If you see a conservatively dressed Englishman pop a plastic bag over his head as it begins to rain, it's most probably Tim Toomey: "I'd rather turn up for a meeting dry and comfortable than arrive sopping wet in some misguided attempt to preserve my image."

Look, he continues, drawing a round tea bag and a model of a red London bus out of his briefcase. "No one seems to know who designed them, yet they exemplify good design. Nowadays, you can't buy a pair of sports shoes, lamp or even a toothbrush without a photo of the designer -- wearing the ubiquitous black polo-neck sweater -- attached."

A freelance consultant designer for the past three years, Tim does not think much of fashion for fashion's sake. I doubt there's a black sweater of any design in his wardrobe. As for his haircut, he admits it hasn't changed for "several" years. Of course, by making such an antiegotistical stand, he creates an image of his own. One that -- deliberately or not -- lingers long in the memory.