is wearing white. It causes confusion. Why? Because, often half the guests are from the groom's side and don't know the bride, have not seen her for many years, or have never seen her before being distant (on the family tree, or distant by living miles away), relatives or work colleagues of her family.
As for waiters and photographers and bystanders, they are equally likely to be confused. And the bride wants to be centre of attention in the photos. Easier to find her in a crowd and greet her or say goodbye.
However, in Asia brides often wear other colours such as red. As for guests, why not white? White is used for the shroud in a funeral, for the dead to go to the afterlife pure.
As a speaker, may your words and clothes always make a good impression.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and speaker.
Please look at and like my other posts here on travel as well as elsewhere on the net.
Labels: bra, bride, camp site, chateau, funeral, photographer, Queen Victoria, red, waiter, wedding, wedding colours, white
