Beverly Hills Manners

Book excerpt: In Beverly Hills, fame and wealth can buy everything—except class, grace, and sophistication. In Beverly Hills Manners, Lisa Gaché offers a behind-the-scenes look at the unique social dilemmas of the residents of the hills of Beverly through the eyes of an etiquette expert tasked with transforming her awkward, boorish, and sometimes challenging clients into social virtuosos. From Saudi princesses to Oscar winners, talent agents to intelligence operatives, child actresses, butlers, and football players, Lisa has amassed an astounding roster. She’s taught Oscar nominees how to successfully navigate the red carpet, sorority girls to use forks and knives, and NFL coaches to shake hands. In this book, she reflects on those experiences to teach you how to present yourself as a respectable professional in real-world situations. Beverly Hills Manners covers more than just table manners. It includes advice on what Lisa calls “Child Wrangling”—laying down the law as parents when it comes to cliques, bullying, and cattiness—and netiquette, a vital new discipline in tune with every type of social media. You’ll also learn how to gracefully conduct yourself during life’s most trying moments, such as comforting a friend on the loss of a loved one or agreeing to help a family member who may be down on his luck.