Clothes maketh the man

Posted by ESC on January 03, 2001

In Reply to: Clothes maketh the man posted by John Junior on January 03, 2001

: Origin?

CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN -- "Appearances count for a lot. A similar expression was current among the ancient Greeks: 'The garment makes the man.' In the form 'apparel makes the man' the idea turned up in England as early as the 16th century. A century later it was sometimes put as 'the taylor makes the man." From The Dictionary of Cliches by James Rogers (Ballantine Books, New York, 1985). A second source points out that a similar phrase was used by William Shakespeare in "Hamlet."

• Clothes maketh the man marcus 01/08/01