Whether you know it or not, your clothes tell people you meet about yourself: your confidence, your neatness, and even your mental health. There are people who take interpreting people’s appearances very seriously, and you would be amazed how much you can deduce about a person simply by examining their appearance as a science. Most people do not scour the appearances of others for information about who they are, but everyone forms ideas about other people based on their appearance. Some of the things you can tell about a person simply by looking at them are as follows:

• Their efficiency. Efficiency is a quality that everyone possesses to some degree, and this degree is reflected in our appearances. It is likely that the more attention to detail one puts into their appearance, the more efficient they are. For instance, when a person is well groomed and their clothes are well coordinated, fresh and pressed, it means that person managed their time well enough to make their appearance detail perfect before attending their engagement. If a person’s appearance is disheveled, it likely means their life is disheveled also.
• Their level of effort. The other thing that a sloppy appearance can mean is that the person simply does not care to impress. This is even more offensive than a person who mismanaged their time. Someone who has the time and the wherewithal to dress and groom appropriately for an occasion, but does not, is unimpressive. It is those who put thought into their appearances who leave a positive impression on others.
• Their mental health. This one is a little more open to interpretation, but it is accurate more often than not. Chances are, the worse someone’s appearance is, the worse off their mental health is. It is a basic concept. Someone who regularly has a messy, sloppy or disheveled appearance is somehow distracted from presenting themselves appropriately. It would be silly to assume that more responsibilities somehow come their way. Typically, what is taking place is that their lives are disorganized, chaotic and troubled because their personal mental health or the mental health of their collective support system is low.

There is a great deal you communicate through your appearance, whether you are aware of it or not. Every person, whether consciously or subconsciously, does an initial visual evaluation on people as they meet them. They look for things they identify with and things they are critical of. They search for ways of understanding information about the person through their appearance. Most people are aware of this on some level, but others are surprisingly oblivious to it. So that everyone is on the same page, here are some things that your appearance tells others about yourself.

• How neat and tidy you are. This is a given. If there is any one thing your appearance says about you, it is your neatness. Clues to this quality are everywhere in your appearance. The cleanliness and coordination of your outfit, how pressed your outfit is, how groomed your hair is, and the cleanliness of your skin and hair all speak to how neat and tidy you are. Needless to say, people who are not very neat and tidy do not keep many of these details in order.
• How professional you are. Your appearance will indicate to people your level of professionalism, which is important considering that half the people you meet in life are through work. You want to leave an impression on your professional contacts that you are as professional as a person can be. You can do this by putting thought into dressing and grooming for every occasion. Understanding what level of formality an occasion calls for demonstrates social acumen, and knowing how to execute the right style for an occasion is important. These components speak to your professionalism.
• How attentive to detail you are. Your attention to detail will certainly be apparent in your appearance. Some people make it their business to notice the small details of a person’s appearance, so don’t be caught slacking in your attention to detail.