Last week, a rather extraordinary trend was created in the fashion world. Marc Jacobs, a man highly worshipped for his designs and highly notorious for his inability to do almost anything punctually, began his New York runway show (gasp) on time! One can only imagine the chaos that ensued. Stylists, socialites and press, relying on Jacobs’ temporal customs, arrived late to the show and were denied entry. Fits were thrown, apparently; threats made, I’d imagine, but Jacobs, who actually walked out onto the runway right before the show’s commencement and implored his guests to take their seats, was clear: Tardiness has fallen out of style.

This anecdote, taken at face value, lacks any relevance to a Georgetown student’s life, I’m sure. We live in a highly structured environment, in which almost every activity, every class is scheduled down to the last second. I have actually calculated how long it takes me every morning to walk from McCarthy to Saxbys to ICC (17 minutes). The idea of showing up to a class two hours late (the degree of tardiness Mr. Jacobs once employed at his fashion shows) is inconceivable — mostly because the class would be over — but I think you see my point.

Yet, in an industry renowned for bad manners, inappropriate expectations and overly inflated egos, Mr. Jacobs has made a profound statement, which extends far beyond the realm of fashion. Suddenly, class is back in vogue.

Instinctively, we seem to define style solely as the physical clothes that we wear. But our manners and our composure say much more about us than an expensive pair of shoes ever can. It actually pains me to hear a person forget a “please” or “thank you,” and after years of sitting at a dinner table with a father who physically winced every time someone spoke with their mouth full, Leo’s is a veritable mine field of disaster. Coco Chanel put it pretty succinctly when she commented, “When there is an incompatibility between the style and a certain state of mind, it is never the style that triumphs.”

I have rather recently been reminded, in various situations, that while you can take the Georgetown student out of high school, you can never take high school out of the Hoya. Drama and gossip, plagues I had rather hoped to have left behind two years ago, suddenly seem more ubiquitous at parties than Solo cups. And just because MTV has managed to build an entire reality television empire based on these two themes does not mean that we should follow suit.

More than any spring trend (florals and brights this year, by the way), a refresher course in etiquette can work wonders for your personal image. The Devil Wears Prada would have us believe that achieving a certain rank of style earns us the right to be rude and catty, but I do not believe any of us have attained that privilege. It turns out that your skill for causing dramatics reflects more poorly upon yourself than on anyone you could possibly gossip about, and it is never a good look for anyone.

So, when the show began, there were some gorgeous dresses on Marc Jacobs’ runway, but I am now politely encouraging you to see that his opening act of punctual respect turned more heads than any gown-clad model that evening. Thank you.

Caroline Smith is a sophomore in the College. She can be reached at smith@thehoya.com. The Hoya Wears Prada appears every other Friday in The guide.