110 I Can Read You Like a Book R
Long hair on a man who is mostly bald looks very odd to me,
but for those men who choose that style, it expresses their free-
dom. I make an assumption that they will be forthcoming about
their point of view in a conversation, rather than bend to cultural
norms about restraint. A 40ish woman who lets her hair go completely
gray projects the message, “I haven’t tampered with myself.” Emmy
Lou Harris is a great example of someone in that category.
Hats can have a simple, utilitarian function or project a definite
message. What conclusions do you draw when you see a cowboy
hat on someone who’s not a cowboy, a baseball hat on backwards,
or a hat that goes perfectly with an outfit?
Many people have told me I look good in a cowboy hat. I only
wear it when I’m riding, however, because I’m not comfortable
strutting through downtown Atlanta looking like I should be yelling,
“Yee haw” at the hot dog vendor.
This comfort factor—having the outside match the image of
oneself on the inside—is why a woman might develop a “relation-
ship” with a designer, whether she’s investing in haute couture or
buying off the rack. She feels that the designer understands her
personality as well as functional requirements related to the gar-
ment. Oleg Cassini designed more than 300 outfits as the personal
couturier for Jacqueline Kennedy during her days as First Lady.
His clothes framed her charisma. Even a young woman with less
money than a Kennedy will clearly reveal something about her
personality by choosing Ralph Lauren over Laura Ashley.
