Terms of address?

I have a preference for M'Lady ( as said by Parker) and Madam.

Mistress and Ma'am are good. But NEVER a christian name, or My 'real' name.

Initial approaches should be Ms as in My profile name, or Madam.

Sometime ago I worked in 'private banking' dealing with the accounts of the rich & famous.

Many of whom were titled . It was most pleasurable having to refer to clients such as for example [not real btw]

Lord Montague or Lady Deville & even a Commodore , Group Captain or Brigadier Commander on occassion.

Some of the names/titles where monumentally long but the situation warranted it.

It was most enjoyable & rewarding being of such service .

Sissy by name & sissy by nature

He [or she] , who is afraid to pick up the dice will never throw a six .

I am one of the few who lives what's called .....the Lowlife

Isn't it funny? Those people I know with real titles don't use them on a daily basis, and here I am, a commoner, demanding to be referred to as M'Lady!

i would politely concur with the above statement in that, addressing a Lady in a respectful manner is appropriate in both vanilla and Lifestyle contexts.

Having served a titled Lady who was also a Mistress, i can say She was very down to earth, but also expected basic manners towards Her, irrespective of the location.

As for those who insist on displaying their former military rank (Ret'd ) it is often the case that the ego outstrips the ability and thus their own inability to integrate into civilian life after they have left the Forces. To be treated with caution i would suggest. Disdain follows when the "do you know who I am?" phrase is uttered...as it invariably is when they fail to get their own way.

Following on from post my above & comments since..... It was , to a degree ,

the bank itself that laid down the rules of etiquette for addressing clients.

Some clients would offer an altenative form of address but that seeemed even stranger.

" Good Morning Sir John " " Oh just call me Mr Smith " Wierd .

Until you'd dealt with a client on a regular basis over time , it was , even then , very rare

that they'd suggest using a very informal mode of address .

Sissy by name & sissy by nature

He [or she] , who is afraid to pick up the dice will never throw a six .

I am one of the few who lives what's called .....the Lowlife