How to Succeed on a Business Trip, 1528

Talk to the suit.
Jacopo Pontormo, Portrait of a Young Man (c. 1526)

Cosimo de’ Medici spoke to a friend of his who was very rich but not very learned, and had obtained through Cosimo a mission outside of Florence, and asked Cosimo as he was leaving how he ought to behave to succeed in this mission. Cosimo replied: “Dress in rose color, and speak little.”

Baldesar Castiglione, Il libro del cortegiano

Concerned about your upcoming business trip to Milan? Take it from Cosimo: keep your mouth shut and let your pink suit do the talking.