RULES OF PROTOCOL AND ETIQUETTE

Properly dressed woman in diplomacy and business

Women's clothing in diplomatic and business community should be carefully selected according to the occasion and, as a rule, it should be classic and decent. Choosing the appropriate attire is more demanding for women than men, due to a wider selection of clothing including dresses, two-piece skirt suits and suits of different colours.

Basic rule ‘'the later, the darker'', as we noted in the rules for men, is altered for women into ‘'the later, the more formal''. Of course, the event at which one participates is very important, but in any case, whatever the occasion, festive or less festive, the rule applied is "the simpler, the more elegant''. In diplomacy or business world, a woman will not strictly follow the fashion, but will adapt it to the rules of proper dress that is expected of her. For example, if a dress with one naked shoulder is fashionable, this dress will certainly not be appropriate for any event that she might attend.

Striking colours and patterns should be avoided

If the invitation requests dark suite, it requires a selection of festive dress, two-piece skirt suits or suits, which are not necessarily black or another dark colour. For example, it can be a silk dress with a pattern of discreet colours, but I would never suggest very colourful attire or bright colours for evening occasions. Since women in this community generally socialize in the same circles, striking colours and patterns should be avoided. They are noticeable and at one of the following events can cause comments that she is wearing the same dress again. Certainly, this will not happen if we wear clothes in neutral colours (black, blue, gray) and we can provide diversity with details such as jewellery, scarves and purses.

Skirts and dresses should be neither too short nor too tight, since in this case, the nonverbal communication will send a different message from what we want, same as if we wear high thin heels. The shortest length that can be worn in the diplomatic and business community is the Chanel length, that is, half the knee-length. However, it is more advisable to cover the knees, due to a principle to show what is nice, and hide what is not, and since woman rarely have really nice knees, it is better to cover them. Another reason is that while sitting in a shorter dress, or bending, the fabric will withdraw and expose a part of clothing that is not to be seen since, as its name suggests, it is the "underwear."

Make sure that the cleavage does not expose too much

Exposing too much of your body is not tasteful and is inappropriate except on special, very festive occasions that presuppose cleavage garments (balls). We will choose back or chest cleavage depending on which better suits us. Still, you should make sure that the cleavage does not expose too much, because this is allowed only in entertainment business. On such occasions, it is allowed to wear a sleeveless dress, which is generally not appropriate and if you choose one, it should be supplemented by a jacket, bolero or a scarf that will cover bare shoulders, as well as long gloves. Clothes with sequins, shiny fabrics or strass are not to be worn before 6 p.m. Either way, a little black dress, a black suit with white details and a dark blue suit or dress, are clothes with which we will never go wrong and can be appropriate in any occasion.

Little Black Dress is a must-have in every woman's wardrobe - it can be worn during the day, on events or very festive occasions, with the addition of vivid details, belt, jewellery or shawl. White colour is a summer exclusive, suitable for morning teas and daily lunches. It could be worn after 6 p.m., but in less formal receptions because white is not a festive colour, except for First Communion, Confirmation and weddings. White, along with yellow and red colour, will not be appropriate for the audience with the Holy Father. For this audience I would recommend the black, dark blue or dark gray with white details, long sleeves and no cleavage clothes. Red colour is reserved for kings and can not be worn at receptions they are hosting. In religious institutions, especially during the service, women may not have their legs crossed. This is extremely rude.

10 golden rules

1. Women's Hair should always be clean and neatly combed, and if dyed roots should not be showing. Make-up should be discreet, without too many layers of powder and blush. Eyes and lips should be stressed. Lipstick is almost obligatory in any occasion, since it creates a distance between interlocutors. It is advisable not to choose bright colours. Lipstick should be stable, not to leave trace on cups and glasses, because it is not tasteful and can be considered squeamish. At high temperatures in particular, one should pay attention to the quality of makeup to avoid smearing. Make up is never touched up in a public place, especially not at the table, but in appropriate indoors facilities, away from the eyes of persons present. As with men, piercing, tattoos and chewing gums are not allowed.

2. Sleeveless clothes are generally not allowed.

3. Jewellery should be decent, avoid costume jewellery. Do not put on more than two pieces of jewellery, to avoid resembling a Christmas tree. Earrings are the most noticeable jewellery on a woman and therefore, especially on morning and daily occasions, should not be too flashy. We can put one earring on each ear. Pearl necklaces are certainly something that can be recommended, as they can be worn on all occasions, day and night, even at funerals and if we are in mourning, when one usually does not wear jewellery except personal pieces - wedding and engagement rings and First Communion or Confirmation necklaces. One should not wear too many rings at once, because in the nonverbal communication this marks defensiveness and insecurity.

4. Stockings should be neat, not worn out and in accordance with the colour of clothes, the best are skin colour stockings (in which case a shade or two darker), blue, gray and black. Women in diplomatic and business community will never choose mesh or pattern stockings. If you decide to wear seamed stockings, you should be careful because it can be difficult to keep the back seam straight. On especially festive occasions stockings are obligatory even at + 40 degrees Celsius. Women are expected to wear stockings on all official occasions. It is advisable to have a spare pair at hand.

5. Shoes or sandals are always closed toe, so the toes are never visible. If we are invited to a beach gathering, we will not wear stockings and closed toe sandals, but we will make sure that the clothes are not too revealing and we will preferably choose a one piece swimming suit over a bikini than we might wear otherwise. As well as clothes, we will choose shoes in a way that we feel comfortable and look pretty, so we are in no way burdened by them and do not have to think about them. We will not wear mules, rope-soled shoes or worn out shoes, while running shoes are appropriate only for excursions and sport.

6. Artificial, long, polished and bright coloured fingernails are better suited for entertainment than for business and diplomatic world.

7. A woman must always have a purse. It is an integral part of her clothing. For ceremonial occasions smaller purses are more appropriate and for daily occasions they can be sized according to wishes and needs. You are free to choose the colour of your bag. In the evening, apart from discreet colours, they may be silver and gold. There is always a cotton handkerchief in the purse. Paper handkerchiefs are not to be used in public.

8. Lady's hat is worn only up to 6 p.m. If we decide on a hat, we have to know that we put it at home and take it off at home, even in winter. A woman does not take off her hat in public. During a daily event, we should ensure that in some situations the hat is not obscuring the view to people who sitting behind us. In that case, we will choose a smaller hat. We should make sure that the hat is in subtle colours, appearance and size, except for horse racing in Ascot where the prestige is determined by spectacular hats.

9. If we decide to wear gloves we have to know that they can restrain us in many ways. While handshaking, a women may or may not take off the glove. The basic rule is ‘'glove with a glove''. She can take it off if shaking a hand of a person who has no gloves - it will be a nice gesture. We never drink or eat wearing a glove and if we are at a ball, gloves are taken off when the welcome drink is served.

10. In diplomacy and business one should avoid wearing fur and leather, because we could find ourselves in an embarrassing situation if we encounter someone who is a big animal rights supporter. However, if you do wear fur, you should know that it is worn in the period between All Saints Day and Easter. Beyond that period, only entertainers wear it.