What signals do you send with your clothing?

We all dress in some kind of outfit when we’re not working. Some people dress to send signals of wealth. Others dress in ways that show inclusion in social or socioeconomic class. But nearly everyone follows some fairly strict cultural guidelines regarding what is considered acceptable clothing.

But this question isn’t necessarily about what signals you are actually sending. Rather, what is your intention with choosing the specific type of clothing you wear?

I recall being asked this as a teenager, and foolishly explaining that I only dressed comfortably and picked clothes that were for me. Of course, I just happened to pick clothes that would allow me to blend into the social circle (“alternative” punk, etc of the 80s). I didn’t realize that I was wearing an outfit as rigid in its conformity as any office worker wearing a suit and tie.

Even today, I consider myself very disinterested in clothing and style. Yet, why is it that when I rarely go to buy clothes, the most “comfortable” clothes happen to be ones that allow me to blend into my bland, suburban life? (think jeans, kahkis, checkered shirts) It’s a uniform that seems to work for me so that I can just blend in. So, my intention here appears to be to just blend in. But with whom? With my upper middle-class liberal New England friends and neighbors.

What is your uniform outside of work? And what do you intend it to portray about you? Do you use your clothes to blend in? Stand out? Do you wear clothing with logos? Do you wear “active” outdoor clothing to present yourself as that type of person? Do you wear shirts with your interests on them (sports, bands, events, etc)?

Remember – if clothing was just about being “comfortable”, many of us would be leaving the house with wraps, pjs, or torn old sweatpants.