Officer....Olympia

Few polyester-based ensembles have the power to communicate on as many levels as the police uniform. Experts look to a combination of history, colour theory, and psychological studies to explain. But you can probably present an equally valid theory based on your own experiences (and if those experiences are amusing or embarrassing, I should love to hear about them).

I offer this note from my files: In the early 1800s, London police officers wore top hats. These were doubly smart; because the hats were reinforced with cane, officers could use them as step stools, standing up on their hats to peer into windows and over walls.

Research shows that people tend to curb their nefarious behaviour in the presence of a uniformed officer. I know that I am incapable of consuming a bag of Frazzles if there is a policeman looking on.

My friend Elinor confesses to quite the opposite response: she feels more tempted to be naughty when a handsome uniformed officer looks her way. Analyzing her reaction, I fear, is beyond the capacity of a fashion anthropologist.