Has Covid stopped young people from knowing how to dress for an occasion?

[BananaCaramel]

I see it all the time - so many young people don’t make the effort to look nice anymore. Not for weddings, birthdays, other celebratory occasions, it seems to be a “thing” to look like you have made no effort at all.

Is it a Covid thing? They missed a formative period of going out and now they don’t know how to dress for an occasion? That’s all I can think of.

It’s not even about fashions changing eg., people don’t really wear heels anymore, it’s that they literally turn up to events in clothes I would clean my bathroom in.

I think it’s a real shame to be honest!

Some young people don’t know how to dress for an interview. A friend who has been a note taker for a few interviews the past couple of months has seen an increase in young people wearing things such as ripped jeans, football shirts and strappy tops. Everyone who wore clothes above - the company doesn’t allow these even it’s a casual dress policy, did not get jobs. The clothes made them too relaxed and showed not being interested.

There is a culture of dressing up to go drinking in town in my area.

Heels even seem to be making a comeback... although walking in them needs a bit of practice... there was one girl the other evening walking in stilletto heeled boots who looked lovely other than the fact that she looked like she was walking/stomping in a 4 season mountaineering boot with crampons rather than a normal heel-toe foot movement

When it was hot, some women didn’t bother about their bra being exposed. It shows they don’t care and looks bloody awful. Best example was a low backed dress and the woman wore a washing machine grey bra which the entire back of bra sat above the dress. Didn’t see the front

There are a few tops I can’t wear with certain bras. As bra is on show

Bras are underwear and the name suggests that your wear it under your wear

All the pictures I see of Proms plus when I walk past graduations which take place near my work show that young people still very much like dressing up and looking smart on special occasions.

Or that they think they occasion it’s important but that what they wear isn’t?

I have 4 children in their early to mid 20s. They and their friends all know how to dress up. I would not agree with that opinion.

I do thunk as a nation we have all gor a lot scruffier. Its noe common to walk j to a sulernarket in a bathrobe and pjs for example. For me that is not attire to go out in.

Oh, another youth bashing thread. What else can we blame on them? They don't know how to work, they don't know how to dress, they aren't having enough babies to support the older generations pension.... That's just the threads I've read this morning!

Look, they don't care what you think about how they dress. Personally I like the fact that I can go out wearing scruffs and no one cares. You're preference for dressing up doesn't trump their preference for dressing down. It's just tough.

Define what you mean? Men for example often don’t wear suits anymore but IMO look far nicer. Gone are the days of people being forced to wear an ill fitting suit and a pointless tie to an event. Heels are no longer the definition of “smart”.

If you’re communicating to your children that what they wear doesn’t matter then you’re doing them a disservice. Clothes are important within our culture… they communicate a message whether you want it to or not. The types of clothing might change but if you ignore the significance of it then clearly an individual can miss out. ( not getting the job for example). It’s possible to be comfortably dressed and still “ well put together” so you cannot use comfort as an excuse of looking like a sack of shit. Clothes have never been cheaper and so freely available on apps like Vinted so nope cost of living im
not buying that either.

My own DD is 13 so only entering a phase now where shes interested in clothes. Up until recently I wouldn’t have had a clue at what she would have worn as a wedding guest as her tastes were Nike Pro leggings and White Fox tracksuits. I’ve just shopped for her holiday and we’ve surprisingly come away with pretty flowery dresses and ra-ra skirts and a lot of cute florals. Took me by surprise totally and gives me a bit of hope that style isn’t dead within her cohort.

It's perfectly possible to feel comfortable and be appropriately dressed for the occasion.

Well, I do make an effort to dress up for special occasions, and so do my DH and my dd. But I honestly couldn't care less what anyone else does. Not everyone wants to dress up. Not everyone can afford to.

You see people not making an effort to dress up as lazy/disrespectful and not making an effort.

I see people who care about what others wear as superficial/shallow and unnecessarily judgemental.

Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

@BananaCaramel so I do think it is harder to get well tailored, smart clothes at the moment. Everything is very boxy or baggy, which looks less well put together before you even start on the quality or approach to dressing up.

