Your Clothes Tell Us Who You Are

BY KUNLE BAKARE

Style buffs and aficionados, let’s start straightaway by paraphrasing Mr Femi Falana (SAN), the serenaded lawyer, tireless activist and fearless defender of the good people of Nigeria: ‘You must be concerned about what affects your interest.’

Whatever impacts, alters and influences our well-being should take centre stage. They amplify our fortune.

And how we dress ‘affects our interest’…defines us in more ways than we think! Our gears, and how we accessorize tell and show a lot about us!

We reveal our characters—from what’s important to us to how we want to be attended to. How we should be perceived and treated.

Our ensembles whisper and purr: ‘Here’s my life, my world. I am a serious-minded ambivert, smart and meticulous, law abiding and disciplined.’

And sometimes, they holler and howl: ‘I am garrulous! I disobey rules and cut corners! I am disagreeable!’

Far more than we imagine, here are some of the ways our duds and appurtenances give us away:

1.Our personality and mood:

Law abiding and disciplined, ambitious and serious, meticulous and thorough. Or, tardy and disrespectful, careless and distracted.

Our clothes expose our personalities. The dependable and reliable always respect dress codes, dress well and are neat.

And those who jeopardize their interests are usually untidy and favour inappropriate colours.

Happy people consistently dress to the nines. And the garments of the disgruntled and ungrateful are constantly in disarray.

2. Our profession and vocation:

You can tell bankers from tech geeks, journalists from entrepreneurs and boardroom gurus. Their wardrobes and uniforms are different.

One prefers suits in darker hues, while the other leans to casuals. Another set chooses smart casuals, and the other group opts for high-end tailored garments in shades of sobriety.

Even our positions and ranks are displayed by what we wear (that’s why the best-dressed in the room is usually the leader). And we shouldn’t forget Richard Templar’s advice in The Rules of Work: dress one step ahead.

3.The era we romanticize:

Some of us are so fixated on the past that our clothes glorify an era. We prefer togs popular at a particular period—and mostly dress that way from head to toe. Imagine someone still wearing oversized suits and bell-bottoms in 2024!

We should move with the times without following trends foolishly (if our mission is to remain on the best-dressed list). Our objective should be timeless and classic pieces with a modern twist.

4. Our age:

One of the most valid style rules is ‘dress your age’. Because we look funny, paint a pathetic picture when we fill our wardrobes with items far younger than our age. Imagine a 50 year-old in distressed jeans, colourful sneakers and baggy t-shirt?

But that’s not to say you can’t look modern (with clothes suited for your age bracket and the occasion).

5. Our sexual leaning and preferences:

We display our testosterone and oestrogen levels (regardless of gender) by what we wear. Gentlemen who love effeminate-looking apparels are showing their girly side, as ladies whose preferences are macho-like drapes are displaying their masculinity.

Sexual orientations are also obvious by mannerisms and the way we speak.

6. Our class on the social ladder: 

The higher you are on the social ladder, the more inconspicuous and quieter your garments. Stealth luxury and old money style become your preoccupation. Logos and labels are no longer your thing. Your tailors hide their tags and branding. And the colours are cooler and sober in tinctures of grey, blue, brown, black and white.

Those who want to show off scamper after loud logos and prints—and reveal they are the nouveau riche.

The super people, the working class and blue collar pillars, can embrace dignified tints and designs, or loud colours and gaudy garbs (depending on their inner stirring).

Never forget: We tell who we are by our clothes, they reveal our trustworthiness or friendliness, unpleasantness and unruliness.

Remember this amazing scenario forever replayed around the world: Why do celebrity suspects (accused of misdemeanors and felonies) wear suits in court? To tell the judge, ‘I am respectable and responsible. My hands are clean.’

So should you: present a pleasant persona of who you are!

-Bakare for Omoluwabi by KB