Drusilla Beyfus
Drusilla Norman Beyfus is an English journalist and etiquette writer who is best known for her books on modern modes and manners.
Family
Beyfus was born in 1927 in Hampstead, London, England. She was educated at a private boarding school then attended finishing school as a young woman.Beyfus met the journalist, war historian and theatre critic Milton Shulman in 1951. After a long courtship, interrupted by her sojourn in America as an author and freelance writer, they married at Caxton Hall in Westminster, London, on 6 June 1956. They had three children, who grew up in Belgravia in Greater London:
- Alexandra Shulman, a journalist and the editor of British Vogue.
- Nicola Shulman, a model, biographer and the wife of Constantine Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby.
- Jason Shulman, a photographer, sculptor and magazine art director.
Career
After leaving finishing school, Beyfus began her writing career writing women's columns at the Reading Mercury and the Berkshire Chronicle. As a young journalist, 19 year old Beyfus was sent to Berlin in 1948 by the Daily Express to cover the Berlin blockade. In the 1960s, she contributed a chapter to Len Deighton’s London Dossier, a guide book to 'modern' London. She was later a features editor at Vogue.As an etiquette writer, Beyfus has contributed to over 60 different magazine and has published books on the topics of modes and manners.
Beyfus was also formerly a senior tutor at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design.
Publications (selected)
- 1968: The English Marriage: what it is like to be married today
- 1969: Lady Behave: a guide to modern manners for the 1970s
- 1985: The Bride's Book
- 1992: Courtship - The Done Thing: modern manners in miniature
- 1992: Modern Manners: the essential guide to living in the '90s
- 1992: Parties - The Done Thing: modern manners in miniature
- 1993: Business: the Done Thing
- 1993: Sex: the Done Thing
- 1994: Modern Manners: the complete guide to contemporary etiquette
- 2015: ''Vogue on Hubert de Givenchy''