The return of the Etiquette Grrls!

I like to think that good etiquette is an inherently vital part of life (and fashion), so I hope my dear readers will excuse me for wandering a bit off topic just this once. My best friend just informed me that two of our most beloved authors, Lesley Carlin and Honore McDonough Ervin, who comprise the Etiquette Grrls, have returned to blogging and keeping the world free from tacky and obscenely out-of-taste dilemmas. The EGs had left their blog quite a few years ago when one of the EGs had a baby. Now it seems that both EGs are finally back, and I couldn't be more excited.

If you're not familiar with the work of the Etiquette Grrls, fear not, as it will not take you much time at all to read their two excellent books on etiquette: "Things You Need to Be Told" and "More Things You Need to Be Told." I would certainly urge you to make a beeline to your nearest library or bookstore and begin reading at once! And, of course, their new blog is: http://etiquettegrrls.blogspot.com/. Check it out post haste!

What I love most about the Etiquette Grrls is that they deliver practical, useful information in a fun and witty way. I'll admit that some of their advice is often a bit out-dated or just too conservative (i.e. their advice on fashion, which I'll address in a moment), but for the most part they are spot-on with their recommendations for living a proper and inoffensive lifestyle. Some might say that they are too pretentious or that their advice is only a cover for sheer snobbery. To those folks I would suggest both lightening up and developing a sense of humor. Sure, the EGs use random capitalized words, sprinkle their prose with the occasional French word or two, or make recommendations about music/literature/art, but their advice, while acerbic and caustic at times, is meant either in jest or to be adopted as it fits into your own lifestyle.

Now, the one piece of advice that I overwhelmingly ignore is their etiquette as it pertains to fashion and dress. The EGs are a bit out-dated in this respect, suggesting that it is a faux pas to wear white after Labor Day among other archaisms. They also frown upon the fashion sense of the ladies of SATC. Yes, at times, Carrie et al may have been dressed in poor taste, but overall, no other television show has been as progressive when it comes to fashion, nor has any other show ever made fashion as mainstream as SATC did. Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin can surely attest to that fact. Thus, it is best, in my fashionable opinion, to dismiss the advice of the EGs when it comes to fashion. Read their advice for yourself, and perhaps you'll agree.

With that being said, I still highly recommend the wit and wisdom of the Etiquette Grrls. Their books and, no doubt, new website are thoroughly entertaining and educational. You will enjoy them. I promise.