I can't speak for the college grades, as that one may be a contrary indicator. In the real world, yes, you will be treated more than a little bit better if you dress well. Wearing a sport or suit coat, and better yet a tie, gets the attention of almost everyone you meet. It's even better if you stand tall and act respectfully, like you own the place. This has been driven home recently, as I have had to make multiple hospital visits on behalf of my parents. As I do it on the way home from work, I am dressed as mentioned above, and the level of attention is much better. No, it isn't the hospital that I staff, so they don't know me from Adam. My idea is that so few people dress up anymore, and most look like zzzzhhhhhlubbers, so you can really stand out if you dress appropriately or a notch better. I almost never complain anymore about how others dress, as their mistake is money in the bank. If you have a conflict with someone, DRESS UP, and your meeting could turn out better. Just my $0.02.

 

Clothes have a lot to do with others' impressions of us, as well as our impressions of others, I might add. Of course, from t-shirts to suits is quite a difference, but your point it well taken. I don't usually wear a suit any longer, but I will generally have on ironed khakis and sport shirt and get helpful attention. When I wear a coat and tie, though, it seems more respect is shown.

 

That's interesting. I think it's common sense that you'll get treated better in a suit than in a t-shirt, but the level of difference is surprising. By comparison, it's almost like you're a god when you're in a suit and a peasant when in a t-shirt, when I would have assumed it would be more like average in a t-shirt and slightly better than average in a suit.

 

The simple answer is, yes; we are judged by our looks. What we wear, the perceived quality of the clothing, and how it wears on us are all judged. Cannot help it, it is in our DNA I guess. Having said that, looks get you in the door; what you know is what keeps you in there, or not...

 

when I go out in a t-shirt and shorts I get ridiculously poor service.

This is why I always go out in a coat and tie - even to buy the newspaper on the weekend.

There are studies that show that even babies respond better to faces that are better looking. The fact that we respond more to someone that presents better is probably hard wired into our brains from birth.

You can rant on about how bad it is to judge people by looks but either you spend your time fighting against how the human brain is hard wired or learn to live with it - and use it to your advantage.

 

Absolutely. In the UK we have a shop called Argos and we use it frequently. Our house seems to go through hair dryers every month. Every time I've been in and asked for a replacment they have checked the hair dryer and asked why the faults occured. Always when wearing a casual outfit. So I did an experiment in 3 different outlets When they needed changing I put a shirt and tie on, suited and booted I went intot he shop, they took it at face value and exchanged it without question. One shop the manager seeing me dressed smartly closed his till and came to help me in the queue calling me Sir.

So yes I too have noticed it around town too, people in shops resoind better if I am dressed up.

As for the hair dryer 6 people use it nightly, they burn out within 3 weeks normally. Price of living with so many ladies I guess.

 

That actually had a big influence on my life. I had an appointment for a job interview. It was with a tachometer company. I had a lot of relevent training in manufacturing and electronics. I went there with the beard I had grown as backlash from a bad hair cut. They just left me sitting in the waiting room, weren't even polite enough to tell me the job had been filled or some other lie.
On thinking it over I decided maybe I should hire myself if I thought I was so good. I started my own business with all the money I had ($100.00). Did that for 10 years, sold out and went sailing for 5 years, lived on an island in the Carribean for another 12 years or so. Then moved back to the states and built a house and workshop and started in business again as something to do in my retirement. My wife and I have traveled all over the world.
www.leathergoodsconnection.com I have 5 shops manned by people I have trained.
The Tachometer Co. went out of business a couple years later. They made mechanical tachs and never made the transition to electronic.
Just think how screwed up my life would have been if I had gone there clean shaven, in a suit.

 

Well, it certainly helps with bank clerks, clothing salesmen, and so forth, heck, it even helps at the DMV or the Zoning Board, where they're not even trying to sell you something. Not sure if a suit and tie helps with babies, though :biggrin2:

 

I haven't noticed it, but I smile at people, greet them politely (by name if they name tags on) and generally try to be pleasant. Granted, the first impression is key of which a visual component takes up the majority, but in those remaining few seconds you can still use personality and courtesy to help overcome clothing.

On days when I am in a less than pleasant mood, the service I receive drops significantly though. I also tend to dress down on those days. My outer skin matching my inner skin.

 

That's interesting. I think it's common sense that you'll get treated better in a suit than in a t-shirt, but the level of difference is surprising. By comparison, it's almost like you're a god when you're in a suit and a peasant when in a t-shirt, when I would have assumed it would be more like average in a t-shirt and slightly better than average in a suit.

