Style over substance. Who performs? That is the question. The only question.
In a theoretical world you would be right, but in the real world it doesn’t work that way.
Style often wins out over substance.
I read a study a decade ago about who people would choose as leaders:
A: arrogant, loud, but incompetent
B: humble, quiet, and competent
The vast majority of people choose to follow A—the incompetent person. Even if they knew he was incompetent compared to B.
People prefer to follow leaders that exude confidence, even if they know they aren’t the most competent person. And most people mistake arrogance and loudness as confidence.
If you are trying to make it through the world by only relying on your skills, you are handicapping yourself.
It's a costume. New York City firms insisted on them to pretend you can trust them with your money. Bernie Madoff wore a suit.
The suit hides who people really are which is why politicians, talking heads of the Propaganda Media, mobsters, game show hosts, and criminal defendants favor them.
A suit enables companies to pretend the low-level employee serving you is more than they are. The staff at the airline or rental car counter can be extra-trusted because they dress "professionally". The driver from the car service must be professional because he's wearing a suit. It also tells the employees that they're replaceable with someone in a similar uniform.
A suit is a sign of failure.
-It's limited by weather. You can't imagine the stench coming off many men who wear suits in cities in the summer time.
-It requires chemicals to "dry" clean.
-You can't sit down with it if your chair has a back.
-It limits what you can carry with it. We passed a point decades ago that men in particular need pockets and loops for the gear they need to carry; keys, phones (sometimes two), wallets, papers, a firearm, pocket knife, etc.
Men would be better served with something closer to tactical gear, a flight suit, or coveralls.