I think you’re under-rating the signaling explanation.
considering that the bigger part of society doesn’t stand in front of their wardrobe thinking about which social class they belong to.
That’s a pretty weak strawman. The bigger part of society DOES stand in front of their wardrobe thinking about what others (and themselves) will think about this visible wardrobe choice, and how it will impact people’s reaction to the wearer.
They probably don’t consciously think in terms of social class, because they’re mostly concerned with peer-signaling (distinctions within their group) than wide-signaling (distinctions among groups). Most people definitely think in terms of “makes me look stuffy or slutty”, “looks like it’s trying too hard”, etc.
I think you’re under-rating the signaling explanation.
That’s a pretty weak strawman. The bigger part of society DOES stand in front of their wardrobe thinking about what others (and themselves) will think about this visible wardrobe choice, and how it will impact people’s reaction to the wearer.
They probably don’t consciously think in terms of social class, because they’re mostly concerned with peer-signaling (distinctions within their group) than wide-signaling (distinctions among groups). Most people definitely think in terms of “makes me look stuffy or slutty”, “looks like it’s trying too hard”, etc.