I have an interesting test for any company I deal with. I see how much they pay attention to appearance without talking to someone
There was an interesting inversion in the "ignore the scruffy bastard effect" in Silicon Valley during the boom years.
The nastier I looked, the more salespeople were cozying up to me.
They assumed I was some nouveau riche dot-commer taking time out from his 20-hour coding days to blow a big wad of cash.
Um, those days appear to be gone.
But people around here still know that to judge on appearance is a very very dangerous thing in an area where those who still have lots of disposable income look just like everyone else (unlike in LA, where even the nearly homeless spend a shocking amount on their wardrobe).