🤗 Positive

🎩 Welcome to Dapper Day

Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024

Images: Esta Pratt-Kielley/Maine Public

When eight year old James Ramage sifts through his closet before school, he has to make a difficult decision: "do I choose the black suit or the blue one?" 

James' school doesn't have a uniform, but the third grader dons a suit at least once per week out of choice. And he's not the only boy in his class who gets dressed to the nines – James started a school-wide "Dapper Wednesday" to encourage other students to dress up, too.

How did a tradition like this start? It all began when James started watching the TV show "Fuller House," and was inspired by a character who dresses up regularly. 

  • The then first-grader asked his mom for a suit. And while it was difficult for her to find, he eventually got one of his very own. 
  • As soon as James put it on, he says he felt different. "I felt good," he shared. "Because I thought when I looked at it in the mirror, it looked cool on me."

Trendsetter: James started wearing his suit to school occasionally. And, soon enough, some of the other kids were inspired to dress up as well. Now, Dapper Wednesdays are a thing school-wide. Some teachers and the principal have even started taking part.

What they're saying: "Everyone just like feels good with a smile on their face when they walk in," says fellow student Lincoln Bolitho. "And it's nice to see it because it feels like, three guys started this. And now kids are coming in with smiles. And suits." 

👔 Bottom line: James now owns three suits that he rotates: a black one, a navy one, and a red-and-green-striped Christmas suit. And, more than anything, James' parents are thankful that their son's fashion sense has helped his overall confidence. "It's definitely helped his confidence and made him feel stronger and better about himself," his mom shared. "So that's important to us."

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