When things are going badly - dress well!

It"s likely that some of you may have heard the joke about the guy down in Alabama and how he came to the conclusion that he was important.Rasmus went to his doctor because he was having a problem with his … well, with his personal plumbing, like. Next morning he got up bright and early and polished his black shoes till they shone and asked his wife, Mandy, to press his best suit. 'What yo" getting" all dressed up like that fo"?' asked his puzzled wife? 'Well, Mandy', replied Rasmus, 'the doctor he says I is impotent and if I is impo"tent I is sure goin" to dress impo"tent'!Perhaps Rasmus had the right approach and maybe we should now be taking a leaf from his book? The country of Ireland now finds itself impotent - so I put it to you, dear readers that the first thing we need to do is to dress impo"tent! Or as I have heard people around here say: 'When things are going badly - dress well!' Things could not be much worse than they are right now, so if ever there was a use for nice glad-rags to cheer us up, the time is now. Every man or woman will feel better for looking well and dressing well is a big part of feeling good. Women are much better at reinventing themselves by having a hairdo, makeover, or buying a new garment just for the hell of it and they are right. As well as feeling better for being nicely dressed, people you meet will treat you better for it.They say the first thing people look at when they meet are the shoes and the watch; so, buy good shoes and wear a nice watch. I don"t know how women"s clothes work, lads, so I"ll mostly stick to what I know something about. (Now, now … that"s not fair!) I think short men"s socks: a couple of inches above the ankle are gross. We don"t need to see several inches of shiny skinny shin when a guy sits down. Next advice is, polish your shoes, lads - although I would admit to only getting a six-out-of-ten on this one.It goes without saying that it is essential to dress comfortably. If you are uncomfortable, you will feel self-conscious and others will notice. Dress for the occasion which, granted, is not always easy to judge in advance. If in doubt, lads, the good white shirt is a safe bet - either with a tie or a more casual look with a pair of jeans. Personally I am not into men"s jewellery, but admittedly it looks perfect on some.Dressing well for men is not as simple as it once was. There was a time when we just had the suit and the working clothes. The suit was worn for 'going anywhere', whether that was Mass, a funeral, match or dance. The suit would be expected to last a year or years, before being demoted to working gear on the purchase of the next new suit. A gap between the old and the new was a terrible place to be. I remember once my father couldn"t 'go anywhere' for months because his suit took a critical turn for the worst before it could be replaced. No man could go to match or mission without wearing the suit and tie: Things were going badly that time too - so we all dressed well! I have previously recounted a wonderful suit story when at the age of 16 I went in to Mullingar draper, Joe Healy, with the intention of buying a cheap suit. Joe insisted on giving me the best suit in the shop, on 'tick' and if I ever doubt that nice clothes can make you feel good - I think of Joe and that suit! A less pleasant suit story which I tell in my book, is when I worked in England in the Sizzling Sixties and as I proceeded to dress up for a date, discovered that my room-mate had pawned my suit! Ah yes, I"m a suit man and I hope the suit makes a comeback.Even in this age of more casual dress, every man should have a least one good suit. Buying that suit is one of the most important clothing decisions you will make - consider it an investment. Always purchase the best suit your budget can afford - I never forgot the Joe Healy lesson!We will reach the end of this recession sooner if we defy it to put us down; be optimistic, positive and this means taking good care of yourself and dressing well. Of course there is a fine line between dressing well and overdressing, so be a shade careful here. I have an Irish friend who built up a very successful service business in England, where he dealt directly with company directors. Mick"s business grew to the extent that one day he decided he would treat himself to an Armani suit. Following day he had an important meeting with the MD of a large corporation so my friend decided he would impress him by wearing the Armani. As the two men shook hands, Mick noticed the disproving glance up and down the suit and he never wore that suit to work again - the message being; never dress better than your superiors, but go for what"s called a 'sober suit'. Flashy cuff-links are out during a recession, but as a former member of the 'Old Spice brigade' I would imagine that a dab of after-shave won"t go astray.We could be coming to the end of the casual - or even scruffy look and now it may be that men and women carelessly dressed in 'impo"tent' positions will be looked on as being more likely to be casual and careless with their responsibilities as well.Whether it"s the recession or whatever, I have gone off sweaters and now prefer jackets - but perhaps that has something to do with an age thing as well! I may not succeed in impressing anyone else, but I do impress myself and surely that is a good start? When the economy is grim, we need to dress up to cheer up - or in other words, 'when things are going badly - dress well!'Don"t forgetOh, I forgot about the hat! Nothing better has ever been invented for baldness than a hat.