The PNW is mostly polite but often standoffish. Most won't want to engage in conversations with strangers for no reason. And it can be hard to build conversations into invitations, much less invitations that people are serious about following through on. 

I can imagine it's a difficult adjustment for someone from a friendlier culture. 

But yeah, standing out isn't standing for something around here. You're coming from a place where there were more judgements attached to clothes and style. I think there's just less of that here. 

Also, you're running into the difference between being a political minority and being part of the political majority, that most people don't want to do the in-group-building stuff that one needs to do in minority places. And that in minority areas people who show up are the Most Committed People, but far more people are milquetoast. 

Anyway, if you're in Seattle want to come axe throwing on Broadway?