Vestis virum reddit.

Whoever said that clothes maketh the (wo)man - and i'm pretty sure it was some old latin codger by the name of Quintilianus - was full of crap in some respects and on to it in others. If there is an absolute lack of human substance to begin with then not even the 'queer eye' guys can salvage someone.

Was musing on exactly this as I shared my morning train in to the city with some sulky Avril Lavigne wannabe that had mutated into something much more:

White trendy 'rusty' brand hoodie jumper, black calf length tights with a lime green rock and roll 80s style skirt on top (sarah jessica parker ish?) complete with extremely expensive 'vintage' converse boots and a bizarre Wilma Flintstone-size pink and white beaded necklace.

Now this is all very well and good - I was equally guilty of trying to express my personality through clothing as a kid - but this bird was trying to create a personality through her clothing...because she sure as hell didn't have one otherwise. She had an absolutely blank expression and personality deficit that no amount of clothing or anything else could have compensated for. Maybe i'm being bitchy and old-fashioned but a smile or slightest expression of interest in the world around her would have done miles more for her 'image' than any amount of clothing.

If a man already exists then sure, maybe clothes will enhance the man - but clothes cannot make a man if there is nothing to work with in the first place.