Being the crème de la crème of India, by virtue of passing an exam that has more to do with luck than with actual ability, I have learned that one must always dress differently. If the snobby fumes that you let out through your nose do not set the officer bells ringing among commoners, then you must ensure that you do so by wearing fancy clothes.
“The way you dress is an expression of your personality. ” -Alessandro Michelle
To express that unique personality that makes you better than the average Indian, you must dress like it. The more you alienate the commoner who visits your office, the more successful you are as an officer. The more you display the power dynamic between you and the commoner, through your clothing, the better you are at your job.
And while you may come across studies that suggest how dressing down while in office is on the rise, you must do your best to ignore them. No matter what the world is doing or where it is going, as an officer it is important that you remember and embody the ideals set by your colonial forerunners.
Another common advice that you must ignore is that of being comfortable in your clothing. The moment you wrote your civil service examination, you relinquished all your claims to comfortable clothing. Looking like an officer is all important, no matter where you are or what you do. All notions of acceptable clothing (that may change according to times) mean squat to a determined and honorable officer. I might even go as far as to say, your efficiency as an officer is directly proportional to your ability to intimidate your staff and possibly yourself through your attire.
While there are other aspects of being in public service, at times I feel that everything else pales in comparison to the centrality of your clothing. Even if your decisions (or lack of them) are causing huge losses to the public exchequer, if your actions bring misery and despair to the commoners, as long as you are dressed in a suit while you’re doing it, it shouldn’t matter at all.
Officer Haute Monde 