The decline of American formal dress

[Balog]

I dressed nice for job interviews, weddings etc.

I'll wear my nice uniforms when the occasion presents itself.

Clean is a must. Comfort is a must. Neat is optional for day to day transaction. I comb my hair and shave, but I don't exactly become agoraphobic if my hair is mussed or I'm stubbly. I just wish to be comfortable and moderately presentable. I love jammie pants. They're just insanely comfie. If I'm going to the local grocery store I feel no compulsion to "dress for success." I didn't feel this way until I started working as a house painter. I was hardly going to change out of my paint splattered whites every time I had to run to 7/11 to refill the coffee mugs. Initially I was ashamed of my appearance, but it didn't last long.

[Matthew Carberry]

The thing is, jackets and ties and dresses used to be "everyday clothes", formal was white tie and tux/evening gown.  The stuff we wear as casual clothes today used to be work uniforms for cowboys and stevedores and even they changed out of it once they got home.

I wear a suit and usually a tie to work (mortgage banker so I fit in the two categories) and I just bought a black fedora to wear with my suits and overcoat.  Now I wear the hat at all times when outdoors.  One, it keeps my head warm, two, I get nothing but complements and "that looks good, I wish hats were back in style" comments from all ages and, three, I feel funny uncovered outside (thanks USMC) but don't like wearing ballcaps (a sports uniform item) when not playing a sport.  I'll probably get a brown one for my more casual days and to go with my leather jackets.

A nice hat really finishes off an outfit.  I will wear jeans (clean and not worn out) day to day but since I was in the Marines I still can't go out without a belt, real shoes and a collared shirt unless I'm on a beach or PT-ing.

I look at old pictures of factory workers with shirts and ties on under their coveralls and people in suits and hats in soup lines in the 30's and wonder how dressing well got to be such a hassle.

One cause I have thought of was the 60's-70's "tight fit" and polyester thing.  Men's pants used to have pleats and lots of room to move, jackets and shirts were cut fuller and all were from natural fabrics, not plastics that don't breathe.  If your formative experience with a suit was being jammed into a poorly made, poorly fitted, off the rack Sear's polyester special just to go to boring church once a week you aren't going to appreciate properly made more formal clothing when you grow up.

[Guest]

Right this very moment, I'm wearing long johns, jeans, wool socks and a green fleecey hoody.

Tomorrow? I'm thinking black slacks, and a sweater.

Typical day at work involves slacks and some sort of shirt, usually a button down blouse or sweater and somewhat casual shoes. If something is going on that requires it, I'll wear a suit to work, and I sometimes wear them to various meetings and such outside of work. I always wear suits to interviews.

But no heels! Ever. Even during a job interview. If I can't get hired without them, I don't want the job.

[Declaration Day]

I think its kinda sad. We used to dress up for everything when we left the house and I think it made everyone behave better as a result. I think that Americans have developed a general disregard for personal appearance that goes way beyond dress.

There may be something to that, I never thought of it that way.  If it's true about society as a whole, it definitely does not include me.

Unless I am at a wedding or a funeral, I'm in jeans and a T-shirt.   I'm always clean, and clean shaven, so I don't look like a bum, but I am without question a casual guy.

I am also a very polite person.  Whether I am speaking to my grandmother or anonymous nicknames on the 'net, I act like a gentleman.

[IndianaDean]

I think people in general starting losing respect for each other when we stopped dressing up to go out.

[MillCreek]

I wear a business suit, dress shirt and tie five days a week at work and have done so for over twenty years.  Outside of work, I only wear a suit and tie for religious observances or ceremonies, nice restaurants, the theater, the opera and the like. Outside of these occasions, the novelty of business dress wore off a long time ago.  Right now, I am in jeans and a rugby shirt.

[doczinn]

I feel funny uncovered outside (thanks USMC)

Ya get used to it. It also took me a while to get used to not having a rifle slung on a 3-point.

[CatsDieNow]

We have Dress-up Friday instead of Casual Friday here at work.  We got bored with the Hawaiian shirts, and most people who are not directly involved with customers wear jeans every other day.

[roo_ster]

My workplace is business casual +/-.  The average dress is polo shirt, khakis, and decent, non-sneaker shoes.

I, too, have a difficult time finding a suit that looks decent, even when I am overweight and am more likely to fit the off-the-rack suits.  Too much muscle and not enough fat, even when I am out of shape.  For me, a suit is a $1000 made to measure proposition.

Slovenly presentation is off-putting.  I am not referencing style or fashion, here.  Some really off-the-wall casual fashions can be perfectly neat.  An example I see regularly is the, aahh, "urban youth" dress of W-I-D-E bluejeans and a B-I-G pullover shirt with lots of garish accoutrements.  Lots of those who affect this style have neatly pressed jeans and are up on their personal hygiene.  I give bonus points for good personal hygiene.

What really gets me is that lots of folks who dress in a slovenly/inappropriate for the situation and/or have poor personal hygiene act all put out if they are treated like they look.  Newsflash: appearance does matter.  It is not only an indicator of what you purport to be, but is an indicator about how much respect you have for those with whom you interact.

[SalukiFan]

A personal pet peeve of mine is folks that shop at the grocery store in pajamas and slippers.  We were shopping at Kroger's last night around 11:30pm and saw probably 4 or 5 other shoppers going about their business in bedtime attire.  

Honestly, if they had just worn pajama pants, I would not have cared as much but the filthy Elmo slippers (and other festive designs) were a bit much. I've seen a lot more of this since I've been working a late shift - it seems that the later it is, the more anything goes.

- SalukiFan

[Guest]

The new job is considerably more dressy than the old job, where I was usually the only one who ever dressed up. Sadly, my wardrobe now consists mostly of khakis and sweaters. I still have dressier stuff from my fat years and from my skinny years, but I'm smack dab in the middle with a whole lot of business casual and not a lot of skirts.

Guess I'll have to drag myself to the mall this weekend.

The good news is, the new job is 73 miles closer to home than the old job, so I'm still ahead of the game.

[jefnvk]

So, is there a problem with people wearing jeans and a t-shirt, as long as they are clean and neat?

My dress everyday is about jeans, a t-shirt, and some sort of sweatshirt or fleece sweater.  I don't wear clothes that are dirty (dirty as in obviously stained and/or smelly, there is a difference in that and a pair of pants that got worn two days in a row).  I don't see any disadvantage compared to my friend who wears a polo shirt and dockers everywhere.  I did that for a while, no one seemed to care when I went back to pants and a t-shirt.  

Honestly, I don't live my life trying to impress the public.  If there is a reason, such as the job fair tomorrow, I will be dressed in a suit.  Really, if there is no reason, there is no point in dressing up.

[crt360]

I'm another daily suit or coat & tie wearing guy.  I see myself and people I work with dressed up so much that it really doesn't impress me much to see someone else dressed up.  I think there are certain occasions where it is the only appropriate attire - in the courtroom, business meeting, high-end dinner, theater, funeral, wedding, church, and pretty much anything else ceremonial.  I appreciate clients that show up for an appointment dressed nice, but it doesn't bother me if they don't.  Stand_watie, thanks for wearing a suit to court.  When I'm not in a suit, I'm probably in shorts, jeans, or khakis with a nice-looking t-shirt.  I don't care what people wear to the grocery store as long as they don't stink.

[Matthew Carberry]

I feel funny uncovered outside (thanks USMC)

Ya get used to it. It also took me a while to get used to not having a rifle slung on a 3-point.

Well I haven't stopped doing that yet.

The sling is black, so it matches my belt and shoes.