Knowing When to Leave the Party

Image via New York Magazine

As the holiday season winds down, and the New Year starts to unfold, we've probably seen enough parties to last us until December 2012. And, surely, there have been some that were grand and you wished would never end...or others that you wished you had declined. No matter which one you find yourself in, there is always a question of how to make a graceful exit.

Knowing when to leave a party is as much of an art as throwing one. You don't want to make your goodbyes while it's in full-swing...or be the straggler being waltzed out the door. The answer can be simple if the party has a clearly defined timeline ("Cocktails from 5 to 8!"), or if you have another obligation to make (a second celebration, an early morning, or a child-minder to relieve). I tend to do one of two things: Make a quiet goodbye (making sure to at least thank the host and wave to a friend or two) before slipping out as unnoticed as possible; or, (especially if the party is hosted by a dear chum) stay 'til the bitter end and the last remnant of the party is in the recycle bin.

You know it's been a good night if you're elbow-deep in soap suds at 4 AM, cleaning the good crystal.

Everyone has a bit of advice to give on when to leave a party. Here's a hilariously serious video on the matter by the Brits at VideoJug.com:



But, of course, it merely comes down to instinct and common sense: Leave while you're still enjoying the night and before you'll regret anything in the morning...which is usually around midnight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The party for Project Elegance has been over for quiet some time, but it was one that was so enjoyable, it was too hard to leave. And so I stayed longer than necessary. The purpose of this blog was two-fold: 1) To celebrate the elegance of eras gone by while bringing that sophistication into our modern, hectic lives; and 2) Getting Miss Jenn into blogging (which she does beautifully at FourSeeds). There's a desire to keep going, but not really the time. The focus is elsewhere. So (at least for now), I bid you adieu.

The Facebook page will continue with fun posts and related articles. And, who knows? Maybe there will be another infusion of elegance down the road.

There is much I get to take away from this project: A new perspective on living a beautiful life; a deep love of aprons and gloves (especially those I left in that Manhattan cab); learning to glide and finding my stride. But all the while knowing that elegance is not pretense. It is not something one puts on for the benefit of others. Elegance is something you imbue only for yourself. Elegance should not take away from who you are (yes, I still drop an F-bomb on occasion and have a dark and bawdy sense of humor), but enhance your best qualities. Elegance starts with being comfortable in your own skin.

Thank you so much for being a part of Project Elegance, for sharing your insights and making it such a lovely time. Here's to you, darlings! Wishing you an extraordinarily elegant New Year worthy of celebrating every day! *clink* xo