People no longer have pride In how they drsss.

[Welliesandtweed]

I've increasingly noticed that people are getting scruffier and scruffier in how they dress.

Some of the secretaries where I work come in, In trainers, band t shirts, coloured hair, loose fitting, cheap tops. I wouldn't do the garden in some of the outfits I see. They aren't typically patient facing but on occasion are. I think it really lacks professionalism to turn up scruffy to work.

Same for people out for an evening meal in jogging bottoms.

On Saturday we had sports day at school and every woman was in a nice dress and men in chinos / short chinos and shirts. Children all in proper PE uniform. It was so refreshing to see.

I do wish people would wear more hats. Unfirtunayept I have a big head so hats rarely fit me.

Wow.

When I started work in early 80s I had to dress professionally for the office. It was very common at weekends for white collar workers to dress down and for blue collar workers to smarten up. Thankfully times have changed.

It’s not the 80s anymore op!

There’s no right or wrong on how to dress in your own time or when you don’t have to conform to specific standards at work. People should be free to wear whatever they want. Maybe a band T-shirt makes them feel fantastic and gives them confidence, or makes them feel comfortable so they can focus on the job at hand.

I’m 45 and I dress for comfort now which makes me feel good about myself. I’m really happy to be past the point of worrying what other people think about what I wear or feel I need to wear makeup. And when I bump into a school mum who has obviously spent time putting herself together, I think how lovely they look, without feeling the need to compare. I feel really free actually. I’m sorry you don’t feel the same and that everyone should conform to some narrow ideal at sports day.

So you’re not wrong to have an opinion, you’re just horribly judgemental.

You think a dress is more appropriate than shorts for participating in a school sports day? How do you get through an obstacle course in a dress ?

I had a penny drop moment about a decade ago at a wedding.
most of the women were wincing about it pain in heels, and there was this lady there in flat shoes.she was up dancing all night, the other women were up, down, shoes off, massaging feet etc and she was just dancing away having the time of her life. I had a real ‘what the fuck am I doing’ moment, and took every single pair of heels I owned (couldn’t walk comfortably in any of them) to the charity shop the next day.

Yep. I notice men don't even bother to wear ties to weddings and funerals now just open collar and most woman's dresses are just overly garish now.

Interested in your fascination with 'coloured hair' and why you think this is scruffy.
Are highlights etc ok in your world @Welliesandtweed, if so how many shades lighter than your natural are permitted?

Someone with natural coloured hair in ripped jeans and a band t shirt Vs someone with purple spiky hair and a naice frock - which is ok here?

I suppose OP thinks the ladies in Mad Men should be the current standard

But I bet they were smart and tidy flats in clean, good repair and went with what she was wearing? Not some tatty old sandles from a holiday 4 years ago that should have gone in the bin.

You can get scruffy heels that look like you have no pride in yourself. Heels dont equal smart.

I kind of agree, OP, although it's not about people wearing dresses, high heels etc, it's more that a lot of folks just look a bit of a mess, as if they don't own a mirror. It's more about wearing stuff that is the right size rather than bulging out of too-small things, that suits you, and looking clean at least. I find it rare to see someone who looks as if they've given a bit of thought to what they put on and have looked in a mirror before going out. And yes, I would absolutely judge anyone in a professional public-facing role who looks scruffy. If they don't care about appearance then I would feel less confidence in them.

Perhaps the 'secretaries' don't earn as much as you, or go to second jobs, or have to get children ready for school.

In one of her books, Jilly Cooper observes that looking good is a matter of time and money.

Stop being so judgmental.

scruffy to me means dirty

yiu ar talking about styles you don’t like

wtf should men and women’s clothes be limited ? Practical, clean, comfortable, decent / after that keep your nose out

I've seen people show up to work in clothes that were too casual for a BBQ. So I totally get what you're saying @Welliesandtweed Personally I like pretty clothes and dresses. Certainly wasn't raised that way - mother and sister don't wear dresses as much as I do. Tailored pants are also nice, as are skirts. Personal preference.

I can say 3/4 length pants should be outlawed. They make all wearers look stumpy legged. The pants caught in your bum crack look, aka scrunch bum, it's odd. I'm not sure why people want to look like their arse has swallowed their pants.

So what would you class as scruffy in a public facing role? Do women have to wear makeup and heels? Should they be wearing a suit? What about men, do they need a tie?

@Welliesandtweed

I agree with you. Some of what you are writing comes across as a bit snobby but I do feel the majority of people I see out and about seem scruffy these days.

A lot of it is jogging bottoms, crocs, trainers....it just looks such a mess. Plus fashion is so "fast" now, fewer people than ever seem to develop their own style. I think a lot of this came about post Covid. Even if people arent in the joggers and crocs uniform, a lot of these shapeless milk maid type dresses are unflattering on so many of the people I see wearing them. Great big chunky (and-my opinion-ugly) DM flatform sandals and cheapy dresses....it just doesn't inspire me!

I'm also not a fan of tattoos either...particularly masses of them up and down people's arms and legs. These add to the scruffiness. Others will disagree with me...that's fine. I wouldn't feel moved enough to start a post on it....but wanted OP to know her thoughts resonated with me. We can be a pair of 'Hyacinths' together 😆

I hardly think clean and tidy and wearing appropriate clothes for your job is a huge ask. There are a lot of slatterns on here who seem to be proud of it.

It may be the lack of decent clothes shops. Shops like BHS used to have nice skirts, dresses tops etc at good prices.

I do feel a little nostalgic for my grandparents generation and parents generation. Grandparents had a very small wardrobe but they made an effort to look smart and coordinated! At the weekend I went to a wedding, and the shoes were uncomfortable, but i think people appreciated wedding guests wearing smart clothes rather than going in jeans and trainers. Sometime soon people will stop dressing up for weddings too. In the past clothes were expensive and people chose carefully and cared for them. Now a tshirt is 4.99 in primark and looks shit after 3 washes.

I think a lot of women these days are working mums with no time to themselves. That lifestyle as I know well leaves very little time for regular hairdresser, clothes shopping and beautician trips.

I don’t think you should judge a book by its cover. Although I was a bit judgmental when I saw someone wandering around Tesco in their pjs. Probably should have gone to Waitrose.

Haha that make sense! I’ve got visions from the OP of people dressed like they are at Ascot with a matching hat and heels!

I think my maxi dress may have even been from Sainsbury's 😂

Clean jeans, t shirt and trainers are perfectly appropriate for a non customer facing job.

Perhaps you’re just getting old? I say this because I was thinking along similar lines and then I had a closer look and noticed that this “scruffy” look is often very well thought through and often well put together. I also realised that some of the items some young people wear are very expensive. Most importantly they are clean!