Many persons look upon the good dresser, and think that good dressing
is an evidence of success. In dressing, as in everything else, the
extremes should be avoided. The man who is temperate has the right
idea. A man must be temperate in dressing as in all other things.
We have all seen the solicitor and the business man who look like a
fashion plate or tailor's model. Each day he appears with a different
suit. He wears the latest ties, the latest shoes, and appears in the
height of fashion. This extra dresser is a four-flusher, for he is
trying to appear as something that he is not. Grizzly Pete says "It
ain't what's on a man but what's in him that counts."
In proportion as a man's character or mental training is lacking, he
often tries to make up for it in dress. With some it is a case of
ninety per cent. dress and ten per cent. man, and with others ninety
per cent. man and ten per cent. dress.
In trying to find a word of cheer for the good dresser, the writer
vainly endeavored to recall some successful business man who had
climbed the ladder step by step through a period of years, during which
he was always dressed in the height of fashion. We recall to mind
several extreme dressers who are possessed of millions, but these
millions were the result of accident or inheritance rather than
ability. We cannot remember any instance of a plodder who started in
with nothing and made his millions who during the operation dressed in
extremes.
We have an autographed photograph of Marshall Field, and we venture to
say that there are fifty men in Field's store more expensively dressed
than Marshall Field was at the time this picture was taken, shortly
before his death. Not that Marshall Field was poorly dressed, but that
he was dressed like a gentleman. A gentleman does not wear extreme
collars, extreme neckties, extreme coats. Marshall Field's clothes
fitted him well, the goods were of splendid quality, but of modest
design. Marshall Field was ninety per cent. man and ten per cent.
dress.
When a man recognizes he has not the ability to make a name for himself
on account of his brains, he resorts to dress in order to give him
distinction.
The ability to dress in the extreme of fashion is an advertisement to
the world that dress is your specialty, and if you are a specialist in
dress you will not be a specialist in business.