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January 2005-American Vice President Cheney wasn't thinking again.  The occasion was Auschwitz, Poland and the outdoor commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the death camp's liberation.  The weather was cold.  European dignitaries, such as French President Jacques Chirac and Russian President Vladimir Putin, were present wearing dark suits , formal overcoats, and dress shoes or boots.  Representing the United States, according to Robin Givhan the Washington Post's fashion writer, "The Vice President, however, was dressed in the kind of attire one typically wears to operate a snow blower."  Fairly glowing, Cheney stood out like a sour pickle in a green parka embroidered with his name and topped by a fur-trimmed hood.  Brown sport boots and a knit ski cap reading "Staff 2001," completed his outfit.  "And, indeed, the vice president looked like an awkward boy" wrote Givhan, seated among the grown-ups.  Appearing ready to hit the playground at any moment, you can bet the European press took note of Cheney and used it to fuel the fires of resentment toward America.  While he may have kept himself warm, Cheney appeared to be without authority and  more concerned about himself than showing respect for the solemn occasion.  Cheney should have known, or at least been briefed, on Northern European customs.  He could easily have kept warm wearing Wintersilk's long silk underwear beneath a dress shirt, sweater, and suit, leather dress boots and gloves with warm woolly socks and glove liners.  And he does have a dark overcoat, as we saw at his own swearing-in ceremony on Inauguration Day.  He had options.  

Unsolicited Letters:

Dear Judith,

    Thank you again for the loan of your personal videos. Your generosity and trust are remarkable. But, of course, I have much more to thank you for than the tapes.

    As I watched your tapes and videos, I found the desire to pay more attention to the way I look. I found myself looking daily at the catalogue you sent me, paying special attention to the sweet notes you attached, pointing the way to the best looks and practical attire. Not having an eye for fashion or color, I depended on those notes more than you could ever imagine. I planned my wardrobe and bought a few new clothes based on your advice.

    In a very short amount of time, I realized I was looking great. People were responding to me in ways I was not accustomed. I found myself being shown respect more than I had ever experienced. I found that some were reaching out to me in friendlier ways than they had previously. I found myself reaching for goals I never before would have had the confidence to aspire to.

    In short, Judith, my self-esteem was growing by leaps and bounds. And I loved it. I still do. I love looking grand and feeling grand.

    My principal has known me for 10 years. She also watched as my self-esteem improved. After a short 4 months of this new Linda, she recommended me as a candidate for the principalship program at the University of Texas in Austin. I begin classes in June.

    My life has changed, Judith, miraculously and quickly. So you see, I can never thank you enough for the warm generosity you showed me, the time you spent making the notes in the Orvis catalogue. The way we look does make a difference. I'm living proof of that.

—With most respectful regards,
   Linda Olson

I read the article in a recent Denver Post about how casual Fridays have become despicable. I just wanted to thank you for your organization and its efforts in bringing us back into the "fold", if you will. I work in sales in very casual, liberal, Boulder, Colorado. It's a great place to work and live, but the "sense" of dress is terrible.

Just the other day I was visiting a customer (a large telecommunications company in a beautiful new building) and two smartly dressed, very professional looking people came in from another company. They asked the receptionist (who was wearing a C.U. Athletics t-shirt) to see their contact. He appeared moments later in, no joke, sneakers, wrinkled shorts and an untucked wrinkled golf shirt that was too small and unbuttoned. I was shocked — it was Tuesday!

Anyway, keep up the great work and thanks for your great writing.

—Robb Cope

I read your article titled "The Low-Down on Dressing-Down" from the www.1dressup.com website and found it very interesting and helpful. I thought is was the best article I've seen so far on the subject. I am a Vice President for a relatively large credit union in Silicon Valley (Sunnyvale, California). Our management team is currently in the middle of a contentious debate on whether we should relax our existing business-dress policy. I don't think we should change our existing policy and I plan to use your article to help argue my position.

I am writing to thank you for writing this article and ask if you know of any other information or written materials that I might be able to use to convince our management team that we should not allow our employees to dress casually. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Gary R.

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