Your Tie . . . it Speaks to me.

To All Presenters:

What does what you wear say about you?

Mark Twain once said, "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."

While PETA may disagree with the oft-quoted Mr. Clemens - the fact remains, our attire is a symbology all its own.

And let’s forget context for a moment. Forego the application of rules which state donning a suit in an uber-casual business environment may actually attract the wrong kind of attention, or suggest you should dress for the job you want not the job you have. In the general man-on-the-street-operating-in-a-vacuum-sort-of-way, what does what you wear say about you?

John T. Malloy, author of "Dress for Success", panhandled money around the Port Authority Bus Terminal and Grand Central Station in New York City on two separate occasions. In each he would approach people and express his embarrassment at having left his wallet at home, then ask if he could have the 75 cent fare he needed to get home. Each time the experiment lasted 60 minutes, was performed during rush hour and on a business day.

During the first hour he wore a suit, but no tie and collected $7.23. In the second hour he added a tie to his ensemble and not only collected $26.00, but one fellow actually gave him extra money so he could buy a paper.

Mr. Malloy concludes, "No question then: The tie is a symbol of respectability and responsibility; it communicates to other people who you are, or reinforces or detracts from their conception of who you should be.” In regards to clothing in general – after performing numerous similar experiments Malloy opines, “We all wear uniforms and our uniforms are clear and distinct signs of class. We react to them accordingly."

Clothing is generally an aspect of all human physical appearance, and like other aspects of personal appearance it has social significance. All societies have largely unwritten but well-understood dress codes. Each having its own rules or signals which communicate a message based on an individual’s attire. This message may include indications of the person's class, wealth, occupation, religion, attitude and sexual orientation or availabilty. Clothes also state an individual’s willingness to conform or rebel against cultural mores and express their affection for comfort and functionality vs. trends and high-fashion.

As in all forms of communication, however, if the receiver's interpretation differs from the sender's intended communication, mistakes are made and confusion ensues.

In an attempt to express wealth or power one might wear custom clothes, expensive watches, cufflinks or jewlery. But if the receiver interprets this conspicuous consumption as a waste of money - message received could be very different from the message intended. Again, it comes down to the experiences of the interpreter.

So, a tie apparently makes you more respectable, while what your bling may say depends on who your bling is speaking to.

That’s just two elements of attire – and both could be considered accessories.

THE POINT: So, what does what you wear say about you? A lot.