When it comes to entering or exiting a car a lady makes sure that she does so with elegance and maintains her dignity. Luckily we have royal etiquette to help you cope with all situations.
Enter a car butt-first, then swing your legs in keeping knees and feet together. Exit a car the same way but in reverse. Swing both legs out together and only stand when you have both feet on the ground. Use correct etiquette to prevent anyone from seeing either up your skirt or down your blouse.
Entering and exiting a car as a lady is full of challenges. Not only are you at risk of exposure from beneath your skirt, but also down your top. Luckily I have you covered for every length of skirt/dress from a mini to a ball gown/wedding dress. Join me and learn everything from the basics of car etiquette all the way to those special occasions that are more complex.
Learn To Get Into A Car Properly First
When entering a car you are to keep your feet and knees together with your back to the car seat. Then you should sit back into your car seat. In other words, enter the car backside first and slide back onto the seat of the car.
Many guides talk about keeping your knees pressed together when getting into a car elegantly. I’m in total agreement that this is important but your main focus shouldn’t be on your knees.
The easiest way to ensure that your legs/knees stay together while maintaining your natural elegant posture is to focus on keeping your feet and toes pressed together. The next part is keeping the soles of your shoes facing down. By that, I mean that your shoes stay parallel with the ground when you lift them and swing your legs into the car.
Essential Etiquette For Exiting A Car
Etiquette for exiting a car elegantly begins before the door is even open. Remember that sitting in a car seat can easily cause your skirt to ride up your thighs especially if it is a shorter skirt. Therefore it is essential to check and straighten your skirt or dress before you open the door.
A good chauffeur will always open the door just a crack to check if you are ready for your door to be fully opened, especially if the car has tinted windows.
Prepare to exit by twisting slightly toward the door while keeping your knees and feet together. It should be a similar motion with your legs as when you do a Duchess Slant.
Open the door as far as you can stretch your arm, but without leaning out of the car to open the door. Even better yet, have your driver open the door for you.
Before you begin to exit the car, do a final check to make sure that you have your purse, phone, etc with you. The last thing that you want is to have to bend back into the car after you have gotten out and retrieve something you left behind and ruin the work you did to stay looking elegant.
Once the door is open and you have your belongings with you swivel your hips to face out of the door. I do this by leading the movement with my knees and letting my feet follow, making sure that I have lifted my feet enough to clear the sill of the car door.
Some guides talk about placing your outside foot on the ground first and then placing your inside foot next to it. I find it near impossible to keep my knees together if I put one foot down to the ground before the other. Instead, I bring my feet out of the car together keeping the soles of my shoes as parallel to the ground as I can.
Once I have swiveled my hips and upper body to face completely out of the car I will put both feet on the ground at the same time, keeping feet and toes pressed together.
Place your hands on the seat on either side of you to push yourself up and out of the car. If your driver offers a hand, place yours on theirs, palm down, so that you can press down on their band for leverage. Press down on the seat with your free hand.
Dip your head slightly as you get out. While showing your underwear is embarrassing, hitting your head against the door frame of the car on the way out feels even worse.
Make sure that you have your feet firmly on the ground and are standing up straight with good balance and posture before stepping away from the car.
If the pavement is uneven, or if there’s a curb right next to you, this first step can be a disaster if you are not fully in balance, especially if you’re in high heels.
How To Exit A Car In A Short Skirt
When you are wearing a short skirt you will need to be extra vigilant and make sure you follow the etiquette of exiting a car to the letter.
Despite all of your best efforts, there is still the risk that you could expose your underwear, especially if there is a gust of breeze as you are getting out of the car.
What I do is lift myself out of the car by pushing down on the seat with one hand while holding my purse on my lap with the other.
It is for moments such as these when there are so many factors beyond your control that you should ensure that your underwear is clean and pretty at all times, just in case.
Entering And Exiting A Car In A Long Skirt
When entering a car while wearing a long skirt or dress, smooth the skirt under you as you sit down. This is also important for shorter skirts that are loose-fitting as it prevents your skirt from bunching up at the back.
As you swing your legs into the car be sure to gather up any loose fabric of your skirt as well. This makes it much easier to straighten out your skirt once you are in the car and it also prevents any chance of your skirt getting caught in the door-jam when the car door closes.
Likewise, gather up the loose fabric of your longer or more loose-fitting skirt or dress before you swivel your legs out of the car when exiting. This prevents the skirt from riding up your legs as you swivel out of the car.
Once your legs are out of the car and you have placed both feet on the ground, take a moment to straighten your skirt before standing up to make sure that you don’t have any bunched-up fabric.
If it is breezy, hold onto any loose fabric of your skirt with one hand as you close the car door so that your skirt can’t get caught in the door-jam of the car.
Here is one final tip for getting out of a car wearing a long skirt with high heels. Be very careful that you don’t have one or both heels on the fabric of the back of your skirt. Standing up with a heel on the back edge of your skirt can easily rip the fabric or pull your skirt down.
Princess Diana’s Secret For Exiting A Car In A Low Cut Top
Princess Diana was famous for the exquisite formal dresses that she wore on countless formal events. Almost without exception, these formal dresses had relatively low-cut bodices.
These dresses presented a challenge as it meant that when she bent forward to exit a car it provided an opportunity for someone to be able to see down the front of her dress. The paparazzi knew this and were always there for the opportunity, cameras raised and ready.
Princess Diana has a stylish solution to this particular challenge. She held her signature clutch purse high to her chest whenever she exited a car and that blocked any possible view down the front of her dress.
The Secret To Exiting A Limousine Elegantly
Many limousines have doors that open in the opposite direction to that of a standard car. In this instance follow all of the etiquettes for entering and exiting a car elegantly with one notable exception.
Due to the angle and position of the door, you will enter and exit the car at an angle to the seat. This angle means that you do not need to pivot as far out of the car when exiting. This is very useful when wearing a long dress, particularly when it is slim-fitting.
How To Exit A Car In A Wedding Dress Or Ball Gown
When it comes to exiting the car/limousine on your wedding day don’t complicate your life by trying to do too much yourself. Before exiting the car hand your bouquet and any other accessories to your chauffeur.
Be careful of your hair/veil/tiara as you exit the vehicle. Place a hand gently and elegantly above the head to act as a guide of the headroom available.
Keep the train of your wedding gown on the floor of the car. Just gather up enough slack to be free of the train’s weight for when you swinging your legs out of the vehicle.
Stand up straight with good posture, wait and breathe. Allow your wedding team to do their job of collecting the train, check your makeup, and handing you back the bouquet. Smile for the “car exit” photo and the applause from your guests for the most graceful of car exits.
The same rules apply for when you are wearing a long ball gown to a formal event.
Hand all additional accessories to your chauffeur for collection once you are out of the vehicle. Retain your clutch purse to use as a cleavage bag the way Princess Diana did.
When wearing a formal ballgown be sure to keep the hem of your dress from touching the ground until you have stepped onto the red carpet with the assistance of your chauffeur.
When you get the chance you should really attend a wedding expo with a girlfriend or two. Often there are bridal limousine companies at the expo that have vehicles available for ladies to practice their wedding car exit. It is the perfect opportunity to perfect tour princess etiquette for entering and exiting various luxury cars.