I grew up in a non-school uniform wearing country. The few schools that do have a 'uniform' more have like what you called a dress colour: i.e. everyone wears trousers/skirt/dress + white shirt/polo t-shirt. No ties. What type of trouser, skirt of dress is up to you, thought there's usually a maximum and minimum length.
I remember very well from an exchange visit while I was a teenager myself how undisciplined I found the school I was visiting. I do not think a uniform makes a school more or less disciplined. Discipline and behaviour depends on the staff and how they cope with bad behaviour. Not on how the children are dressed.
I never ever remember having arguements about what to wear with my parents. It generally was a jeans and t-shirt/jumper afair in winter and maybe a summer dress in summer.
I don't remember clothes being all that much of a status symbol. Especially in primary school. In secondary school me and my friends used to laugh at those silly snobs who insisted on branded clothing .
My family thinks its a bit strange seeing my dcs (5&7) in tie and shirt, but they also think they look cute.
Our school here hasn't got a logo or anything, but it does have difficult colour (brown V-neck jumper, brown skirt/dress for girls), which makes it equally expensive as logoed tops and more of a hassle, because I can't buy these items from just anywhere. Also there are only 2 styles of brown dresses on the market and so it's even more important to have my dd's clothes name tagged.
I think the British are a nation of uniform lovers though. Almost anywhere you work you'll see people wearing a uniform. People behind the counter at chemists, banks, post office, a lot of companies have polo T-shirts with their logo for employees nowadays, etc... You don't see that where I'm from. People tend to wear their own choice regardless of where they work (except of course the police, nurses, postmen,...)