Dear Mary… | 5 August 2006

Q. I am worried. I have to attend the banquet of a livery company so senior that white tie is the order of the day. I am now over 70 years old. My son-in-law, slenderer by far than me, has inherited my tailcoat. My hunt coat appears regularly at hunt balls, but is now worn, oh so elegantly, by a Joint Master, more my junior than I care to recall. I am staying at my club for the great night. I am not too concerned by the members. It’s the staff that worries me. You know what snobs club servants can be. When I enter the club with Moss Bros emblazoned all over the plastic suit cover, will I receive that look of cold contempt from the Hall Porter from which even the hardiest member shrinks? How can I avoid being made to feel so socially inadequate? Suggestions please, dear Mary.
A.D.,