Q. On arrival at a house in London for a
private dinner party the other night, the guests were asked to remove their shoes as they walked through the front door in order to protect our hosts' new pale-blond wallto-wall carpeting. The men were perfectly happy to do this, but I was wearing a reasonably elegant evening outfit and, since I am not tall, the effect of having to take off my high heels was that I then looked rather dumpy. Would you say my hostsrequest was unreasonable?
CN., Shropshire A. Yes. It is essentially anti-hospitable to make your guests feel, on arrival, as though they are harbingers of hygiene risk. Hosts who are obsessive about their carpets must compromise by visiting John Bell & Croyden and stocking up on quantities of cheap plastic overshoes as used by medical personnel in operating theatres. Requiring guests to wear these over their existing shoes will serve two purposes. It will mean that no guest suffers a symbolic loss in status along with their height. The diktat will also inevitably unite the guests. The uniform of overshoes will act as a social glue, helping to promote a spirit of mild anarchy of guests against hosts, which will ultimately help the party to go with more of a swing.
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