wearing one's attitude ... burglars come to shop wearing stolen shirt .....

How do you start your day and what do you wear to Office ? …. It is stated that ‘we wear our attitude’ – and the way one dresses can influence one’s attitude and self-confidence…  whether you believe in the dictum or not, it makes sense to dress well…. Need not be – Armani, Versace, Gucci, Prada,  Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, Fiorucci, Etro, Missoni,............ [some of the Italian designer wear!]

In OMR, we travel past NIFT~ a fashion institute under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles which offers courses in - Masters of Fashion Management; Masters of Fashion Technology; Bachelor of Design ( Fashion Design);  Bachelor of Design ( Textile Design);  Bachelor of Design ( Fashion Communication) …… about 3 or 4 decades ago, you could find lot of ‘tailors’ to whom we flocked for stitching – especially during festivals like Deepavali – the late bird could end up not having their dress ready for the fest…

HG Wells, the English writer was best known for his science fictions.  He also wrote novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing textbooks and rules for war games. Some of his early novels, called "scientific romances", invented a number of themes now classic in science fiction in such works as The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, etc., - he was a tailor too….

Away from Mark Taylor, Ross Taylor, little known Peter Taylor, Sarah Taylor [the wicketkeeper batswoman, played for Sussex alongside men too]………….the local Tailor was the person who made and altered clothing for men and women…. while ‘women’s tailor’ still exist – the men’s tailors are fast vanishing in city.  Some had boards reading  …… ‘tailors and drapers’ … draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper is now defined as a highly skilled role within the fashion industry.  Then there are designer clothing – of a recognizable fashion designer or at least the branded wear like – ‘ Van heusen; Allen & solly, louis philippe, Peter England, Raymond, Reid & Taylor .....

Those of who read crime novels about 3 decades ago will know – the vital clue in a crime scene – often used to be  ‘the logo’ of the tailor who stitched the shirt or cloth – found on the victim for identification or the clue of the criminal who committed it…. the detective would often head for the tailor seeking some more vital clues to unravel the mystery………… that is no longer feasible now !!...... here is an interesting newsitem in Times of India where thief returned to the store in stolen shirt, and the gang busted. 

TOI Chennai edition reports that 3 youngsters broke into a clothes store in Guduvancherry and made away with cash and clothes but found on Monday that stretch jeans are a whole different ball game from stretching one’s luck. They’re also going to discover that their sartorial choice will for now be rather limited – to the uniforms they’ll have to wear in the juvenile correctional home.

They were caught when they returned to the shop on Monday with one of them audaciously wearing one of the shirts they had stolen. The owner of the shop discreetly called a police officer when he realised that a blue shirt that one of the trio was sporting appeared to be from among the clothes taken by the thieves who burgled the store on Nellikuppam Road on February 22. The store owner, said the stolen shirt had lost a button and he asked an employee to replace it a day before the burglary. “I remembered checking the new button and instructing my staff to put the shirt back on display,” he said.  The owner told the Guduvancherry police that the three boys entered the shop on Monday and said they were looking for T-shirts. When they approached him, he noticed that the button appeared to be the same one that had been replaced. He called a police officer who investigated the burglary and chatted up the three youngsters as he waited for a police team to arrive.

When the police team arrived at the store, the three boys attempted to escape but policemen caught them with help from the shop staff. Police detained the trio for questioning. The boys, who worked at a construction site near Guduvancherry, admitted to the burglary, a police officer said.  After breaking open the door, the burglars had taken a dozen shirts and T-shirts from the shop and also made away with all the money left in the cash register.     Police officers are questioning the youngsters to see if they committed other offences.

Wearing one’s attitude landed these burglars in trouble perhaps !!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

11^th Mar 2014.