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Alim Khan's bemedalled robe communicates a social message

Clothing, like other aspects of human physical appearance, has several social aspects. Wearing a specific type of clothing or the manner of wearing clothing has and communicates a deliberate purpose and a desirable or undesirable side-effect meant to be correctly or incorrectly interpreted in terms of social class, income, occupation, ethnic and religious affiliation, attitude, marital status, sexual availability, and sexual orientation.

Said behaviour might be a deliberate social message, even if none is meant. If the receiver's code of interpretation differs from the sender's code of communication, misinterpretation follows.

In every culture, current fashion governs the manner of consciously constructing, assembling, and wearing clothing to convey a social message. The rate of change of fashion varies, and so modifies the style in wearing clothes and its accessories within months or days, especially in small social groups or in communications media-influenced modern societies. More extensive changes, requiring more time, money, and effort to effect, may span generations. When fashion changes, the messages communicated by clothing change. For example, wearing expensive clothes can communicate:

Wealth
The image of wealth
Preferring to spend money more on clothing
Cheaper access to quality clothing

A well-groomed appearance and personal style is variously interpreted

The observer sees the resultant, expensive clothes, but may incorrectly perceive the extent to which these factors apply to the person observed. (cf. conspicuous consumption). All factors apply inversely to the wearing of inexpensive clothing and similar goods. Clothes conver these other social messages: