Occasions for Dress

It is interesting to observe the various movements within culture. One of these is clothing. The old manners are giving way to new ones and one of these is the degree of formality an occasion can tolerate.


The concept of a child going to school in suspenders, white shirt, black pants, and leather shoes is unthinkable in certain parts of modern society. Such a child would be subjected to horrendous pressure to get him to change into what they view as more appropriate for the occasion. For many, an adult version would be glaring at anyone who would dare to wear a suit into a bar. The expectation of the appropriate degree of casualness is enforced with an opprobrium not deployed in other aspects of life.

No longer is there even just one scale of casualness but many. It used to be little more than two decades ago that one need only wear jeans to be considered casual, now the process has become far more complex. The theoretical simplicity of casualness used to be that work clothes were dirty, dress clothes for Church and social occasions, and home clothes whatever was decent and clean. No longer is that the case. People must now find jeans with the proper rips, fading, dyes, and other paraphernalia to demonstrate their superior gaudiness.

Formality, then a practice refined by expense, is now easily achievable thanks to cheaper fabric and rising living conditions. Ironically, as formality becomes ever more affordable, fewer and fewer people dare to dress that way. Perhaps it is the fear of becoming an "organization man" and of losing one's individuality in the society.

The result is that there is/are one or at least very few ways of being formal but many different and complex ways of being casual. The failure to be sufficiently casual can haunt some people for years as their peers judge them based on that standard.

For me, I rebel against the casual by becoming formal. Life is worthy of respect.