No suit? No tie? What's up?

[watchwatcher]

When I was working I always believed in dressing up. I always felt like that was my 'uniform'...nowadays, though, more of a t-shirt/jeans/shorts type.

[Sperry]

I make up for it with a really nice pair of shoes.

[codecow]

I wear track pants, baseball caps, and hoodies with flip flops almost every day along with either a Patek or my AP Diver almost every day.

Not feeling the need for a suit.

[Eric Chan]

Suits, shirts and ties for me at least 5 days a week and must have my Allen Edmonds shoes and belts. On the weekends, it ranges from sports coats, shirts and trousers to jeans and t-shirts.

I have always been a firm believer that it is better to be overdressed for the occasion as opposed to underdressed.

[KKB]

I grew up in the 60s and 70s. I remember my mother dressing me up in a suit or a dress shirt and the little clip-on tie for birthdays and other occasions when we would be going to a nice restaurant. When I see old photographs from the 60s it seems that that was the norm back at that time. It might be old-fashioned thinking but I believe that "dressing up" for small occasions make those occasions more special and festive.

A number of years ago, for my birthday, my brother and his wife invited my partner and me to dinner at Donovan's (an upscale steak and chop house with a dress code). He wore bicycle shorts, a faded and wrinkled polo shirt, and an old pair of sneakers. He claimed he had forgotten about dress codes and the restaurant allowed us to be seated, surprisingly. I was a little disappointed because I felt that his attire was disrespectful to me, as the dinner was for the celebration of my birthday and should have been an "occasion", and if we had been turned away it might have taught him a bit of a lesson. Apparently his taste in clothes hadn't changed a few years later when he wore the same outfit (with an old pair of jeans in place of the bicycle shorts) to our mother's funeral.

[Sperry]

Originally Posted by KKB

. . . "dressing up" for small occasions make those occasions more special and festive . . .

Remember when flying on an airplane meant dressing nicely?

[Mishon]

I wear suit and tie to work every day (rain, snow, heat) to the point where my wife often jokes/complains that my clothes take 2/3 of our walk-in closet. My father used to "dress up" for work every day and I developed my fondness for dressy clothes from him. When I used to live in Florida, I would often feel awkward and overdressed amidst the overly casual "Florida dress code." I am still overdressed compared to many in our nation's capital, but at least wearing a pocket square is no longer frowned upon.

[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by Sperry

Remember when flying on an airplane meant dressing nicely?

Remember when flying meant at least pretending to be civilized?

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by GradyPhilpott

Remember when flying meant at least pretending to be civilized?

very true! Flying is not what it used to be

[Rock]

Originally Posted by KKB

He wore bicycle shorts, a faded and wrinkled polo shirt, and an old pair of sneakers.

The thing is - the people have usually THOUGHT about it and made a conscious decision to dress down. It's kind of like :It's uncool to dress up - by dressing down I look like a rebel, a bad dude, a secret agent, strong & independent - or some such mental masturbation.

I'd love to know what fantasy was going through their mind.