The Appearance of Wealth

A lot of the issues we've been dealing with in class revolve around the idea of self image. One way the Americans project an image of themselves is through fashion. Unless you blindfold yourself in the morning and randomly grab at a shirt and some pants, you construct yourself through your clothes and accessories.

"Fashion, like automobiles, is one of those social avatars we use to present ourselves to the world and, importantly, create the self we want to be." Forbes contributor Robert Passikoff states.(Link) 

So how does one project wealth with their clothing? When I went to Rogers Park for a charity benefit this weekend, I was surprised by the amount of gold chains and accessories I saw people wearing. Rogers Park is a less affluent area in Chicago, yet I saw many people proudly displaying precious metals on their person. 

In The Great Gatsby, the wealthy characters wore gold, but it was much more subtle. Even in the North Shore, you'd be hard pressed to find a wealthy individual whose visible gold wasn't confined to their watch. 

My theory as to why lower class people flaunt more luxurious accessories is because they want to project the image of wealth onto others. Richer individuals, however, would rather keep their assets more private, since they see it as rude to flaunt their wealth.

What other symbols of wealth do you see in fashion? Does your fashion reflect who you are, and how?