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The style gurus - and the resume and career gurus - have always told us to "dress for success." The plain truth is that we only get one chance to make a good first impression. Once that moment has passed, if you've not been successful in winning over your audience, you are going to have to work very hard to erase that unhappy first viewing.

Looking good can get you the right job, the beautiful spouse or girlfriend, the coolest friends.

But can it get you a ride?

Gas prices are nearing $5 a gallon, and airfares are climbing to rates we've not seen in years. With the rise in fuel costs, all products - ranging from tomatoes to tools - will increase in price. It simply costs more to get them to market.

So - how are you doing these days? Living well, or simply living? With tough times ahead for at least a little while, I urge you not to run ranting into the streets yelling about political candidates or dashing into banks and holding up innocent tellers. Instead, take a cue from famous deadbeats and hangers-on - Kato Kaelin and Kevin Federline come to mind, but there are many, many more. Simply look good, say and do the right thing, and surely, surely, someone will just "send a car around for you."

Style ideas for those who need a ride:

1. Cravats: You don't see many men wearing these today outside Cary Grant movies from the olden days, but I'm guessing that if there are two guys sitting on the side of the road waiting for a hitchhiking fan to pick them up, it's more likely the guy in the cravat (I'm channeling Michael Caine in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels here) is going to get picked up than the guy in the jeans that would stand upright without him in them and the T-shirt that says "I eat drivers for breakfast."

2. Spats: Who doesn't love Fred Astaire? A pair of spats dresses up a pair of black shoes like nobody's business, and can hide shoes that are unpolished, scuffed, or otherwise pointing out your down-on-your-luck status. In addition, if you haven't been able to buy pants since Michael Jackson's heyday, spats may be the only thing that will make it look like you really meant to have your pants be total high-waters. Surely getting a ride would be very easy for the twinkle-toes wearing a great pair of spats
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3. Top Hats: Again with the Fred Astaire. I say again - who doesn't love Fred Astaire? A top hat indicates that not only may you have once attended a very, very posh event, but you may also have once been a head of state for a European nation. People generally go out of their way for royalty with or without a country - look at the movie Anastasia and how people bowed and scraped not even knowing whether this girl was the lost Grand Duchess, and at how the Middle East opened its arms wide for our fallen King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Certainly if they are willing to hand out houses and cars and grand duchies, they will give you a lift to the office.

4. Enameled Faberge Cigarette Case: Yes, I know. It's not an item of apparel. However, it is a very classy accessory, and if you have a great story to tell with it: it was Dad's and one of the few things you were able to smuggle out of the country when your family was deposed, or it was Prince Philip's and he gave it to you in gratitude for your having a Bic lighter when he was dying for a ciggie...really, just any good story will do.

Except, no...none of this will work at all. A cravat will make you look like Thurston Howell III, spats will make you look ridiculous, a top hat is only acceptable with white-tie, and nobody smokes any more. In fact, flashing a cigarette case full of Marlboros may just get you whacked.

So instead, focus on looking great all the time. An elegantly cut suit, a tasteful tie knotted impeccably, flawless shoes polished to a high shine, and a crisp, well-tailored shirt will make people take notice of you. Add some cufflinks to the mix and you're golden.

Cufflinks are a great way to add a little class to a simple ensemble. They can be very simple - ranging from the silk knot cufflinks, also known as monkey's paws, to simple enameled discs - or very fancy mosaic or engraved cufflinks They can also be great conversation starters, as cufflinks are available now in every variety ranging from those that advertise our careers, our alma maters, and our hobbies.

A lot of the accessories that once "made the man" have become anachronisms. However, cufflinks - largely because they serve a real purpose in addition to being decorative - remain as popular as ever.

I'm guessing that a good pair of cufflinks will have people at the office clamoring to give you a ride. A really nice pair will get you upgraded to first class over the Bazillion Mile Flyers. And a really, really nice pair? Watch and see if it doesn't get you an invite to fly on your new friend's private jet.