Commentary – Dressed for Respect: An Old Lesson That Still Travels Well

“Let all things be done decently and in order.” — 1 Corinthians 14:40

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – When I lived in England as a student in the 1960s, I was fortunate to have my parents there at the same time. In fact, we lived under the same roof.

I remember my father cautioning me, with the quiet authority that only fathers of that generation seemed to possess: “As a Black man in England, if you want to be respected, you have to dress well.”

At the time, I thought it a heavy burden. Why should respect be conditional on a collar and a crease? But I heeded his advice, and it proved true. I was respected wherever I went.

That lesson has traveled with me for more than 60 years.

Wearing a Blazer

Today, whenever I travel outside the Caribbean, I wear a blazer and shirt, no tie, and try to look fairly respectable. The two lapel pins I wear add a touch of style while reflecting my membership in Rotary International and the Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management.

People sometimes ask why I would wear a blazer in our heat. There is a practical answer: Airports and aircraft are often cold, so I am prepared. But the deeper reason is my father’s lesson. How you present yourself helps shape how you invite the world to treat you.

Many years ago, I was attending a cocktail function at a Caribbean conference in Miami. I was well dressed with jacket/tie and among the first to arrive. As I stood with my hands behind my back, someone approached and asked, “Excuse me, sir, of which Caribbean country are you prime minister?”

On two occasions within the past year, flight attendants have remarked as I boarded, “You are well dressed this morning, sir.”

More recently, another attendant approached me midflight and said, “I appreciate the way you are dressed. It seems against the trend of modern travelers, but it’s nice to see somebody still adhering to old traditions.”

We live in an age of casual everything — casual dress, casual language, even casual governance. There is comfort in casualness, but there is also power in presentation.

My father was not talking about vanity. He was talking about the corporate governance of the self. Your dress is your first board meeting.

I travel with a blazer. Not for nostalgia, but out of respect — for myself, for others and for my father’s wisdom.

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