‘Of course, it’s not technically a disaster yet, but this early in the evening it could still go either way,’ she laughed. Ellie, revived from her secret country retreat, looked stunning in an impossibly snug, ankle-skimming, blue-velvet Donna Karan number. She was a picture of elegance and old money – which was perfect given the Richly Royal theme of this year’s Langholme Grammar Winter Soiree. The Winter Soiree (held in autumn, before it got too cold for skin-baring eveningwear) was a must on the school social calendar. It was intended as a friendly mixer, but was actually an intensive networking opportunity for mothers jostling for position on the Langholme Grammar social scene, and for dads keen to schmooze business contacts. The right outfit, an amusing anecdote and the occasional shrewd observation could cement invitations to all the best children’s parties and mean the difference between being relegated to the fairy-floss machine or serving high tea in pretty starched linen aprons at the school fete.
