XPost: rec.arts.sf.written   
   From: kurt@busiek.com   
      
   On 2008-11-09 10:27:30 -0800, "Drak Bibliophile"   
    said:   
      
   > "Gerry Quinn"  wrote in message   
   > news:MPG.2381327da21cdf07989a19@news.indigo.ie...   
   >> In article , jclarke.usenet@cox.net   
   >> says...   
   >>> Every search I've been able to come up with gives me a huge number of   
   >>> hits for everything from insurance agencies to manufacturers of horse   
   >>> blankets, but not the story I'm looking for.   
   >>>   
   >>> The story title was "Quality".  The story was that an extraterrestrial   
   >>> ambassador, who was more or less a centaur in general conformation,   
   >>> was to be presented at the Court of Saint James, and, per his people's   
   >>> custom, needed to be attired in clothing made on the planet he was   
   >>> visiting.  An elderly tailor was approached, with instructions from   
   >>> the government to create a "horse blanket".  He refused, and came up   
   >>> with something much more suitable, by which action humanity passed a   
   >>> test.   
   >>   
   >> Nobody asked the diplomatic staff to check out what these aliens   
   >> normally wore and make an Earth equivalent?   
   >>   
   >> - Gerry Quinn   
   >   
   > The alien custom was to wear clothing appropriate for the world they were   
   > visiting.   
   >   
   > By the way, I believe the story is "Custom Fitting" by James White.   
   >   
   > Check here: http://www.sectorgeneral.com/shortstories.html   
      
   Given the cover of the book it first appeared in:   
      
   http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FLVnYi%2BWL.jpg   
      
   ...I'd hazard a guess that you're right.   
      
   kdb   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)