What does it means if a guy wants to know if you like his new appearance but he never approaches you?

Long story short I used to have a crush on this guy for a long time but unfortunately it didn't work out at the time and it ended in an awful way. Recently I ran into him and he changed his appearance ( ngl he was better before ) and wanted to see if I will check him out ( he was also acting like I wasn't existing but it was obvious that he did it on purpose) . I don't understand... if he values my opinion that much why doesn't he simply just ask me out?

What does it means if a guy wants to know if you like his new appearance but he never approaches you?
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