Monday 1 July 2013

The Power of Dress Code

Men's suiting power of dress codeA uniformed traffic policeman looks daunting in his duty clothes. One tries to consciously stay heedful of traffic rules and regulations in his proximity. However, when the same person is in ordinary clothes when off-duty, he poses no threat to the common man. That is the power of dress code.

For years, we had seen our driver wear shalwar kameez, Pakistan's traditional dress. One fine day, he switched to wearing jeans and shirt. The drastic change from rural to urban wear made him look so oddly different, and literally created recognition issues for many. That is the power of dress code.


As Islam dawned upon a friend of mine, she gradually kept on adding clothing materials to fully conceal herself. Now, with everything dreadfully hidden behind a complete black veil, we precisely see none of her. Taken aback by her overwhelming all-black attire, I have to consciously remind myself that this is the same person who has been a close friend all along the years. That is the power of dress code.


When I saw Deepika Padukone appear in a character-tailored traditional outlook in her first Hindi Indian movie, I got an impression that was totally altered by the images portrayed by her future acting performances. That is the power of dress code.


In a formal setting, when my dad meets a stranger who is dressed in a shalwar kameez instead of the more 'proper' shirt and trousers, he hastily assumes a few things about the individual's personality from the laid-back attire. That is the power of dress code.

1 comment:

  1. well its not the power of dress code its just our thinking.... of course if you give example of police man or army personnel uniform it is important but its more of a discipline then power. the dress code only matter for them who lacks something. i dont have the definition of something but its power for only them. a simple example for todays youth is Mr. Asad Umar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asad_Umar). some day just watching TV observe his dress code. he wears shalwar kameez and peshawaree chapple. but he has his personality , fame and power not because of dress code but his hard work. when we lack what he has we hide behind the power of dress code.

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