Would the defendant please stand….
I have not worn a suit in a long time, maybe more than a decade. I have one but it no longer fits. I am near 100 kg now. I do not have a suit jacket nor any proper trousers other than track suit bottoms and army surplus fatigues. There is one pair of heavy duty cargo pants. I have only one pair of shoes, trainers, which I wear, several pairs of crocs and heavy duty steel toe-capped work boots. I have not worn black leather shoes in a very long time
Probably the smartest outfit I could put together would be my urban greyscale combats, a collarless granddad shirt and a leather jacket. Not perhaps the most genteel gear for a 61 year old. I am prone to days without shaving. I do have a pair of Ray Bans.
I would look out of place in any quasi posh environment. I could not pay the entrance fee to any conference and travel is prohibitively expensive. It takes a long while to get anywhere from Brittany as direct flights are scarce. It is an hour and half drive to the border with Normandy. There is a TGV to Paris.
I do not move in any social or professional circles whatsoever. I could not dress appropriately for anything remotely formal or posh.
So although my dreams point at highfalutin situations I would look out of place…I may even be refused entry.
Once when I had a Swiss Army penknife confiscated on a flight from Zurich to Palermo I had changed on board into a vest, combats and Converse All Stars because of the anticipated heat. I had to pick my penknife up from the Italian police at the airport. They were very sceptical until I showed them my invitation as Dr Taylor to speak at a conference in Erice. They then gave me back my knife which had a corkscrew on for opening wine.
People do judge a book by the cover…and here in France my accent is often noted too.
I would be more readily accepted in a rough café / pub / dive than a Michelin star restaurant…
We are a long way from any of my prior London incarnations.
If people ask me where I am from the answer based on time spent is Brixton…
A bit of a South London geezer…
Reality can differ from idealised views about how things might be…
Dreamyoga 