I work in an industry where being smart is essential and since the pandemic have really struggled to find edgy well fitted, quality clothing. Even when paying a decent price tag.

And I am old enough to remember the 80s and 90s grunge phase and having exactly the same debate with my gran and Mum. What I wanted to wear, was often not Sunday smart best.

I think some of the issues are less opportunity to dress up, combined with lack of decent smart clothes which you only wear occasionally, less disposable income for many families, and a much more relaxed outlook on life.

My guess is it will swing back eventually.

I'm delighted at the 'lowering of standards'. I used to wear heels and skirtsuits and all sorts of nonsense to work but now I am comfortable and can focus on what I am actually there to do. If I go to an event and people are wearing all sorts of things I think 'oh how lovely, everyone looks comfortable' and then I carry on having fun.

I don't think it's covid exactly, but that was a massive influence on me. For the first time in my adult life I was physically comfortable every single day and making the active choice to make myself less comfortable seemed very strange after a break from it. My daughter is ND and the relaxed school uniform and general change in what is 'expected' from you when you attend a show or go out to eat or whatever has been nothing but positive for her.

I think if you are clean and comfortable that's the only important thing and I'm just sorry I wasted so much of my life worried about clothes.

I must admit that since I retired it's a huge relief not to have to buy work clothes and shoes anymore and to be able to buy clothes just for me iyswim. But I still don't want to look scruffy.

I'm currently on holiday on a cruise, it's a small but informal ship,no formal evenings just smart casual in the evenings. The main dining room does have some rules, the usual thing, like no shorts or distressed jeans or bare feet but I've noticed the shorts rule increasingly being ignored. It's a shame I think.

I remember in the early 80s being unwell at school and my gran picking me up. When mum got home from work she was wearing perfectly smart black trousers. Well my gran gave her such a lecture - a woman wearing trousers !

Forward a few years my mum lecturing me on my ripped jeans and dm boots - the neighbours will think we can’t afford proper trousers…

Now me on at dd about the length of her school skirt…

Errr, yeah you could wear trainers at clubs pre-covid. Heck, I was wearing trainers to go clubbing in right up until my clubbing days ceased circa 2014.
I can’t ever imagine wearing heels to Fabric or wherever!

I sincerely hope heels have been consigned to the heap labelled ‘crap men invented for women so they look pretty’

Why? Presumably it’s warm, why shouldn’t people wear shorts to dinner?

What’s wrong with shorts? Antiquated rules.

I'm not sure it's just young people.

I'm ancient and I do my best to avoid any occasion for which I have to dress up. And I if can't, I do it as facetiously as possible, and take clothes to change into as soon as I can get away with.

All my life I've been called scruffy, and that's fine by me. I am delighted to hear that you feel young people are following my example.

On top of which no one has ever explained to me why it's bad to look scruffy. Sometimes I get, "Well, it looks as if you don't care about the event."

But I do care about the event. So what you mean is that it's more important to you that I look as if I care about it than that I actually care about it.

My circle are mid 30s and we all dress up nicely and make an effort for occasions, whether it’s a nice lunch out, party, dinner, whatever.

I don’t think the lack of dressing up in younger people is anything to do with covid, I think it’s just current fashion. My partner is 10 years younger than me and I notice his female friends dress quite differently to mine. They would go out for drinks on a Friday night in baggy jeans, trainers and a crop top. But they still look nice, hair and make up done. I just think this more casual look is what’s “in” at the moment.

I'm with you OP, I mean who goes to a funeral in tracky bottoms or Jeans.

I miss getting dressed up

I wouldn’t see a funeral as a formal occasion, myself. Usually I will have run out from work or doing something else, so will be wearing whatever I would be wearing anyway.

Yep, went to a big wedding anniversary at the weekend, swanky hotel, all the guests smart casual - except the twenty -something son who appeared in shorts, t-shirt and trainers. His wife was dressed beautifully, it really looked he didn't care.

The last funeral I went to, the deceased had requested that no one wore black - but rather anything bright, colourful and comfortable.