Dressing well is not entirely a zero sum game. Depending on how you look, you create a positive or negative externality on other people around you by making their environment more or less aesthetically pleasing. This also has clear signaling implications, separate from those status signaling issues that you have in mind.
Dressing well is not entirely a zero sum game. Depending on how you look, you create a positive or negative externality on other people around you by making their environment more or less aesthetically pleasing. This also has clear signaling implications, separate from those status signaling issues that you have in mind.