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The social season or Season has historically referred to the annual period when it is customary for members of the a social elite of society to hold debutante balls, dinner parties and large charity events. It was also the appropriate time to be resident in the city rather than in the country, in order to attend such events. In London society, the Season traditionally began after Easter and ended with the "Glorious Twelfth", the start of the shooting season for red grouse. ^[1]

Contents 1 The Season in London 2 Events in the London Season 2.1 Arts 2.2 Horticulture 2.3 Equestrianism 2.4 The Crown 2.5 Sport 2.6 Dress Codes 3 The Season in the United States 4 The Season in literature and popular culture 5 Further reading 6 External links 7 References

[edit] The Season in London

The London social season evolved in the 17th and 18th centuries, and in its traditional form it peaked in the 19th century. In this era the British elite was dominated by landowning aristocratic and gentry families who generally regarded their country house as their main home, but spent several months of the year in the capital to socialise and to engage in politics. The most exclusive events were held at the town mansions of leading members of the aristocracy; exclusive public venues such as Almack's played a secondary role. The Season coincided with the sitting of Parliament and began some time after Christmas and ran until midsummer (ie. around late June). The social season also played a role in the political life of the country: the members of the two Houses of Parliament were almost all participants in the season. But the Season was also a chance for the children of marriageable age of the nobility and gentry to be launched into society. Women were formally introduced into society by presentation to the monarch at Court.

Today there is no official organization of the Season although many of the traditions and customs remain. The traditional Season went into decline after the First World War, when many aristocratic families gave up their London mansions. From this time on an increasing number of society events took place at public venues, making it harder to maintain social exclusivity. Many events that take place far from central London came to be regarded as part of the social season, e.g. Royal Ascot and the Henley Regatta. The presentation of débutantes at court was abolished by Queen Elizabeth II in 1958. The events which now comprise the London social Season are increasingly hosted or sponsored by large companies (ie. "corporate hospitality"). Dress codes still apply to certain events in the season, especially where The Queen plays an official role.

According to the peerage guide Debrett's, the traditional Social Season runs from April to August. Traditional Season, Debrett's

[edit] Events in the London Season

[edit] Arts

Edinburgh Festival — Glyndebourne — The Proms — Royal Academy Summer Exhibition — West End theatre

[edit] Horticulture

Chelsea Flower Show

[edit] Equestrianism

Royal Ascot — Glorious Goodwood — Badminton — The Grand National — The Royal Windsor Horse Show — The Epsom Derby

[edit] The Crown

Trooping the Colour — The Garter Service

[edit] Sport

The Boat Race — Henley Royal Regatta — Polo — Wimbledon — Cowes Week — The Lord's Test Match

Although several of these events are not actually held in London, such as the Hurlingham Polo Cartier International at Guards Polo Club, the organisers of most events attempt to avoid date clashes, so it is generally possible to visit all of them in the same year (given sufficient leisure time, disposable income and stamina).

The traditional end of the London Season is the Glorious Twelfth of August, which marks the beginning of the shooting season. Society would retire to the country to shoot birds during the autumn and hunt foxes during the winter, before coming back to London again with the spring.

[edit] Dress Codes

Many events of the season have traditional expectations with regard to dress. "Getting it wrong" is regarded as a cardinal sin and a serious social 'faux pas'.

• At Royal Ascot, for example, hats are a must and to be admitted to the Royal Enclosure for the first time one must either be a guest of a member or be sponsored for membership by a member who has attended at least four times. This continues to maintain a socially exclusive character to the Enclosure. If you are permitted to enter the Royal Enclosure, Gentlemen are required to wear black or grey morning dress complete with a waistcoat and top hat - never worn, as it is inappropriate for a Gentleman to wear a hat in the presence of the Sovereign. Ladies must not show bare midriffs or shoulders and must wear hats or they will be excluded.^[2]
• At Henley Royal Regatta, in the Stewards' Enclosure Gentlemen must wear a jacket and tie. Rowing Club colours on a blazer or cap are encouraged, as is the wearing of Boaters and Ladies skirt hems must be below the knee and are checked before entry by the Stewards' Officers. Hats are encouraged but not required for ladies. ^[3] When a student protested being denied entry to the Stewards' Enclosure for failing to meet the dress code, saying she had worn the dress "in the Royal Enclosure at Ascot and nobody said anything", a spokesman defended the dress code, saying "The intention is to maintain the atmosphere of an English Garden party of the Edwardian period by wearing a more traditional dress."^[4] Members must display their enamel badges at all times. Anyone found using a cell phone is asked to leave immediately and their Stewards' Enclosure host (identified by the number on the guests badge) may have their membership withdrawn as a result. 

• At Polo matches it is usual for Gentlemen to wear a blazer and always white trousers and Ladies should only wear flat shoes, as the tradition of 'treading in the divots' precludes wearing heels. The famous Club House at Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park is what it says: for Club members only (who wear individually made gold and enamel badges) and is strictly enforced. Members' guests are given special gold embossed tags.

Obviously, public displays of drunkenness at any of the Society or social season events is "not the done thing" and usually results in "social exclusion".

[edit] The Season in the United States

Many large American cities have a more-or-less official social season, although only those persons on the social register may be aware of its existence. In the US, timing of the social season is adapted to the climate, rather than to the sitting of Congress and may start as early as the autumn and end in the early summer when the rich elite traditionally fled the hot and humid cities for the camps of the Adirondacks, seaside retreats such as the Hamptons, or, in California, the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

In New York, the opening of the Metropolitan Opera in September is a major event of the early social season; in Los Angeles, it is the Las Madrinas debutante ball; in San Francisco, the Opening Night Gala of the San Francisco Opera.

[edit] The Season in literature and popular culture

A London Season features in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility and is often a key plot device in Regency romance novels.

Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence uses the New York social season as a backdrop for its story.

Julian Fellowes's Past Imperfect takes place during the 1968 Season in London.

In the 2003 film What a Girl Wants (film), Lord Henry Dashwood invites his new found daughter Daphne to attend the London Season

The 2004 movie White Chicks takes place in The Hamptons for the end of the American Social Season

The 2009 young-adult novel, The Season, by Sarah MacLean portrays a young woman entering her first London Season

[edit] Further reading

• Florence Adele Sloane (ed. Louis Auchincloss): Maverick in Mauve: Diary of a Romantic Age, Doubleday, 1983.
• Kate Simon: Fifth Avenue: A Very Social History, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978.

[edit] External links

• The London Season website
• The London Season by Michelle Jean Hoppe
• Debrett's Social Season (click 'The Season')
• Society Guys ('The Social Season')
• New York's Social Elite Today
• Late Victorian/Edwardian London Season

[edit] References