"Manners"

5 August 2026

2 mins 53s

New rules.

When people visit places like Eltham Palace, audio guides tell them all about the structure's history, who lived there, and where the stopcock is. When women's fashion label Leny got the palace to itself, however, it had its own audio guide in mind—one about the oppressive standards of polite society and feminine etiquette across the decades.

Directed by Aisha Schliessler, 'Manners' draws inspiration from etiquette manuals that insisted women should not "wander about unaccompanied", "be ruled by romantic distractions", or "be seen holding a cigarette" (as "the gesture alone implies she possesses opinions"). Said gesture's as controversial now as it was then, to be honest!

So what do poet Anna Seidel and model Syrienna Singh make of this 'sound' advice? Are they happy to toe the line like the manual suggests? Are they hell. Styled by Leny founder Isabella Hoelk, they do the opposite of what narrator Chloë Elmore says at every turn. Manners are all well and good, the brand says, but not when they cramp your style.

UK

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