Fine feathers make fine birds.

Meaning: Outward appearance and presentation significantly influence how others perceive and judge our worth and capabilities.

Origin: The saying came from French, where les belles plumes font les beaux oiseaux is recorded early in the 16th century, and it reached English later that century. It observes, with some irony, that fine clothes make a person look important — whatever lies underneath. Aesop's fable of the jackdaw that dressed in peacock feathers makes the opposite point.