I love to dress for the occasion. A few years ago we planned a trip to Paris which included an evening at the opera. We packed special “ opera worthy” outfits for the event. When we arrived at the Palais Garnier we were quite surprised to see the majority of the audience wearing jeans and sneakers!? At the Paris Opera House! We felt over dressed by audience standards, but not for the building or the production. That jewel box demands that one dresses for the occasion. If I ever go again I will wear a tiara.
I applaud a lot of these changes. I was a kid in the 60s, garter belts, girdles, crinolines, all sorts of hideous crap for women. We started getting comfortable in the 70s & early 80s, but then the professional uniform changed to far-too high heels & pencil skirts in the ‘90s/00s. Gah.
The last couple of times I saw my accountant, she had on smart casual; she looked competent but comfortable. Hurrah!
Business dress codes have always been far more challenging for women than for men.
Not everyone has gone the casual route, though. My son is 31, works in a Halifax consultancy. He still wears a shirt & tie most days, keeps a couple of changes of suits/blazers at the office (he bikes to work), likes the tailored shirt, sleeves rolled to below the elbows, silk tie combo. He is one of those infuriating men who has inborn panache and looks great in anything - but it gives him instant credibility when dealing with clients twice his age.
My daughter, 29, works in the non-profit sector, so she’s very casual at work - but when she’s meeting with funders/govt she dresses counter to their expectations - tailored pants & blazer/silk shirt.
I’ve spent a week or two at Milford House every summer for 25 years now. I remember when everyone dressed nicely for dinner; now, it’s a free-for-all. But my friends and I hold out for sun dresses and a pretty shawl, or tailored linen pants.
So a few of us still try, either because we like it, or because we’re aware of the subtle messages we send with how we dress, and use those deliberately.
Indeed. What gets me is how comfortable people (namely women, because men have become too chubby to get away with it) are going out in their underwear. And then there's the question of butts...
I love to dress for the occasion. A few years ago we planned a trip to Paris which included an evening at the opera. We packed special “ opera worthy” outfits for the event. When we arrived at the Palais Garnier we were quite surprised to see the majority of the audience wearing jeans and sneakers!? At the Paris Opera House! We felt over dressed by audience standards, but not for the building or the production. That jewel box demands that one dresses for the occasion. If I ever go again I will wear a tiara.
I applaud a lot of these changes. I was a kid in the 60s, garter belts, girdles, crinolines, all sorts of hideous crap for women. We started getting comfortable in the 70s & early 80s, but then the professional uniform changed to far-too high heels & pencil skirts in the ‘90s/00s. Gah.
The last couple of times I saw my accountant, she had on smart casual; she looked competent but comfortable. Hurrah!
Business dress codes have always been far more challenging for women than for men.
Not everyone has gone the casual route, though. My son is 31, works in a Halifax consultancy. He still wears a shirt & tie most days, keeps a couple of changes of suits/blazers at the office (he bikes to work), likes the tailored shirt, sleeves rolled to below the elbows, silk tie combo. He is one of those infuriating men who has inborn panache and looks great in anything - but it gives him instant credibility when dealing with clients twice his age.
My daughter, 29, works in the non-profit sector, so she’s very casual at work - but when she’s meeting with funders/govt she dresses counter to their expectations - tailored pants & blazer/silk shirt.
I’ve spent a week or two at Milford House every summer for 25 years now. I remember when everyone dressed nicely for dinner; now, it’s a free-for-all. But my friends and I hold out for sun dresses and a pretty shawl, or tailored linen pants.
So a few of us still try, either because we like it, or because we’re aware of the subtle messages we send with how we dress, and use those deliberately.
Indeed. What gets me is how comfortable people (namely women, because men have become too chubby to get away with it) are going out in their underwear. And then there's the question of butts...
I love this. Perhaps it will change again.
Wishful thinking.