A sense of Ritual in European Aristocratic Life: The Etiquette of afternoon Tea

In Pride and Prejudice, the aristocracy seems to have endless afternoon teas and endless balls.Exquisite tea set, fragrant aroma, delicious snack, melodious music… The afternoon tea of European aristocrats has long satisfied people’s fancy of elegant leisure time.Afternoon tea was so important to the aristocracy that there was an English saying: “When the clock strikes four, all the world stops for tea”.The aristocratic way of socializing.

At the very beginning, “afternoon tea” was a “luxury” appearance, and the beginning of the brand of nobility.England’s Queen Victoria believed that afternoon tea was a good way to relieve stress and experience life.The ladies of the upper society were very keen on social activities, so “afternoon tea” became a popular trend in the aristocratic social circle. Ladies could wear beautiful clothes and have a chat with their relatives. It became a new way of socializing, and sometimes men would join in.

The custom of afternoon tea.

Of course, for European nobles who always pay great attention to etiquette and dress on various occasions, afternoon tea is an important social occasion, etiquette is indispensable.

First of all, a formal afternoon tea party needs to be prepared a month in advance so that guests can give replies. Invitations also need to be written in advance and stamped with family crest before they can be sent out. Guests need to reply to the host within 40 hours of receiving the invitation. For example, from the overall environment, music and flowers are also essential, to classical beauty, melody will be melodious and elegant, flowers will be Qingfen fragrance.

In addition, aristocrats attending the afternoon tea ceremony in social places also need to pay attention to dress and collocation.

Especially for the ladies, they play an important role in the “afternoon tea”. Usually, the afternoon tea party is not without the assistance of servants, but the hostess must host and serve the guests herself, which shows the respect to the guests and is also a good time to show the hostess’s demeanor and taste.

Once upon a time, during an elaborate afternoon tea in a castle of the German aristocracy of the last century, men would wear a tuxedo and women would wear a cocktail dress or long skirt, elaborate gloves and hats. When it came to matching jewelry, their favorite fashion item was artisan jewelry made by Meyer Workshop (once a legendary jewelry workshop for the German aristocracy, run by the Meyer family). They wore luxurious gowns, paired with unique jewelry and watches made by the Meyer family.

The Meyer workshop is the precursor to Vinsbah, the “wrist upstart” wrist treasure favored by today’s elite. Inheritance and innovation up to now, wrist treasure Vinsbah DOF6 series still continues this engraved jewelry ingenuity art gene, further the charm of jewelry and the shape of the perfect combination of watches, jewelry is also a watch, suitable for a variety of occasions, but also the harvest of many loyal customers.