What do your teen/tween boys wear to a nice meal out?

[Bsmirched]

My boys are happy to live in joggers and tshirts when not in school uniform and that's fine for a pub lunch or trips to the cinema. We're booked at somewhere a bit nicer for Christmas lunch, so I was wondering what the go-to clothes are for teen boys these days? I've asked my two and they have no clue!

Ds is 17yo and would wear short and a t-shirt!
He does own a pair of trousers, but he probably wouldn't feel it was worth a meal to wear them.

Do they need to wear something smarter to go there? I'd feel it was more important that they were comfortable.

I do agree really, I suppose I'm just harking back to when I was younger and we dressed up for Christmas dinner!

My son is 12 and just wears jeans and a hoodie wherever we go out if I'm being honest

Chinos or smart (dark) jeans, a shirt, nice sweater or coloured t shirt, clean trainers or boots. If you need a one off outfit or a jacket, eBay or Vinted are usually good.

Make mine wear jeans and a shirt on Christmas Day. For the amount of effort I go to, I think they can put a shirt on!

If he's "dressing up" jeans and a hoodie. He does want to go shopping for a shirt and black jeans as a "going out" outfit. Maybe chinos and a shirt?

Jeans and a clean t shirt or polo shirt

Thanks everyone, good to know I'm not as hopelessly out of touch as I feared I was!

My 12 yo ds wore cropped chino type trousers, his favourite lemon socks, his 'smart' trainers, a plain t-shirt and a cos cardi he's had since he was 9. He did protest, but we were off to San Carlo today. When we got I there it was hoodies and tracky bums galore 🙄

How about jeans, and then if you want them to wear a shirt- a good compromise might be those flannel shirts that you wear open over a plain t-shirt? They’re everywhere in the shops at the moment.

just a suggestion, they might hate my idea 😂

My DS would never be seen in public in chinos, apparently they are "old man" trousers. All the teens round here live in joggers or tracksuit bottoms and t shirts, hoodies if its cold.

Christmas Day ? Jeans or chinos and a Christmas T-shirt or jumper surely!

Or just any clean non scruffy t shirt.
Or a "loud" shirt

Depends on the kids though. At a push I'd settle for plain black joggers and a decent t shirt

Clean smart trainers or shoes

We went for Sunday lunch to pub and people there were scruffy - not just casual- dirty muddy trainers and stained trackies and so on

Smarter meal out, dark jeans and probably a dark polo shirt or plain well fitting tee shirt. Clean trainers. Christmas Day at home they can wear what they like so long as it's clean, it's all about the relaxing.

Jeans or chinos and a polo shirt/shirt.

Ds14 lives in cargoes and tshirt. He would put a polo on to smarten it up.

My bare minimum requirement is a collar.

so a polo tshirt or a shirt I don’t mind which. Jeans or trousers fine. Not trackies obviously.

teen would rather wear a hoodie but part of growing up is learning what is acceptable and not acceptable in society!! Christmas lunch would not be acceptable for a hoody. As we tell him, it’s not a hardship to take the hoody off for a nice meal.

My DS wore a three-piece suit to school on "non uniform day" in Y7, but I'll admit he's an outlier... (he was into ballroom dancing at the time.) Now (aged 17) a smart dinner would probably be a collared shirt (without tie), chinos, and a jacket.

15yr old DS would go with black jeans & a polo shirt.

I think it's fine to expect them to be a bit smarter (jeans and shirt) and not just wear trackie bottoms, where else are they going to learn that sometimes they have to make a bit of an effort? Presumably you will put a lot of energy into making Christmas special, it's the least they can do!

Ds will wear jeans and a polo or flannel shirt for “posh”. Joggers at all other times.

Mine would wear chinos and Oxford shirt. Smartish.

Joggers - unless you have sensory issues, are for sport or lounging around home not for nice dinners. Learning to dress for different occasions is a life skill.

I'd imagine depending on location and just how formal that dark jeans, red check shirt / Christmas jumper would be fine. Particularly if everyone else is wearing similar. Dressing up makes an occasion special rather than just routine - they can strip off and get in to their joggers as soon as they walk through the front door