For A Change, Try Dressing Up For A Night Out
The elections may be over but a new campaign is beginning, a grass-roots movement that is slowly gaining support. At issue is a dissatisfaction with casual attire at what were once considered formal events.
I have heard from a number of readers asking why people don’t dress up more often. As one woman put it, “It used to be that a lady never went out of the house without gloves. Now the only time you see anyone wearing gloves is when there’s snow on the ground and the gloves they wear are from REI.”
Others have complained that no matter what the event, people in Spokane wear jeans.
At Patsy Clark’s restaurant, Sophia Gorski, banquet coordinator, says they are in a particularly unique predicament: “We are a four-star fine dining establishment but we do not have a dress code because it’s important to us that our customers feel comfortable while enjoying an evening out.”
In most cities across the nation a similar restaurant would at the very least require men to wear ties.
“We would hope that our patrons respect the fact that this is a special-occasion restaurant and dress accordingly, but we would never impose a standard of dress because we don’t want to discourage people from coming here,” says Gorski.
Mike Kobluk, director of the city’s sports and entertainment facilities, says, “People tend to wear what they consider comfortable, no matter what the event.” He sees jeans and cowboy boots at many performances.
Jane Roberts, a receptionist at the Opera House, remembers a formal graduation held there, yet people showed up wearing ragged cutoffs.
“Even for the Best of Broadway productions, people in Spokane dress casually,” she says. “The men seldom wear ties, and most women wear slacks.”
Guests at worship services and weddings are following this casual trend. The bride and bridegroom may be in formal garb, but you’re sure to see several guests wearing Levi’s.
Whether it’s a play at Spokane Civic Theater or a performance by the Spokane Symphony at the Opera House, jeans seem to be the apparel of choice. If it’s a truly formal occasion you’ll see jackets worn with the jeans.
What is happening here?
Some fashion historians contend this propensity toward denim is linked to our frontier heritage. They theorize many people prefer this rugged material because that was the fabric of choice among our pioneering ancestors; jeans are in our genes.
While there may be some merit to this notion, it’s difficult see how it applies to the majority of the local population.
Current Spokane residents did not travel thousands of miles in covered wagons across the wilderness and mountains to reach the Inland Northwest. We were either born here or came in U-Hauls and minivans equipped with air conditioning, retractable cup holders and CD players.
Another theory holds that the Baby Boomer generation, now deeply entrenched in middle age, continues to prefer the easygoing clothing of their youth.
“There are more of us than there are of them,” says one 46 year-old, “so we can wear anything we want.”
But does either theory justify the message we are sending the younger generation? As role models we should be demonstrating there are times for jeans and there are times for dressing up.
We know the difference. But do our children?
We need to start showing them that jeans are not always the right choice in clothing.
Women, wear a dress to a restaurant once in a while. Men, choose a suit the next time you go to a concert.
Grass-roots movements happen one person at a time. As Mike Kobluk says, “There is hope. Some people do dress up for the Opera House performances.”
Perhaps this is not a lost cause, after all.
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