Clothes Maketh The Man

Clothes maketh the man is a common espression about how appearances count for a lot. We dress up differently for different occasions and situations. Unless you are a very confident person and feel ok to wear anything, most of us will dress "appropriately" for the situation. The level of appropriateness will still vary according to the individual.

Today, I had to go into the city for a meeting. I was dressed in my wool black suit and looked quite sharp I thought. It was a strange feeling, both negative and positive. On the one hand, I rarely need to wear a suit, so was slightly uncomfortable since it is something foreign. I'm an engineer so can get away with just wearing a button up shirt to work. The suits at the company are the sales and marketing guys, always dressed up to the max to impress clients.

So putting on the suit meant I was slightly uncomfortable since I rarely have to wear one. It was made a bit worse when I was on the train as I really stood out from the rest of the non-peak hour crowd. But after a short period of time, I relaxed and felt really good in my suit. Clothes really do maketh the man. What we wear can really affect our own confidence. When I am wearing something that I think makes me look smarter, more authoritative, thinner, more attractive, I definitely act differently to when I am uncomfortable with what I wear.

I tend to be very casual with my clothes and wear jeans and t-shirts most of the time. I know that when I'm in my work clothes, I feel more confident even when I drop by the supermarket afterwards. I think it's the feeling that I am dressed for success already makes me think more highly of myself. So when I was in my suit today, I walked with an air of confidence after my initial awkwardness.

It's a pity in a sense that modern society with has become so relaxed with attire. We rarely get the chance to dress up and boost our own sense of self slightly. I've started to wear a nice shirt to restaurants as it feels good to wear good clothes. I'm still not at the stage where I want to prance around in a suit unless it is necessary. And as much as people may argue about how you shouldn't be defined by how you look externally, it is still a vital part in many situations. You might not be able to change your face structure, but you can change your clothes. We all get judged on first impressions and conveying the right message through our clothes is vital.