Why you should dress dapper while driving
Image by Denise Husted from Pixabay
Yesterday, I stopped at a gas station to refill my car with diesel and myself with coffee. I was on a long road trip on my way home after some field work. When I am on my way towards the cashier, a little kid comes up to me and burst out in happiness: “Hey man what a nice suit!” with a big smile on his face. I told him thank you and gave him an equally big smile in return. It is gems like these that make it worthwhile to dress dapper even if I a road trip means I am alone in my car 99 % of the time. It puts a smile on peoples faces including your own. Your name doesn’t have to be Sven Raphael Schneider to spot a man wearing a perfect combination of fit, fabric, function, colors, textures and accessories. If everything is “just right”, even (or perhaps especially?) a kid will notice it. They might not know why it is dapper, but they will know that it is perfect. It’s in the details.
When I am working in the field at construction sites with acoustic investigations, I typically wear a hard hat, functional trousers and top, gloves and a pair of steel plated shoes in case you step on something sharp. Instead of a lapel flower I wear my ID card in a little holder. This dresscode clearly prioritizes function over dapperness. At the end of the day, I am usually covered in gypsum dust and dirt and have a long way to drive back home. My first stop is then the nearest gas station, where I grab my little Samsonite and walk to the restroom. The cashiers greet me on the way. In my cabin bag, I have prepared a dapper outfit suitable for driving. Typically, a combination with a pair of chinos and casual shoes, a simple shirt, knit tie and a V-neck pullover – or an odd combination with a casual jacket. I recently discovered driving moccasins. They are FANTASTIC for driving long distances. Stylish and extremely comfortable at the same time. Because I dress up every day, I am now quite fast when transforming from the dusty construction site look into my dapper clothes. I only need a couple of minutes. When I exit the gas station rest room now dressed as my other alter ego, I feel like Clark Kent exiting the phone booth after transforming into Superman. Often, the cashier greets me once again now, thinking I am a new customer, which is a bit funny.
About two years ago, I was going to do a presentation the next day for some VIPs in another town about five hours drive away. I had prepared an exquisite suit combination and packed it in a travel wardrobe. Some two hours into my road trip, I realized that I had forgot my presentation outfit at home. You know that feeling when you realize something like this, it is like someone just poured an ice-cold bucket of water over your head. Should I turn around and get it, and loose half the night’s sleep? The presentation was scheduled early in the morning before the stores opened up so I had no choice but to do the presentation in my driving clothes. And then it hit me… Driving clothes! I was wearing an odd combination with a jacket, pocket square and a knit tie and I thought “just go ahead and do your presentation” and then I relaxed. At the presentation the next day, I still was the best dressed man in the room even with my driving clothes. It was actually a more appropriate choice then the suit I had prepared, which was slightly too formal. This little story highlights the importance of habits. I hadn’t thought about wearing dapper driving clothes. It is just as natural to me now as brushing my teeth. And my habit literally saved my ass in a big way.
These little stories show some of the benefits of dressing dapper, even for something as simple as driving your car from A to B. It spreads happiness, positivity and helps you to focus. Just about any task I can think of, will be performed better if functional and beautiful clothes are worn when performing the task. A good rule of thumb when selecting an outfit is to prioritize like this: 1) Fit, 2) Fabric and 3) Function. I believe that rule works equally well at the construction site as in the car or at a VIP presentation.