Certainly, for making first impressions they do. If we turned up to a job interview in an ill fitting, dirty suit with a stain on the front we probably wouldn’t get the job -unless we happened to be auditioning for Jackson Lamb in Slow Horses (Brilliant Gary Oldman got the job). It is impossible as a person to not make instantaeous judgments regarding someone’s appearance – there are many phsycological studies that show this…the trick is to not judge a book by its cover and to get to know the person behind the suit!
Just because you are wearing a black hoodie you may not necessarily be a hooligan and not all billionaires dress like they are rich. Steve Jobs wore the same outfit everyday and if you saw him down the street you probably wouldn’t have tagged him as a most original and influential person. So it would seem that clothes do not always make the man, indeed, we need to keep an open mind!
The origin of this well known saying was of interest to me and wanting to know more, I asked Google, and unbelievably, a blog came up that couldn’t have been more apt, or interesting, by Alexander Atkins. He writes that this phrase has been referenced regularly throughout history from Shakespeare to Homer, among other things.
Clothing is useful and fun for molding how we appear to the world, expressing our personality, and even disguising who we are, but it also reflects our mental states, moods and personalities on a subconscious level. Again, numerous studies support ideas about people wearing black and subdued colors when they are feeling low (or in Melbourne) and the actual serotonin boost some bright colour can provide when worn. Fit and brands also say loads about us. So maybe we are what we eat…. and also what we wear? To conclude - clothes do maketh the man…. and they don’t! And reserve your judgment!