The Art of Southern Charm

by Patricia Altschul, Deborah Davis

Overview

From Patricia Altschul, breakout star of Bravo’s hit reality show Southern Charm, comes a lifestyle guide as refreshing and fun as a gin martini.

“Patricia on #SouthernCharm, like lookin’ in the damn mirror. Cheers queen.” —Lady Gaga

Fan-favorite Bravolebrity Patricia Altschul presents fans her coveted opus on etiquette and the glamorous Southern lifestyle. With the poise of a true grande dame, Patricia provides advice on every situation, from hosting a memorable cocktail party, to handling a drunken boor at the dinner table, to delivering the perfectly phrased insult—like her now iconic “shameless strumpet.” The Art of Southern Charm takes readers inside the world of Charleston’s most enchanting matriarch, who (with Michael the Butler) offers a blueblood’s blueprint for curating and celebrating life at its best.

“Some viewers might watch the Bravo reality show Southern Charm to witness the escapades of Charleston's young elite, but at T&C we watch just to see Patricia Altschul in action…She's the show's resident expert in decorum, manners, and entertaining….” —Emily Selter, Town & Country

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635766035
Publisher:	Diversion Books
Publication date:	04/16/2019
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	475,400
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Patricia Altschul has been featured in publications including Vogue, Town & Country, Architectural Digest, People; and she is the surprise break-out star of the Bravo hit reality series, Southern Charm. Wise, cultivated, elegant, and funny, Patricia is a consummate hostess and a lifestyle icon whose unique combination of class and sass has endeared her to fans of all ages.


Patricia has earned her status as a preeminent tastemaker. She received her Master’s Degree from George Washington University, where she lectured on Art History. She was a highly-successful art advisor who also amassed her own art collection and has served on the board of the New York Historical Society and other institutions. In addition to being an academic and a philanthropist, she has done a life-long tour-of-duty at the top of the social ladder in Washington, D.C., Oyster Bay, and on Manhattan’s storied Fifth Avenue, where she observed—and ultimately dictated—the modern-day rules of civility. Patricia, who really puts the “social” in social networking, has a glorious brain, the best legs, a killer sense of humor, and expertly curates every aspect of her life.

Deborah Davis is the author of eight books, including Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X, Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball, Gilded: How Newport Became the Richest Resort in America, The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy, Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner that Shocked a Nation, which won the prestigious Phillis Wheatley Award for best work of History in 2013, and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, Fabritius and the Goldfinch, which Amazon named one of the Best Books of 2014, and The Trip: Andy Warhol's Plastic-Fantastic Cross-Country Adventure.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Becoming Patricia 5

How to be Lovely 35

Diet 38

Exercise 42

Gilding the Lily 42

The Ritual Bath 46

Best Dressed 49

Casual 52

Cocktails and Evenings Out 52

Stockings or No Stockings? 55

When Did You Buy That Bra? 55

Caftans 56

Ask the Expert: Cathy Horyn 59

The Perfect Fit 61

Accessories and the Fur Flip 61

Tiaras 63

Jewelry 64

Gloves 65

Monograms and Family Crests 66

Decoding the Dress Code 67

Maintaining Your Wardrobe 69

Traveling in Style 71

Let's Behave 75

Here Are a Few of My Favorite Things… 80

And My Least Favorite Things… 82

And Then There's the End of Western Civilization… 83

Smart is the New Sexy 85

How You Speak Says it All 87

Getting it Write 90

An Up-to-date Contact List 91

A Stationery Wardrobe 91

Reading is More Fun than Sex 95

What's in My Kindle? 96

Like, Love, Marriage…and Everything in Between 99

Ask the Expert: Carson Kressley 105

A Fine Showmance 112

When You Think You've Found the Right One …Think Again and Again! 114

Ask the Expert: Georgette Mosbacher 116

Setting the Stage 119

Bedrooms 128

Ask the Expert: Michael Kelcourse 130

The Light on the Piazza 131

The Collector in You 132

Finding Your Style 136

Ask the Expert: Mario Buatta 136

Good Housekeeping 139

Organization 144

Ask the Expert: Joan DiPietro 145

Let Me Entertain You 147

Raising the Bar 152

The Infamous Dressing Drink 154

Dinner Parties 157

Ask the Expert: Carolyne Roehm 162

The Return of the Cocktail Party 169

Ask the Expert: Katie Lee 171

Everybody into the Pool (Especially Shep) 176

Entertaining on Holidays and Special Occasions 181

Easter 189

Horse Sense for a Kentucky Derby Party 190

Patricia's Party Recipes 193

A Good Ol' Southern Crab Feast 198

The Hostess Gift-Go Beyond the Candle 201

My Life Right Now 205

Pet Tales 207

The Reality of Reality Television 213

Acknowledgments 223

Editorial Reviews

"Patricia on #SouthernCharm, like lookin' in the damn mirror. Cheers queen." ---Lady Gaga

From the Publisher