Slop Invasion

Although I've always considered myself to be an open thinker, age must be sinking in because the other night I was truly bothered by the casual appearance of many patrons at a fine dining establishment. My husband and I visited Ruth Chris to celebrate our 28th anniversary. Although years ago, I would have put on pantyhose and a dressy dress while

he'd have worn a suit and tie, society has relaxed its dress code. Still, I wore a dress with open-toed shoes while he wore khaki pants and a collared shirt. I consider this style to be dress casual but fitting for a fancy restaurant in 2014.

Photo from Wall Street Journal 4/9/11

At the surrounding tables, people wore jeans. One fellow even had the gaul to be seated with work out shorts and a T-shirt! Since when is it appropriate to wear sloppy attire when dining in a nice restaurant? Our servers wore tuxes while the manager had a suit on. Are we that lax of a society where people can dress sloppy when fine dining? I've also noticed this lack of style at the Orpheum Theatre. Once again, shouldn't a live stage production at a pristine place require at least a casual skirt or collared shirt?

Maybe I'm old school, but this societal casualness seems to have gone a bit too far for someone who used to dress up for air travel. Although, I'm glad we don't dress in that venue anymore with all of the extended wait times at the airport.

So, I ask, Dear Readers, is this lack of formality American or taking part throughout the world?