Some of us are of an age that enables us to recall an era of poodle skirts and oxford shoes, back when men wore felt hats with their suits to a baseball game and women dressed up with jewelry to go grocery shopping.
Boy, things have changed. What passes for style today used to be what your mother said you couldn’t wear in public.
Blame it on the impact of business. “I’m not going to use the word slob, but I’m going to say we’re definitely more relaxed,” comments Texas manners and etiquette expert Diane Gottsman.
That’s very polite.
Pictures of a baseball crowd from the 1950’s will show a crowd of well-dressed men in suits. Today you’re looking for a guy without a mustard stain on his shirt. Women wore white gloves to church, in summer, whether they needed them or not.
“We have tech start-up companies that are very relaxed,” says Gottsman. “Their standards have been lowered because they don’t want to run off employees.”
It’s become difficult to tell the difference between casual Friday and Tuesday.