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Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

MIND YOUR POSTURE At the event

You’re never born with it, you have to work at it.” That, in a nutshell, is Mumbai-based grooming and image consultant Chhaya Momaya’s mantra on looking graceful. And accordingly, she gave her captive audience of women tips on everything from how to enter a room and smile, to how to bend and pick up a dropped handkerchief during her recent interactive seminar on grooming secrets for the corporate woman organised by FICCI FLO.

Held at the Accord Metropolitan, the three-hour seminar seemed at times like a crash course from an old-fashioned finishing school. Tips such as “grace comes from sitting with your thighs together and your ankles crossed” and “being controlled in gestures and expression is the mark of a well-groomed lady” seemed right out of a Victorian handbook on being ladylike.

And yet, the packed hall full of professional women from the IT industry, hospitality sector, etc. listened in rapt attention, taking notes, going up on stage for demonstrations and asking several questions ranging from how to deal with ‘damp palms’ during handshakes to what colour nail polish works in a corporate context.

The talk itself covered a whole lot of ground, beginning with tips on how to carry oneself (“tummy tucked in at all times”) and social etiquette (how to shake hands, laugh and eat), and ending with a long session on personal hygiene and on fine dining rules.

The personal hygiene bits tended towards the too personal at times — covering bathing, innerwear, deodorant and the like — but Chhaya dealt with some common sense reminders. It’s the little things, she said, the neat and pressed clothes with no threads dangling, clean fingernails, neat shoes and well-maintained bags, that give a woman that extra touch of gloss. “It’s not anything any of you can’t do.”

And from there she went smoothly on to why white wine is served in different glasses from red wine, and how you hold a cognac glass, without skipping a beat. The talk was rather disjointed given the breadth of issues it dealt with, but it clearly struck a chord with the women present. This reporter certainly found herself tucking in her tummy and holding herself more erect as she left the room at the end of the talk.

Of course, in spite of all she covered in those three hours, Chhaya had barely scratched the surface when it came to all the ladies’ grooming needs, and three Chennai women of fashion and style stepped in to fill in some of the gaps — Jayashree provided tips on the use of make-up in the corporate environment, Chennai fashion guru Rehane on corporate fashion and Nina Reddy on fitness.

Through all the sessions that spilled well into the afternoon, the women in the audience remained enthusiastic—clearly, the professional women of Chennai are keen to gain that extra edge and this seminar by FICCI FLO was just what they were looking for.

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