Balissande Finishing School is a school of refinement, teaching the types of savoirs needed to navigate societies in which knowledge of basic etiquette rules is not enough. It is a modern adaptation to traditional finishing schools of the past. It cuts through barriers and brings finishing school into the world of technology – accessible anywhere, anytime, by anyone.

Descendants of politicians; attendees of political, corporate, and art gatherings; hostesses of royalty, politicians, diplomats, presidents and vice-presidents — Balissande is a team of professionals, the finest in the fields of etiquette, travel, fashion, art, savoir-faire and savoir-vivre. Their varied experiences and curation skills bring Balissande Finishing School high levels of sophistication and insight. Together they work to teach the importance of social etiquette and multi-cultural understanding. They also work to prepare students for their roles as professionals, role models and leaders.

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Balissande Finishing School was founded by the daughter of a Minister of the Interior and President of the National Assembly. From childhood, she was taught by her mother and teachers les savoirs needed to socialize as the daughter of a high-ranking politician who met royalty, presidents, ministers, diplomats, deputies and congressmen from around the world during his political career.

She grew up attending private school and was briefly enrolled in a boarding school in France before relocating to the United States where she attended university and obtained her Ph.D.

After she graduated, she traveled around the US, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. She did multiple road trips — from genteel Paris to the Promenade de la Croisette in Cannes to the charming cobblestone streets of Rome. She studied 6 languages, and a world of arts and dances.

In the 1990s, she decided to share her love for life and her passion for beauty. She began by teaching deportment and les savoirs to directors and administrators in the hospital industry. She became an art collector and seller. Two decades later, she opened Balissande Finishing School to continue her role as teacher and mentor, online.

Our founder’s goal has always been to discover the finer things of life and master the art of living… la dolce vita.

“All the paintings and architecture, all the sounds and movement, all the palm trees and blue skies, the sunrises and sunsets, all my explorations of distant lands… everything that I saw, all that I admired, all that I felt, made me who I am.”

March 2023: New articles are here!

August 2022: The Winter Holidays are quickly approaching and Covid lockdowns have come to an end for the majority of people around the world. So, if you want to attend or host semi-formal and formal winter holiday events this winter, now is the time to enroll in the 17-Week Finishing School Program. If you are a former student and need a refresher, please do not hesitate to enroll in one of our programs. If you want a shorter refresher program, please contact us here. We will create a custom program for you. Our doors are always open to new and former students.

July 2022: We will be closing our social media accounts this month. If you need to contact us, please do so via this website. If you are a student, you can contact us directly via the email we have provided you.

March 2022: The 11-Week Finishing School Program and the 17-Week Finishing School Program are open again for enrollment.

January 2022: We are no longer accepting students for our 11-Week and 17-Week finishing programs. Programs will re-open in about a month. Thank you for your patience.

November 2021: We will be slowing our activity on social media this month. If you need to contact us, please do so via this website. If you are a student, you can contact us directly via the email we have provided you.

October 2021: The 11-Week Finishing Program and the 17-Week Finishing Program are now available for enrollment.

April 2021: Due to popular requests, we have created luxury shopping guides for ladies interested in adding elegant and sophisticated items to their wardrobe this spring. You can find the guides here. If you have any other requests, please let us know.

February 2021: The 16-Week Finishing School program is now available for enrollment.

December 2020: Balissande Finishing School will open again for enrollment during the first week of December. As before, we will only allow enrollment in limited quantities, on a first come first basis.

November 2020: Announcement… changes on the way!

June 2020: The 12-Week Elite Deportment course is now available for enrollment.

May 2020: Balissande Finishing School is temporarily closed. We are sorry for the inconvenience. We wish all of you health and happiness during this challenging time.

August 2019: The 10-Week Deportment course is now available for enrollment.

August 2019: We discontinued our older courses and will be bringing you new ones soon.

May 2019: We added a boutique section the site. Here we will post elegant and classic fashion items you can purchase on the web. This section is currently not connected to any affiliate marketing or retail fashion company.

April 2019: The dates for balls around the world in the article, Events 2019: The Viennese Ball, have been updated.

April 2019: The online course, How To Design & Host Dinners, is now open for enrollment.

April 2019: Two new online course have been added to our internet classroom. They are Elegant Deportment: an 8 Week Course and How to Write, Send and Reply to Dinner Invitations.

March 2019: The online course, How To Design & Host Dinners, will temporarily be closed to enrollment.

December 2018: The online course, How To Design & Host Dinners, is now available for enrollment.

November 2018: Announcement… changes on the way!

December 2017: Happy Holidays! We want to thank all our students for the kindness they have shared with our team this year. May the new year bless you with love and happiness!