Curious to hear thoughts and experiences on this. My office is pretty lax as far as dress code so I take other opportunities to dress up when I'm out in public. By "dressing up" I mean, polished clean dress boots, leather belt, dress shirt, dark jeans and a sport coat. I don't do it for attention or attraction (currently single but not looking real hard), I do it because I like to but what I've noticed are the following. - I get treated better by service staff, especially at restaurants or while traveling. - The only people who typically will compliment me directly are very old women (65+), middle aged Black women, (I'm White) and guys who are either definitely gay or lean effeminate. These are not my target markets LOL. Straight guys tend to give me unfriendly glares or get visibly nervous or uncomfortable, especially if they are clearly underdressed for the occasion or location. - Women between about 30-50 yo will sometimes notice (I can tell they're looking sometimes, especially if they're with a dude who's clearly not trying), but they rarely say anything. - Women under 30 don't notice and I have come to believe, literally don't care how a man dresses. The bar for them is so low that dressing up means he's wearing a shirt with sleeves and shoes with laces. My point being that if I were to advise a guy struggling to make ends meet in today's economy, I would say: spend money on high quality, good fitting clothes if you want. But if pulling women (especially young ones) is your goal, they care a LOT more about how you're built than what you're wearing. So spend what you need to on a gym membership (and use it), clean foods with plenty of protein, and supplements if that's your thing. Get a body that gets noticed first, and then if you have anything left over put it towards clothes and shoes. YMMV of course and I do know there are significant differences between the standards I see here in the US and other parts of the world.
I tend to dress comfortably when I can as in informal clothes but I remember years ago I had to dress well for a particular job, shirt and tie. After work my friend wanted to go clubbing with me and some of his other friends I hadn't met yet, I didn't want to go clubbing but went since he was in the city for his last night I agreed. Previously I usually would not get lucky enough to get a girl to dance with in a club but that night was different because of how I was dressed, I still wore the shirt and tie from work. I had one girl asking to dance with me which threw me off initially because I wasn't even trying to catch anyone's attention I was just trying to hang out with my friend and his group. After her, I then got to dance with another girl and again I did not have to approach her. I wasn't even doing nofap at the time. I definitely would say the way you dress can have an affect with the way people will treat you, maybe not everybody but quite a lot of them I would say.
When I was in younger and mid twenties and going to college, dressing up nicer (a white collared shirt) no tie, would get me much better results now, dressing up will get me more positive energy when doing an approach… but doesn’t give me a 100% guarantee to get the girl by any means but I think it does add some value.. just as long as not dressed up too much
I think dressing well can certainly make a good first impression. But I don't think you need to spend money on high quality clothes to look good. I think you need to wear clothes that fit you properly. I think you can find quality clothing at reasonable prices at stores like Kohls or Macys. Of course there are some things you may want to spend more money on like a good quality tailored suit.
I used to say when I was young, I could find a woman because she thought I had a cool T-shirt. As I aged I needed money, stability, and all the things that women look at to judge if you would be a suitable mate for the long-run. As far as working out and a good body, that's something everyone should try to do. It's healthy, looks good, and keeps you mentally strong.
In my experience, I like to dress well because it represents, expresses, and honors a part of my soul that orients towards beauty, aesthetics, and composition. My clothes and accessories express who I am and a deeper level than just my superficial desires to be attractive to women. First and foremost, I want to be attractive to myself. If women come along for that ride, great! If I were you, I'd go inside and look a little deeper within yourself and ask that question. The more you can dress to express your authentic self, the more women (and anyone in general around you) will have the opportunity to "get to know you" at first glance... open that door for them by dressing in a way that celebrates your soul's essence! If you really want to go deeper, clothing is just the first layer, there is so much more that we can emanate from the inside-out that makes clothing mostly irrelevant in being attractive.
