I suppose the title is a tad misleading, but this whole question came up when a discussion of work wear arose in the office the other day. See, Newsweek wrote an article the other day talking about the decline of general style and the increasing perpetuation of the stereotype of the "ugly American." All in all, I have to say that I agree with the article for the most part - I think the average perception of the American across the glob is a slightly doughy and slightly lazy folks clad in jeans, sweatpants, t-shirts, and other similarly slobbish apparel. Sadly, much of the allure of everyday dress has been lost of those of us who don't make six figures. I know I certainly am guilty of being a chronic "dresser downer" but in my industry, that's kind of the standard. I will admit, however, that I do miss the days of the daily shirt-and-tie of teaching. I also noticed that my appearance the rest of the day was also affected, as when you get more casual than a shirt and tie, you have a lot of options. It's not really possible to come home and "relax and get comfy" when you wear a t-shirt to work. I guess at least I don't ever wear sweats or pajama pants.
Really, what we have developed in our culture, much like the class divide, is an apparel divide. There used to be a saying when you saw wealthy folks dressed in Hawaiian shirts or a grubby t-shirt you used to say "they must really have to make a lot of money to get away with looking like that. Now, thanks to the dot com era, the idea of "business casual" has lost almost every trace of "business" to it. Nowadays, it seems like the only people that still wear ties to work are in the customer service sector. Most CEOs of companies these days wear polo shirts, maybe an open-collared dress shirt at most. I don't mind entirely, I will say that it is rather nice to be able to wear jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie to work every day and have no one bat an eye. Still, there is a lot to be said for going to work in a somewhat formal look. However, nowadays, if you wear a shirt and tie while your boss's boss wears a polo shirt, you might look just a little odd.
Interestingly enough, what the article also mentions is that the tide is turning yet again. I thought it was a tad of a stretch to think that Obama would bring about this change, but every little bit helps. Maybe he can remind people that there's a little more to fashion than just wearing a tie. Certainly Michelle Obama will help the ladies get a little more variation of the subdued dresses we've seen out of first ladies for the past few generations. Luckily, Obama's presidency also coincides with the rise of TV's "Mad Men" and the new movie "Revolutionary Road" so there is finally a re-discovering of the classic, rugged, retro look that I've always been ever so fond of. It's a good push in the right direction.
Just remember folks, casual is in the eye of the beholder. Take a tiny little glimpse in the mirror every day before you go about your day and say "what does this outfit say about me?" I can tell you this much: mine says "I am a professional blogger with a penchant for awesome t-shirts." And my outfit couldn't be more right about me.
