Colettiquette: An Introduction
Coined in 2012, Colettiquette marries my name, Colette and the word etiquette. Although the word was intended as a joke about my slightly-formal-for-a-17-year-old demeanor, Colettiquette quickly became my motto.
The authority on social behaviors, Emily Post said it best: etiquette and by extension “good manners are, after all, nothing but courteous consideration of other people’s interests and feelings.”
Colettiquette, much like the traditional definition of etiquette, is about being thoughtful. Etiquette may seem restrictive and old fashioned and in a lot of ways, it is; and so, I have created Colettiquette as a more modern approach to etiquette, focusing most on the feelings of others. While what fork to use is important to me, I hope to also address more nuanced topics, like political discussions at the dinner table and how chivalry can exist in the modern world.
Colettiquette is the term I use to describe my approach to etiquette as well as how I describe my way of doing things, whether that’s meeting new people, hosting a party or caring for my home. It includes a lot of traditional etiquette with many modern adjustments, focused on ensuring everyone’s comfort. However, I am NOT an etiquette expert but rather, I am an etiquette enthusiast. Here, I hope to cover everything on housekeeping and hostessing. This could include anything from stocking a kitchen to styling a bookshelf to setting a table to planning a dinner party - everything that makes up Colettiquette. While I may only be 25, my soul is that of an 85 year old woman who has had a lot of time to hone her craft of entertaining. I’d like to share it all with you, to make entertaining easy, fun and approachable. And hopefully, once we’re through this pandemic, we can all throw lots of parties.
Images by Kirsten Valentini
And who am I, aside from an etiquette enthusiast who willingly responds to the nickname, Colettiquette? I’m Colette, a 25 year old event planner, born and raised in New York City, currently occupying a filled-to-the-brim-with-tablewares studio apartment. I host dinner parties, brunches and cocktail parties as often as I can (pandemic pending, of course); I love to cook, bake and bartend for my friends and family. Thanks for reading. It’s a pleasure to meet you.