Style As Substance
Lessons in entertaining from Wallis Simpson, hospitality’s most meticulous student.
“I have always had the courage for the new things that life sometimes offers.” -Wallis Simpson
March held big news for Royal Watchers - the French Government signed a contract to restore the luxury home in western Paris where former British King Edward VIII lived with his wife Wallis Simpson after abdicating the throne in 1936. It will become a public museum, with an opening timed to coincide with the 2024 Paris Olympics. Always held in private hands, the historic residence is sure to be a popular destination with a cafe and restaurant on site and complimentary admission.
While much has been written about the former King and his American spouse, their domestic life was only ever known to a small sphere. Despite the passage of time, that private story continues to fascinate the public. Those who received invitations to the home were in for quite a unique experience.
The Duchess of Windsor approached entertaining systematically, laboriously, carefully and seriously. Enveloped in the luxury of her French mini-palace, she’d correct the staff for the tiniest of infractions, noticing when porcelain objets d’art had been moved even a fraction of an inch. During dinner parties she’d keep a tiny gold pencil and notepad near her plate, to record missteps like a dish not being served at its optimal temperature, or plated portions varying too much in size.
Perhaps Wallis’ obsession with detail and bent toward self-improvement were vital. As a “commoner” and outsider marrying the abdicated King of England, the challenge she faced was enormous: recreate the domestic experience of British royalty on a fraction of the budget. Saddled with the clinging tendencies of her third and last husband, as well as the animosity of millions of British subjects who blamed her for stealing their king, it couldn’t have been easy.
By the accounts of all who knew her, she succeeded, becoming a role model for those who seek to entertain at the zenith of elegance, glamour and sophistication. Through sheer determination, Wallis, as much as any other of her century, elevated domestic living, dressing, travel and entertaining into art.
Her Philosophy of Entertaining
Wallis’ entertaining style was thoughtful and lavish. According to Charles Higham, author of The Duchess of Windsor, Wallis had “the old-fashioned American instinct that nothing must be left undone for the comfort of her guests. She aimed to ensure that everything they might want they should have, that everything they saw should be pleasing to the eye, that every implement and material should be of the best, and that the food and drink they ate should be exceptional.”
In the Duke and Duchess’ Paris home, attention to detail and indulgence were taken to extremes. White arum lilies banked each step of the sweeping entry staircase, a profusion of precious objects covered every available surface, and each room had its own distinct perfume, diffused with a burner carefully hidden out of sight. If you’d visited before, your favorite drink would have been noted and wordlessly presented to you upon arrival by a white gloved butler on a silver tray.
When Vogue photographer Horst P. Horst went to shoot the home in 1963, he said "It is hard to believe that there can ever have been an interior more surpassingly clean, where crystal was more genuinely scintillating and porcelain more luminous, or where wood and leather, polished to the consistency of precious stone, could more truthfully be said to shine."
The thoughtful touches didn’t stop at the candlelit dining room – overnight guests’ evening clothes were pressed and laid out precisely on the bed with cufflinks and shirt studs in place; staff tore rolls of toilet paper into neat square stacks. Even the Windsor’s five pugs dined grandly, with fresh baked dog biscuits and dinner in sterling silver bowls.
“There was lovely linen on the beds, it was all terribly comfortable and a feeling of being tended to,” said guest Anne Slater.
Avant-Garde Aesthetics
Merely comforting her guests was not enough for Wallis. She needed to inspire them and earn their respect. This she accomplished through consistency, originality, creativity and endless experimentation.
A rule-breaker by nature and unconfined by the attitudes of the British upper class, Wallis introduced the element of surprise to her meals and social gatherings. Her culinary innovations delighted and sometimes startled. “Nobody in France had ever served the cold cuts with hot potatoes in their jackets and meat jelly on its own in that way. It seemed wonderfully original,” said guest Ghislaine de Polignac.
A strong self-concept allowed Wallis to challenge social conventions. She introduced novel cocktails and hors d’oeuvres to a French culture that frowned on snacking between meals.
“The duchess has none of the American woman’s timidity about her appearance or lack of assurance about her own personality,” reflected her long-time hairdresser Antoine in his memoirs. “The American woman is full of charm but does not understand her full capacities. That is not true of the Duchess of Windsor, who understands herself and her needs well and seems quite without timidity in any aspect of her life. Although she never forgot the public at large, she dressed and made herself beautiful mainly to please herself.”
World-class gatherings cannot allow monotony. Wallis had little tolerance for bores. She once voiced her social philosophy, “If you accept a dinner, you have a moral engagement to be amusing.” Wallis would encourage lively conversation by volleying a question or comment that would spark a lively debate and engage the table. She’d pull droll faces or make outlandish statements, teasing and flattering to attain the proper atmosphere.
While British royal gatherings tended to be stuffy and proper, the Duke and Duchess favored a fun, lighthearted environment. Wallis once wrote to her Aunt Bessie and described a visit by the then Prince of Wales, where he played the bagpipes, stood on his head and stayed up until three in the morning.
The Duchess of Windsor is buried next to the Duke of Windsor, Edward VIII at the Frogmore estate, adjoining Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England.
Barbara Wayman is the author of Living An Extraordinary Life: 9 Transformational Strategies to Live Your Best Life Now.