Elf Sternberg

I think it was Paul Fussell in Class who referred to this effect as "layering" - namely, that the additional effort that putting on a tie or wearing a blazer entailed identified the wearer as being more likely to be what he called 'upper-middle class.' He also mirrors what hydrolgaus says, saying that a custom-fitted suit is also more tied to the appearance of higher class than an ill-fitted one, simply because not too long ago a bespoke suit was out of the price range of all but the upper class.