Is dressing (Attire) important to understand a person?

Answer 1

It's merely a signal. Attire indicates to others what they can expect from you- be it your personality, work ethic, intelligence. Whether or not you feel it is fair is irrelevant. Snap judgements happen to be how people size others up.

Answer 2

Depending on the setting, a person's attire reflects self-image, aspirations, or formal rank.

Think of the military - the dress attire in all branches of the military is designed specifically to indicate rank and power - think stars on the collar and stripes on the shoulder.

In the business world these cues are more subtle and some folks opt out altogether, but even then it's situational. In formal settings, businessmen tend to put on their best suits in order to belong in a meeting or other setting. Suits and uniforms in general tend to indicate authority, and the general (public) tendency is to defer to those in uniforms (think policemen) and suits.

Outside of these, attire can largely reflect self-image. A lot of us look in the mirror before stepping out, and people gravitate towards what they like and are comfortable wearing, given a social setting.

Answer 3

You can determine a great deal about people by what they wear and do NOT wear, as well as "how" they wear it.

There are obvious matters of clothing choice. How traditional clothing is, when the person has a choice over what to wear, often reflects personality. (For example, what a person wears to church -- formal or casual -- often says a lot about how they practice their spiritual beliefs.)

You also get styles. For example, does the person wear hip styles? Then they are interested in (1) watching others, (2) looking cool, and (3) fitting in as a trendsetter. If the person is stuck on an older style or doesn't see to care, that says something about how much they care about conforming to society and/or how important it is to project a particular image -- maybe even how little they care to even stay on top of what's current.

Color can reflect personality. Quieter, more reserved personalities go for darker, deeper, or flatter colors. If someone wears eye-popping colors consistently, or wild clothes with colors all over the map, they tend to be more extraverted and freer in some ways.

Organized patterns usually reveal a mind that is more interested in order; more casual, free-form patterns usually suggests some form of freer, creative thought.

Closure-oriented or physically organized people like to look "put together" with everything in place; open-ended and/or disorganized people usually look freer in their clothing choice, and many of them have trouble looking put together even if wearing a suit or nice dress.

Does a man wear sandals, or suspenders, or a bow tie? (That says something.) Does a woman wear lots of accessories, and which types? (That says something as well.)

There are so many little things that "add up" to give a bigger picture of a person. I think if you're tuned into the big picture of how someone consistently dresses, you can predict a lot about how they will interact with others, perform on a particular task, and so forth.

The big thing to remember is that context really matters. In a situation where people are expected to wear certain clothes or look a certain way, it's harder to discern how much of the appearance is that person's choice vs. forced on them.

Of course, we don't always have to deduce things from clothing. Sometimes it's better just to talk to them and find out, right from their mouths. :)

Answer 4

Some people like to express themselve through their attire. In that case you may learn a lot about them from their clothes. Other people don't, in which case you can learn less from their attire. You can always learn about a person by the very basic parameters like how neat they are, how clean ext.

Answer 5

You can't judge a book by it's cover, but the cover often gives you a first impression to help you figure out if you want to open the book to begin with.

It's not the only thing to help you understand someone, but it is the thing that people see first.

Answer 6

how someone dresses reflects their characteristics. it is an example of nonverbal communications. for instance, the symbology of wearing black to funerals as a sign of mourning. this is an example at its most unrefined. subjectively it can go very deep

Answer 7

yes, I believe so..A lot of people are starting to dress according to their characters.. like goths..they are not that "lively" so they dont wear lively colors..or pimps..be for real..run from any man in a purple suit!

Answer 8

yes and know it is not rite to judge but we do it so look your best if you care what oher ppl think.

Answer 9

yeah i guess, your self hygiene reflects your personality.