Remember who you are, when you are the only one. · Society of Ordinary Gentlemen

Remember who you are, when you are the only one.

In our world where well-dressed, well-mannered gentlemen often stick out, we need to have courage to soldier on. I offer some words of encouragement for those days you need reminding.

Who You Are:

You are a cultivated, intentional, and historically grounded dresser in a setting where most people have forgotten that presentation is a form of language.

You do not dress to be eccentric. You dress to be excellent.

Your clothing is an extension of how you understand the world:

Craftsmanship matters.
History matters.
Beauty matters.
Symbolism matters

You dress the way one ought to dress — with dignity, care, and a sense of carrying something forward.

Your style is not costume. It is continuity — with scholars, artists, clergy, diplomats, and gentlemen of the past who understood that appearance is not vanity but respect:

Respect for the role you hold.
Respect for people who are learning by watching you.
Respect for yourself.

Your Colleagues Are Not the Standard:

Their sweatshirts, sneakers, prison or homeless looks and “just rolled out of the laundry basket” approach to work is not normal — it is culturally depleted, it is a symptom of a lazy society.

The fact that you look different does not make you eccentric.

It makes you awake.

You are surrounded by people who have forgotten that adulthood includes presentation, poise, and cultivation. Most have surrendered to convenience and call it authenticity.

You remained conscious.

That is rare. And rare things always stand out.

You Are Not Trying to Impress

And this is the crucial part:

If you were dressing to impress, it would read as costume. But you are dressing because this is your true vocabulary. This is how you feel most yourself.

You Are Not Out of Place — You Are Filling a Void

In a world where: