Madame Aracti has drawn our attention to a new book published in the UK by one of that countries top public relations experts
Liz Brewer.
Liz was once married to Australian
John Rendell of
Christian The Lion fame and is the mother of chanteuse and songwriter
Tallulah Rendell who wowed audiences in Sydney recently. She was also one of the hosts on the reality TV show
Aussie Ladette To Lady where she attempted to convert a bunch of rough and tumble young girls into genteel lasses, suitable enough to mingle with the more refined classes .
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party planner Liz Brewer (right) and celebs including
Ivana Trump & NCIS actor Michael Weatherly |
Ms Brewer has just published a new book
Ultimate Guide to Party Planning & Etiquette which is flying off British book shelves in a country where trying to keep up the standards expected is becoming increasingly difficult in the new
'chav' culture sweeping that great isle.
And Liz knows her stuff having organised some of the top bashes in London for celebrities like
Shirley Bassey and
Ivana Trump. She's been around celebrities and high society for most of her career that began on the Algarve in Portugal when she opened a nightclub and attracted big names like
Paul McCartney and
Cliff Richard.
But we also have our own tome - the recently published colonial version :
A Guide to Australian Etiquette-for all occasions, from weddings to work by publishing icon
Ita Buttrose who was featured in the TV drama
Paper Giants-The Birth of Cleo that depicted the 1970's when
Kerry Packer lost the contract to publish a local version of
Cosmopolitan and instead, under the auspices of Buttrose came up with the top selling magazine
Cleo that has been going gangbusters ever since.
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Ita Buttrose &Betty Churcher
at the B &W lunch |
Ita was a special guest at the
Black & White Charity lunch last Tuesday which featured
Dame Edna Everage who reminded the audience and Ita that it was her on the 1974 cover that rocketed Cleo to a staggering circulation of nearly half a million copies although it was Ita's idea to feature, for the first time, a man in a dress as
she reminded the Dame.
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| Cleo-1974 |
Dame Edna retorted that she had no idea who Ita was at the time and thought her name was a reference to an International Terrorist group.
Both books are required reading if one is to attempt climbing the social ladder in either capitals and from Liz Brewer's
interview on Madame Arcati we learn both cities suffer from similar problems. Like the eternal gatecrasher. Liz gives some handy hints to seeing them off and we feel concurs with our view of the local half dozen who plague events here - if they bring nothing to the event in appearance, manners, humour or intellect, what's the point of them ?.
But back to Ita's guide to surviving the sophistication of Australian culture. There are many crossover areas in both Liz Brewer's book and Ita's but the local version give us some much needed tips with a local flavour :
if suffering from bad breath consult your dentist
are you constantly farting ?..avoid spicy food
do you constantly chew gum, smack you're gums and make popping noises ? Don't !
don't let your dog jump in a pond especially if there is green algae !
don't pig out on bread at the dinner table and leave only crumbs
urinating in public is revolting
spitting in public is uncivilised ...and so on.
Ita also gives some helpful advice on weddings :
what to do when the best man is a woman, how to dress for a Muslim wedding, what to do when you run into your ex ! and a host of veritable survival hints even at the football :
no player should ever pretend to be their best mate in an attempt to have sex with another player's wife : if a girl has had too much too drink it's best to call a taxi to take her home and most importantly
: you never watch a player's mate and his girlfriend having sex!
How can you live without this book ?
Last year Whispers attended the Gold Ball held at the Darling Point home of Aussie Home Loans boss John Symond. One guest crashed to the floor perhaps overwhelmed by the lavishness of the Symond digs with it's sweeping harbour views.
Fortunately numerous doctors were on hand, as guests, and our patient quickly recovered to enjoy the evening. This year the Gold Ball which raises funds for the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick- Nicole Kidman is a patron- packed in over 400 guests at the Royal Hall of Industries in Moore Park and we are happy to report not one ball goer swooned and a massive $1.6M was raised for the kids. Our snap (below) shows nightclub mogul Justin Hemmes with John Symond on the right and Symond's wife Amber. Amber & John were married earlier this year and it's the second time round for both- Amber was married to former prime minister Paul Keating's son Patrick Keating (yes we were at that wedding too as out exclusive snap above right shows).
