What happened to the days of Formal Attire?

July/August 2007

DRESSING UP
What’s Happened To
The Days Of Formal Attire?

By Chloe Flores

Ah, the days of suits, ties, gloves and bonnets truly are gone. My memories as a little girl from the Midwest include fancy clothing with white gloves, formal coats and elegant dresses. Even the underpants were spiffy and special for any sort of outing or for Sunday mass. As I grew older I noticed casual dress becoming more acceptable for semi-formal and formal events. I actually find myself reminiscing about the days when I had to have my hair tied back neatly and had to use a slip underneath my party dress. Typically what you learn as a child sticks with you well into your adulthood, both good and bad, and thank goodness the concept of dressing up remains very vivid.

Even the movies from the past portray glamour, elegance and charm with attire. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman were very presentable in Casablanca. Katherine Hepburn always shined, even if she wore pants. Perhaps I live in a fantasyland where I expect people to dine out, attend the theatre and accept invites to formal occasions using semi formal clothing and shoes. What happened to the “Cary Grants” and “Ava Gardner’s” of yesterday? What happened to the times when dressing ‘up’ was an every day way of being elegant?

Face it formal attire in 2007 is a dying art. Nowadays jeans are the staple for young and old. Who cares if they cost $300, pure and simple a pair of jeans is a pair of jeans. And not to mention flip flops, which in my opinion should be banned anywhere other than poolside, the beach or home. When you leave your house you are presenting yourself to the world, revealing who you are. Perhaps some of us are more casual than others, but grocery shopping in pajamas and UGGS is certainly something reserved for a caveman.

Performing Arts
Growing up in it was the norm to attend an occasional opera, symphony or ballet. I studied music and dance and knew once recital time rolled around I was expected to wear a fancy dress with gloves. I knew the attendees would be garbed in semi-formal afternoon performance attire, on occasion using gloves and hats. After I left my roots in the Midwest I took note on the garbs that were considered “formal” in other regions of the country. More often than usual I noticed casual clothing presenting itself at formal occasions. In other words a trip to the San Francisco ballet on a Friday evening would bring out all sorts of styles (men in sandals, women in cotton tanks). A perfect example of casual clothing gone wrong at a semi-formal venue transpired during my stay in Miami, Florida.

Before moving to Miami I already knew that the dress code there was a tad more risqué and revealing. Nevertheless, I admit I was somewhat surprised to see the clothing presented on attendees at the theatre. Wanting a similar cultural filling from my hometown, I ventured to be a season ticket holder for the Florida Grand Opera. Upon becoming a member I witnessed people arriving late for curtain call, a wide spread neglect to turn off cell phones (including some who had conversations during performances), and folks eating and drinking during Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. As far as attire is concerned, everything from flip flops to shorts came through the vestibule.

Work Attire: Not everyday is Friday
Most companies now have Friday as a casual day. Yet what does causal really mean; jeans, open toe sandals and tank tops? Women typically have more areas to play with, as men must wear long sleeve shirts and pants. Lately both ladies and gents have taken the term casual to a whole new meaning. Recently I saw women in a Fortune 500 company wearing flip flops and tanks inside their office and men garbed in short sleeve shirts (some Hawaiian) and trekking shoes. Now unless you’re heading to a camp site this is unacceptable. Being comfortable while you work is a necessity, yet dressing for a barbecue is ridiculous.

Dining out
Several years ago I journeyed to San Francisco, California with my husband where we ate out at several four star establishments over the course of our stay. During our visit to one venue in particular I was utterly astonished (surprisingly it was the fanciest pick) when a large party of diners showed up in shorts and tee shirts. If there is a bar on a deck, perhaps it is OK, but when linen table clothes, waiters in tuxedos, and a semi-formal dress code is listed in the local dining guide, it’s safe to assume a dress code is in fact present.

Don’t get me wrong, at times I also prefer to dress casually yet I know to be well-dressed when the event, locale, etc. deems it necessary. I don't necessarily equate dressing down with lack of sophistication, but it's nice to see people treat dining as a special event. I think being nicely dressed respects what high-end restaurants are trying to do and honors fellow patrons celebrating special occasions.

Fashion today uses Audrey Hepburn as a style icon; this should serve as a reminder to both young and old that dressing up isn’t a thing of the past. All the memories of the 50s and 60s glamour seem to be lost somewhere in the sea of hip-hoppers with saggy pants or grungy, hippie so-called-chic trends. With the overwhelming access to technology and media (YouTube) the level of taste in our culture reaches a new low. People are desensitized to crass behavior and aren’t interested in propriety. Options are certainly nice to have, but what ever happened to bringing back the old-school charm of dresses and jackets when dining out. Where can one go to enjoy a meal without seeing flip flops and overexposed flesh? Perhaps dressing is taught from one generation to the next similar to preserving family traditions and heirlooms. If and when I decide to have little ones of my own I’ll indeed encourage them to carry on the tradition of “dressing up”.