Well... clothing is what separates the ruling classes from the peasants so its not surprising to me.

I don't notice the difference much in Arizona. Maybe the east coast is different. But I am treated much better when I'm in a suit and tie. Which is why I usually try to wear a collared shirt every time I go out of the house.

 

My experience in the UK is that one's accent governs the 'respect' one receives. Accent - rather than clothes - is an indicator of class in Britian. The amount of prejudice I witness day-to-day in my working environment surpasses what one wears. If you have a RP accent, it will (unfairly) get you far, regardless if you wear Gieves and Hawkes or not. There are not many BBC presenters who have regional accents.


Also - there are many places where one is looked upon with contempt when wearing a suit.

So, yes, without doubt people judge you on your clothes - but other factors can surpass this (based on my daily observations).

 

I went there with the beard I had grown as backlash from a bad hair cut.
Just think how screwed up my life would have been if I had gone there clean shaven, in a suit.

If you'd gone there naked, maybe you'd be Emperor of the Universe now.

 

Never really given it any thought before. Can't say I've noticed any differences to service, doesn't really matter how I'm dressed.

A douchbag in a suit and tie or a douchbag in t-shirt and jeans, is still a douchbag. And will get treated as such, no matter what they're wearing. Speaking from personal experience here.

 

As a current college student, I can speak to the fact that what you wear really does effect how you are perceived and the type of treatment you get when trying to do anything.

Several years ago, I was the person who would go out in a tracksuit or matching athletic gear. That is just who I was at the time. I was treated wellb ecause I respected others, but something changed this last year when I gradually became more involved in politics and other perceived "important" things on my college campus. I began to dress better (shirt and tie everyday to my internship) and worry more about my appearance both in the office and at school. The results were amazing, and people would often look and ask questions as if I was someone important.

The same can be said for something as simple as going to the convenience shop, etc. I really used to hate to "dress up," but now I starting to take a liking to it. I am sure this will become stronger with time.

Just my personal observations.

 

Some people here have said that verbal factors - what we say, how we articulate it (eg pleasantness of tone of voice, accent etc) - are extremely important. This is no doubt true, but there are psychologists who say that we grossly underestimate non-verbal factors. These certainly include our body language but also our manner of dress. There are some studies suggesting that people subconciously decide whether they like your not within the first couple of minutes of meeting you. Of these 3-5 minutes, the first minute or so is the most important. That's where your manner of dress, which is effectlively an extension of body language, can help give you an edge over the next person. Yes, dressing is actually a language, and the non-verbal message it communicates "speaks volumes" about you.

 

John Malloy wrote a book in the late 70's based upon focus group research. The title is "Dress For Success". While some scoff at it...and parts of it may even be slightly out of date--the principles in it are basically sound and should at least be considered by men concerned with making a certain type of impression with their clothing. I can say, almost certainly, it helped me tremendously in my career.

 

www.leathergoodsconnection.com

I can't recommend your belts highly enough. Excellent work at an excellent price!

To the OP:

Out here in the casual West, where few men ever wear a tie for church or a funeral, let alone work, I notice a distinct difference in how I'm treated when I'm wearing a suit (which is 6 days a week). I'm called "sir" constantly, people seem overly courteous, I get lots of comments and compliments from strangers, and often I'm not charged for small services. Just the yesterday the jeweler adjusted my watch bracelet for free.

 

To be perfectly honest I've never really noticed any difference in how I'm treated when I'm wearing jeans as opposed to a coat and tie. Today I was wearing a gray sweatshirt, jeans, and white sneakers while I ran my errands which included a trip to the credit union and I didn't perceive any difference from yesterday when I was out and about in a coat and tie.

I think a bigger factor is whether you look neat and clean or look sloppy. One can wear jeans, sneakers, and a sweat shirt and still look neat if your clothes are clean, fit well, and in a good state of repair.

Cruiser

 

This is an amazing thread! You gentlemen are actually making sense and no one is flaming you!

I would never have landed this current job if it hadn't been for presentation.

 

...Just think how screwed up my life would have been if I had gone there clean shaven, in a suit.

But they would have treated you more nicely.

 

My experience in the UK is that one's accent governs the 'respect' one receives. Accent - rather than clothes - is an indicator of class in Britain.

I think you exaggerate here - this might have been true 50 years ago.

