The pattern described (the best technical people dress poorly and dressing well gets intepreted as evidence you’re not one of the serious ones) seems like a case of counter-signalling, not plain signalling. À la Hanson: a costly, legible signal (e.g. dressing well) is what you produce when your underlying quality isn’t otherwise verifiable, so it’s a mid-status move. Once your quality is otherwise verifiable (your code, achievements, reputation amongst people you care about), the costly signal becomes redundant. Skipping it becomes a higher status move: only someone secure in their standing can afford to skip it without being mistaken for someone with nothing else to point to.
FWIW, I started taking fashion more seriously during lockdown, would recommend PAQ’s YouTube channel for those in the UK looking to do the same.
The pattern described (the best technical people dress poorly and dressing well gets intepreted as evidence you’re not one of the serious ones) seems like a case of counter-signalling, not plain signalling. À la Hanson: a costly, legible signal (e.g. dressing well) is what you produce when your underlying quality isn’t otherwise verifiable, so it’s a mid-status move. Once your quality is otherwise verifiable (your code, achievements, reputation amongst people you care about), the costly signal becomes redundant. Skipping it becomes a higher status move: only someone secure in their standing can afford to skip it without being mistaken for someone with nothing else to point to.
FWIW, I started taking fashion more seriously during lockdown, would recommend PAQ’s YouTube channel for those in the UK looking to do the same.