A b5media.com colleague of mine recently described her experience with the likes of a certain, self-important concierge–at a small, but chic, hotel in France. She and her friend seemed surpised and perplexed by this man’s disregard toward them, upon check-in.
Her companion explained that in France, if you do not dress well, you are considered to be unimportant. (The two had been dressed in jeans and t-shirts). I can see that–actually, it’s always been a policy of mine to dress up when traveling.
Several times when traveling from London to New York, my seat was upgraded to business class–and I’m …read more

When I was a kid, if one of my mother’s friends or an aunt came to visit, there was no mistaking that she was the adult.
I saw these women as glamourous and couldn’t wait to be a grown-up. It was not because they were tall, or wore make-up or had a few age spots–which they referred to a “beauty marks”–it was because of how they dressed.
They were a generation who wouldn’t dream of visiting someone else’s home in jeans or sweat pants. The most casual attire was the occasional capris or “slacks” and ballet slippers.
No, they wore silk scarves, charm …read more