Ceremonial robes

I wonder, do all cultures have some sense or ceremonial dress?  We're so used to humans dressing up in their finery to denote their power, status, and wealth that it has become a shorthand for us, an instant way of assessing an individual's status in society.

It is hard to imagine a political or religious leader in a human society without seeing them wearing some kind of finery at important occasions.

All human cultures have always revered gold.  The metal that doesn't rust has stood for a metaphor for longevity, its scarcity has given it great value and it indicates great wealth.  Even our earliest ancestors were buried with gold jewellery.

Rank insignia, gold braid, sashes worked in gold thread, these are all ways humans have sought to indicate how important they are.  We have many ways to show our high status.

I wonder how we'd react  if we met aliens who didn't share our need for external markers of status.  Would we underestimate the power of the scruffy-looking meditating old male, only discovering how important he was when his mind-controlled armaments wiped out or settlement?

Or what if we encountered an alien society that was the complete reverse of ours?  The young were the ones who wore gaudy robes and finery.  Age - and wisdom - was marked by ever-plainer garb.  What if enlightenment and understanding of the complexity of the universe reduced the complexity of the presenting persona on the outside?

A reversal of the human cultural code of greed and worship of precious metals would really confuse a first contact team.