observe, im not really sure what was going on in the other threads because i did not read them through thoroughly, but i can basically figure out what the discussion was. i think that there are several points here, and one of them is that the fact of the matter is, jews often (not always) find identity with each other in the form of classification. i know everyone is scared of being accused of “labeling” and yes, its an awful thing to put people into a box, but with all the sects in judaism, and the fine lines between many of them, its inevitable that there will be some sort of classifying. with that said, there are different uniforms that people identify with. you and i might know that these uniforms are not Tora m’sinai and have nothing to do with halacha, etc. obviously, someone who wears a white shirt vs. a guy who wears a blue shirt is not a better jew based on that alone. however, it is an identity thing–if a guy wheres a white shirt and black hat, knowing that in the yeshivish world this is what it is acceptable to be wearing (on a usual basis) then he is making a statement that he is part of the yeshivish world. if a guy claims to be in the yeshivish world, and davka wears a blue shirt, then he is making a statement, too. not that its bad!!! im just saying, he is choosing to make a statement. even if he has the best self confidence in the world, and he is a “yeshivish” person, just likes to wear blue shirts, to the world, he is making a statement.
all these nuances of how people choose to dress do not define their level of yiddishkeit, but they do classify people into groups based on the uniform they choose to wear. i think we can all agree that a chasid is stating that he is a chasid by wearing the traditional levush. while the yshivish levush is not quite as much a mesorah as the levush by chasidim, a certain levush has become acceptable by litvish/yeshivish, and wearing it states that one is affiliated with that group.