Anyway, it’s lucky for my self-esteem that I did, for I overheard one of the gentlemen say to his colleague “doesn’t he look smart?” to which the other man agreed wholeheartedly. Well that fair put a spring in my step. Upon receiving a compliment directly, the obvious response is to consider the ulterior motive or- more often- disbelieve it as empty small-talk. On the other hand this kind of unsolicited and, indeed, unintentional validation is priceless.
For the record I was wearing a vintage 1960s Wrangler denim jacket with the cuffs rolled back (an ostentatious touch which comes of watching far too many episodes of Jason King), a burgundy merino wool v-neck, white Albany collared shirt, charcoal pinstriped casual-fitting flannel trousers, red socks and oxblood Loake semi-brogues.
In fact, I took a picture when I arrived home at the end of my shift (and here it is). The glasses are an addition to cover the bags under my eyes after a thirteen-hour night shift in front of a computer monitor.
