如何穿得像个领导人？

如何穿得像个领导人？

“在一位密友的安排下，我得到机会在北京会见了金正恩。在这场简短的会面中，我问他能否把他的私人裁缝介绍给我，他同意了。到了平壤，金正恩的裁缝为我做了一套金正恩式的制服。”

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

corpulence肥胖，臃肿[ˈkɔːpjələns]

wig假发[wɪɡ]

oxymoron矛盾修饰法[ˌɒksɪ'mɔːrɒn]

abinitio从开始起；自始[ˌæb ɪˈnɪʃiəʊ]

rebuke斥责，指责[rɪ'bjuːk]

adamant强硬的，固执的['ædəmənt]

etiquette礼仪，礼节['etɪket]

bourgeois中产阶级的，追求名利的['bʊəʒwɑː]

How to dress like a Supreme Leader（730 words）

By David Tang

In a recent column you mentioned you briefly met Kim Jong Un. I have just returned from North Korea and would be fascinated to hear about your encounter with the Supreme Leader.

I was introduced to him in Beijing by a close friend of mine who buys a lot of vegetables from North Korea because he thinks they are the most uncontaminated vegetables in the world. Although the meeting was brief, I asked if the Supreme Leader could introduce me to his tailor. He did. When I subsequently went to Pyongyang, his tailor cut me a “Kim” suit: medium brown, with shirt sleeves and a centre zip, together with slightly flared trousers. The ensemble fitted quite well, and if I put a small pillow inside the jacket to create a prominent corpulence, I could look a bit like the man himself, with the help of a wig.

Timing and schedules are essential to any social occasion — “fashionably late” has always struck me as oxymoronic — but surely not sufficient to success? What are your essentials for hosting a successful dinner party?

It's inconsiderate of guests to arrive late especially for sit-down dinners, which really require being served together ab initio without any empty chairs. But we also know that on arrival there is always a lot of chit-chat and milling around. So if asked for 8pm, it is not too bad to arrive at 8.10pm or 8.15pm. I would often do that, not to be fashionable but sensible, because I find chit-chat tiresome before sitting down. Sometimes I know hosts who don't sit down until as late as 9pm and I tend to say no to those invitations.

In India, the Middle East or Spain, sit-down dinners don't really occur until 10.30pm or 11pm and I never formally accept them or I ask if I could attend in my pyjamas. I would certainly have some cup noodles before going because I find having to digest a large dinner late very uncomfortable.

The secret of a successful dinner is not to let it drag on. And make sure you always have one surprising guest: someone amusing such as Nigel Farage, Monica Lewinsky or Diane Abbott.

At a pub supper of some 20 people in a busy bar in Cornwall I was rebuked by a fellow lady diner for placing an empty wine bottle upside down in a wine cooler, this being deemed bad manners. She was adamant that I take it out, which I declined to do. This was a pub, not Claridge's; is she justified in her behaviour?

Bad manners involve being inconsiderate to others. I don't see how an upturned bottle could offend anyone. And why should there be a difference in behaviour between a pub and Claridge's? One could argue that the etiquette at Claridge's is unnecessarily bourgeois. Indeed, when the waiters there lay napkins over customers' thighs, they are doing something that is offensive to me. Or when they interrupt my conversation to ask if I want “still or sparkling” water, which is the most annoying question one could be asked. So tell your lady friend to grow up and stop pretending to be classy. And tell her, turning the bottle upside down sends a clear signal that the bottle is empty and saves the face of the host for not having ordered another bottle straightaway.

My half-century birthday is coming soon. What suggestions, on a more limited budget, do you have to bring fun and elegance to the day? Are there special pieces of music? What other ideas might you have?

On a budget, always go for “bring a bottle”. That's fair for everyone and you can top it up with whatever extra bottles you can buy. The main attention should be on providing a space with tables and chairs and not an empty space just for dancing. Seating on small round tables creates a cabaret atmosphere. Get some loud and familiar music going. I like DJs who are not too clever: the standard Beatles and even the Carpenters or Abba are always good. All the old hot tracks like “I Will Survive” or “YMCA” guarantee a flowing group of dancers, of all ages. And NO overhead lighting. All lights must come from sconces, up-lights or table lamps. Don't forget to bring in sausage rolls at about 10pm. That's when people begin to feel famished.