Will we ever see a return to more formal clothes?

[FedoraFan112390]

Ever since the 1960s or so our manner of clothing has become ever more informal. The Jeans & T-Shirt combination has practically become a standard uniform in American society. As late as the 1980s, wearing more formal or "preppy" clothes was still in vogue--A young man could still get away with wearing slacks casually, for instance. But since the mid-late 80s informality has become practically a rule of fashion.

Do you think we'll ever see a return to when for example a man could wear a buttoned shirt and slacks casually and not be given weird looks?

 

[Feraud]

Fashion and styles change so who knows what the future holds.

The informal/anytime mode of dress is probably no more than 10 years old. Before then you could observe different types of dress for work (white or blue collar), nightclub, weddings, funerals. Today people want to feel their cargo shorts and sport jersey uniform is appropriate everywhere.

 

[FedoraFan112390]

I remember a few years back we had my niece's baptism. I was the godfather. And I was the only man in my family to wear a suit and tie. Her own father basically informal clothes.

My cousin's wedding, a few years ago as well--No tuxes. Just suits with no ties.

 

[Feraud]

Yep. My family attended a friend's wedding where the groom and his men wore matching Converse sneakers..[huh]

 

[tonyb]

When I was a kid I thought that by now we'd all be wearing Captain Kirk getups.

But back then clothing manufacturers talked up the polyester content in their garments. Dacron (Dupont's brand name, as I recall) was going to save all mankind.

At least the T-shirt and blue jeans set are sporting natural fiber (mostly).

 

[Heather]

I hope so! Then again, I kind of like being the best dressed gal in the room!

 

[Yeps]

I have noticed a lot of my peers starting to dress a little more sharply, but that might just be because I am in music school and we are all narcissists.

 

[GoodTimesGone]

I live in a mostly rural area yet I see a variety of dress. Of course there are a lot of jeans and Carharts worn, but you see plenty of chinos, slacks, and some suits as well. If you dress semi-formal or formal here people assume it's for- your job, an occasion, or you prefer to dress that way. I switched from jeans to chinos as my main everyday choice a couple of years ago. I find them more comfortable and they look better with my a-2 jackets. If you're talking formal I'd like to see the fedora make a bigger comeback. I see guys in their teens or twenties wearing them sometimes with jeans?! I'm in my early forties and when I have worn my fedora a few times I received quips like "Hey Sinatra", "It's Indy", or "Elliot Ness". Although I respect the people they mentioned it would be nice for the fedora to be commonplace again and do without the immature comments.

 

[Travis Lee Johnston]

How bout the folks wearing their pajamas to the store and the movie theaters. :tsk:

 

[John in Covina]

Some things run through cycles and usually the pendulum begins to swing back when an area reaches the height of either popularity or when the driving forces behind a trend reaches an extreme. Look for there to be a point where there is general agreement that the approach to casual has become a parody of itself -then there will be some sort of backlash.

 

[scottyrocks]

Thats entirely possible. Look what has happened in the last few years with shorts. Theyve gotten longer and longer, and now you can barely tell the difference between a pair of baggy, crotch-to-the-knees, waistband-at-the-butt-crack shorts, and a pair of baggy, crotch-to-the-knees, waistband-at-the-butt-crack pants.

 

[Old Rogue]

I work in the IT department of a large organization. Our last gasp at true formality was about six years ago when our department head required managers to wear shirts and ties (for men), and a nice pants suite or blouse and skirt, etc. for the women. That policy went by the way side when that manager left, although there is a company dress code for white collar employees that's basically slacks and a shirt or polo. That policy seems to be interpreted very liberally by managers and employees alike. Recently, I was on a panel that was interviewing candidates for an executive development program. One of the criteria on which the candidates were being graded was dressing appropriately for the interview. Silly me, I assumed that since we were grading the interviewees on dress, I should wear a tie for the occasion. No one actually said anything to me, but I did get a brief double-take from the (tie-less) senior executive who was leading the panel. It's not unusual for even the executives at corporate headquarters to not wear ties, or equivalent if they are female.

 

[Old Rogue]

A somewhat humorous story, and it's even true....

I have been a member of my local volunteer fire department for about 16 years. Several years ago I even served a couple of one year terms as the fire chief. Once while I was chief I responded to a fire from church. I had worn a suit to church, so I removed my jacket and dress shoes and stepped into my bunker gear still wearing my suit pants, shirt and tie. After the fire was out I took one of our trucks to a convenience store to refill the fuel tanks. I walked into the store still wearing the bottom half of my bunker gear with my white shirt and tie. The clerk gave me a really odd look. I just smiled at her and said "I'm the fire chief". She smiled back and nodded her head as if that explained everything.

 

[Tomasso]

Will we ever see a return to more formal clothes?

shakeshead While there may be slight periodic corrections, it will never again be as it was.

 

[rue]

shakeshead While there may be slight periodic corrections, it will never again be as it was.

But we'll always have the lounge

 

[Widebrim]

I think that there will be a return to more formal clothing--the pendulum inevitably swings back--yet I don't think that it will be universal, but rather limited to a certain stratum of society.

 

[Yeps]

Thats entirely possible. Look what has happened in the last few years with shorts. Theyve gotten longer and longer, and now you can barely tell the difference between a pair of baggy, crotch-to-the-knees, waistband-at-the-butt-crack shorts, and a pair of baggy, crotch-to-the-knees, waistband-at-the-butt-crack pants.

Very few people I know or have seen have been wearing those baggy long shorts for quite a few years now. Honestly I haven't seen them on anyone over 15 years old in 5 years or so.

 

[tonyb]

I'm certainly not the first to suggest that the necktie as a standard piece of men's attire is gradually going the way of the fedora. I'm not prepared to bet my own money on that proposition, but I wouldn't bet against it, either.

 

[Yeps]

I'm certainly not the first to suggest that the necktie as a standard piece of men's attire is gradually going the way of the fedora. I'm not prepared to bet my own money on that proposition, but I wouldn't bet against it, either.

Yeah, that is, I think, the rough truth. However, I have at least desensitized those who know me to the wearing of ties. I can now wear a tie to class and not get asked about it, and other people can to, although that does not happen as often. The problem is that ties are really hard to justify as a practical piece of clothing, although when it is really cold, I almost always don a knit tie. It makes me feel cozier, even if it doesn't really do anything.

 

[Zombie_61]

Very few people I know or have seen have been wearing those baggy long shorts for quite a few years now. Honestly I haven't seen them on anyone over 15 years old in 5 years or so.

Come to Los Angeles for a few days.