Staying fashionable for a given context is a fantastic means of signaling that you're well connected. Even more so if you kick off a new trend. Fashion based s

Staying fashionable for a given context is a fantastic means of signaling that you're well connected. Even more so if you kick off a new trend. Fashion based signals then inevitable degrade as they become more mainstream and are replaced by whatever hot new thing that's different enough to avoid confusion with other trends. Even an ideal meritocracy requires abstractions for efficient communication.