They function on the same level as some of the visual and musical arts: they can give delight to the viewer and wearer. So the similarity, on that level, is apt.

Theres is no one, particularly referencing men here, who pays more careful attention to clothing and dressing than those who claim to not care about clothes.

I'm not sure what point you are making or what question you are asking Bop. Can you rephrase it? I am in the mood. Baby.

Bop - still waiting but while I'm here - just riffing on Yucas thing above - I have a Brooks original Herringbone in that exact shade of grey, suit all the details. It has 5 or more huge moth holes in trousers and jacket. But I keep it and admire it from time to time. Its like an Alessi juice sqeezer thingo or an Atomic espresso - its a piece of art.  Same with a few Ivy jackets I have, don't fit me but I call it my reference library. I have a vintage Barracuda - too small but same idea. Old jeans, shoes I keep them as Objet d'art. and I'm no Ivy purist - at all - in fact most of my suits jackets etc are definitely not Ivy. But I also have original vinyl of Django, Miles, Dark Side of Moon, Jimi, Pink Parker,  NMTBHTSP, International Submarine Band , Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, Sticky Fingers, 12 X 5, Sgt Peppers,  I have a 60s juke box for singles, old carpenters tools of my fathers, old lamps, swedish furniture, old fistrt edition Penguin books. Old Rolling Stone magazines with Hunter S. Old catholic prayer books in latin, etc etc - all for the same art reasons. I used to have a Triumph 2500 fuel injected. And the Ms. I still have her. Needs servicing regularly but still in great going condition. Takes a while to warm up but performs well.

I thought I wrote exulting but the c got in there.

Then there is Schrödinger's iGent.
If you are in bed in the morning and you know no one will visit all day and you are staying inside all day not even going up the street at all.

What do you dress in?

If you are dressed in tracky dacks and Ugg boots and a dirty creased band T shirt BUT no one comes to the door - are you badly dressed?

For this class exercise we will ignore the question as to what it means that you even own these articles of clothing

I think Bop is addressing one of the essential mysteries of our times: why if clothes are so powerful a vehicle to project our character and authority onto the palate of interacting with the world, do few people take any interest in it beyond a superficial level?