The amount of prejudice I witness day-to-day in my working environment surpasses what one wears.

You happen to live in a town where the local accent, for some reason, has particularly low status. It seems to be the accents of the conurbations which are most disliked (though to me the Geordie accent of north-eastern England is very attractive).
(For our USA readers - RP = "received pronunciation" - defined in the 1920s.)

If you have a RP accent, it will (unfairly) get you far...There are not many BBC presenters who have regional accents.

Again, I don't think the latter statement is true; for example, the newsreader Huw Edwards has a very pleasant Carmarthenshire accent, and the practised ear will pick up other Welsh, Scottish, Irish, northern and south-western English speakers of standard English with regional intonation. The south-eastern "estuary English" - basically a mix of RP and the regional accent of London - is very commonly heard on the BBC - and is as much a "regional" accent as are those originating far from London.

Also - there are many places where one is looked upon with contempt when wearing a suit. So, yes, without doubt people judge you on your clothes - but other factors can surpass this (based on my daily observations).

In this, unfortunately, you are absolutely right!

 

That actually had a big influence on my life. I had an appointment for a job interview. It was with a tachometer company. I had a lot of relevent training in manufacturing and electronics. I went there with the beard I had grown as backlash from a bad hair cut. They just left me sitting in the waiting room, weren't even polite enough to tell me the job had been filled or some other lie.
On thinking it over I decided maybe I should hire myself if I thought I was so good. I started my own business with all the money I had ($100.00). Did that for 10 years, sold out and went sailing for 5 years, lived on an island in the Carribean for another 12 years or so. Then moved back to the states and built a house and workshop and started in business again as something to do in my retirement. My wife and I have traveled all over the world.
www.leathergoodsconnection.com I have 5 shops manned by people I have trained.
The Tachometer Co. went out of business a couple years later. They made mechanical tachs and never made the transition to electronic.
Just think how screwed up my life would have been if I had gone there clean shaven, in a suit.

Life - it seems - always comes down to a few defining moments

 

Your attire may provide an initial visual impression but, your manners, cleanliness, and other more subtle factors quickly come into play, as you continue with your interactions! Clothing is not everything but, it can get your foot in the door so others might have a chance to appreciate everything else that comes with the package!

 

I share Orsini's delight that these posts are sensible and informative and that this thread is free of flames. The OP's assumption is obviously correct in situations where people see you before they converse with you, if we allow "clothes" to mean "appearance." Later, speech and manners can affect a first impression, but nothing can change what is past. Nobody has yet mentioned the affect of appearance when one is in a position of authority. As an archivist and rare book curator, I often made statements of fact and offered opinions that, as a practical matter, could not be checked, so the credibility and authority conveyed by decent dress, correct speech and good (academic) manners was important. Like all in my profession, I often had to tell people some version of "No." That, too, was better accepted from someone who dressed and behaved with assured authority. The few times I have testified as an expert witness taught me that attorneys in large firms and jury consultants know about these matters, but they know more and in greater detail. One consultant and her staff tested me in three different, but similar, tweed jackets before deciding on the one that conveyed the sort of academic authority they thought best.

 

I think you exaggerate here - this might have been true 50 years ago.

You happen to live in a town where the local accent, for some reason, has particularly low status. It seems to be the accents of the conurbations which are most disliked (though to me the Geordie accent of north-eastern England is very attractive).
(For our USA readers - RP = "received pronunciation" - defined in the 1920s.)

Unfortunately it's true to this day. A redbrick university did an interesting experiment a couple of years ago: a lecturer delivered a lecture in a regional accent. The same lecturer, on a different day, did it in a RP accent. Students said that the RP lecture was much more informative and authoritative, and dismissed the content of the lecture delivered in a regional accent.

Again, I don't think the latter statement is true; for example, the newsreader Huw Edwards has a very pleasant Carmarthenshire accent, and the practised ear will pick up other Welsh, Scottish, Irish, northern and south-western English speakers of standard English with regional intonation. The south-eastern "estuary English" - basically a mix of RP and the regional accent of London - is very commonly heard on the BBC - and is as much a "regional" accent as are those originating far from London.

Yes, it's true that there are some variations, but hardly regional (apart for a couple of instances). The BBC, for example, was under pressure to be more 'representative' of the public. Local accents tend to be used for peripheral news reporting like sports, weather, etc. It is much better than it used to be, but has along way to go, in my opinion.