The bare bones definition of clothes is essentially a thing to cover your shame with, with the added bonus of giving your body the needed protection against the elements, i.e. intense heat, cold and whatever else decides to fall from the sky.

But clothes have evolved since man’s first decision to use a maple leaf. In fact, it has moved beyond functionality and has become a lot of many things.

Clothes have become a way of expressing oneself. Others look at you and they immediately can get a glimpse into who you really are. Heck, you look at you, and immediately understand what your image is saying about you.

It is clothing that imposes an impression upon others and it influences how you feel about you and how others will behave towards you. Dressing business casual and dumpster fire attire is definitely a testament to it in a job interview.

This also translates to an evolutionary psychology concept of mate selection. You don’t just dress to impress a boss—you dress to impress your potential partner.

Just like the peacock unravels its vibrant fan of a tail, similar behaviors can be seen in a number of species, including humans. But instead of their nonexistent tails, they use clothes to increase their chances of becoming a specimen in discussion on the Discovery Channel.

The same works the other way, mind you—you can use clothes to blend in.

There’s also an interesting phenomenon whereby in many societies, certain clothes depict wealth and taste. The Hemline Index suggests this by stating that skirt lengths rise and fall depending on stock prices and overall economic status, which is reflected in how women choose to dress. Recessions mean longer dresses and skirts, while economic prosperity means shorter hemlines.

Ultimately, you are what you wear. Researchers Mary Ellen Roach-Higgins and Joanne B. Eicher have suggested this in their scholarly work on dress and identity, saying that the clothes send nonverbal cues to other people—cues like how powerful on a social scale you are, how much influence you have over people, how smart you are or even how much you earn.

Clothes are so connotative that you can’t help but think about specific people based on the things that they have on them.

Just think about it: whenever you see round, black-rimmed glasses, you will likely think of Harry Potter; whenever you see glass shoes, you can’t help but immediately associate them with Cinderella; and whenever you see a red cap with an M on it, bam, that’s Mario.

Everything from the fabric to the make to even the colors signify something about you.

For instance, the color black is associated with power, mystery, and professionalism, whereas red is passion, intensity and aggression, yellow is happiness, optimism and youth, blue is loyalty, stability, and tranquility, and green is healing, success and hope. There’s more, but you get the point.

There’s, of course, more to it than color as previously mentioned, and Science of People provides a nifty guide on how to achieve a certain look.

According to them, for a formal look, go with dark colors and minimal accessories. For casual, go with bright colors, loose fits, and a single yet outstanding accessory. If it’s edgy you want, mix and match colors, fabrics and shapes that are bold.

For professionals, it’s all about that well-fitted, modest lifestyle. On the contrary, if you want to be more attractive, they’d be more revealing than that of professionals, but they should also be comfortable and should highlight your best features.

Lastly, strong, bold and representative clothing might have the added bonus of showing off your power as an individual, but if it’s unique you want, prints, weird shapes and unorthodox accessories from boutiques might do the trick.