People Are Dressing Like Slobs: Elizabeth Vincentelli — Page 5

Hogan, you seem to be the one most angry most judgmental of anyone in this thread. Are you that guy at the restaurant, who while everyone is dressed nicely, properly, appropriately, youre in the tshirt cargo pants and flips?

PThespian said: "I also find it really sad that people here are saying that going to the theater isn't a special event.

To me the theater is special. Going there is a special event not because I don't do it often (believe me when I tell you I go a lot), but because it is a special place to be.

What makes an event special is the nature of the event and not how often it occurs. Going to the theater might be a routine event for you, but it's a shame if you don't find it special. IMO

"

Oh, come now, let's not get trapped in semantics. Of course I find the theater special - it's an absolute thrill, a rush you can't get anywhere else. I treasure every time I've been to the theater. Why would I or anyone else go so frequently if we didn't think it were special?

But just because I love and value going to the theater, that doesn't mean I treat it as an event, at least not one akin to a birthday dinner or family reunion, where I might feel obligated to dress up. To me, there's not much that distinguishes a trip to the theater from a trip to the cinema or to an art museum (other than my feelings about each particular art form, of course). I love doing all three, and get a thrill from all three, and yet only at the theater is there anything resembling a dress code. Sometimes it's fun to dress up, yes. But for the life of me I can't think of any reason, other than historic elitism, that the theater (and opera, ballet, symphony) should somehow be on a "higher plane" of sartorial standards.

You are extreme Mr Hogan bringing up Yarmulkes and Turbans to support your argument. No one is suggesting those are sloppy attire or unpresentable. Are you comparing them to dirty sweatpants?

Thank goodness for the fashion industry most people do care about how they look, dress and present themselves or alot of people would be out of work. Does the fact that you do not make you a bad person? Of course not, and not saying that. How you present yourself tells people alot about you. I was raised to present myself one way and you seem to be the opposite. We can still be freinds and have a cocktail together. C'est la vie

So now we are in a day and age where people don't care what they wear to the theatre, so is it fine for me to go in my Spiderman suit, that has the arse cut out?

PThespian said: "Hogan I fear you are misunderstanding me. "

Great, but that's not the impression one gets reading this thread. I think you are misunderstanding what this is about:

1. No one is suggesting a connection between how one dresses and whether one is a good or bad person. It's about whether someone is being "appropriate" or "presentable."

2. No one is suggesting you cannot personally like or prefer or think it would be nice etc. Privately I laugh with friends at how people are dressed. But that's quite a different thing than publicly (and yes that includes here) spouting an elitist attitude toward dress, and please don't insult us by suggesting you are not doing that. And in your case, it is even worse because of your position (and certainly what you are expressing here is anathema to your employer).

3. Your feelings on how people dress don't matter just as mine don't. But what does matter is how open the invitation is for people to come to the theatre and when folks get the impression they are expected to dress up, you know what that family does? They go to Mme. Tussaud's instead of the theatre. And while After Eight would be delighted to sit amongst people who look like characters from Father Knows Best watching an endless loop of Jerry Herman musicals at one of the three remaining Broadway theatres, I think you are able to appreciate why that might not be the best future for the main stem.

I'd rather sit next to someone in shorts and a t-shirt then some of the way over weight people I've been stuck next to at some shows.

She just needs to find a good designer.I think she should work with a dominatrix concept without being too literal. She is in good shape and could get away with it.!

If what others wear bothers you so much, perhaps you should stay home.

I agree with her 100%. This topic regarding attire to theater has been brought up many times and I have admitted I am old school. 90% of the time I will attend the show dressed up (jacket tie etc) and my casual attire is no tie - lol. When I first went to a Broadway show it was considered a special event and a chance to dress up. I actually enjoy dressing up because I have have plenty of other times to be dressing casual. I also love seeing my wife dressed up, see her many times in nursing scrubs etc - lol.

Like Ms. Vincentelli, if I play tennis at a private club I will have nice tennis clothes on because it is IMO appropriate. When I play on public courts, then I will usually have t-shirt and shorts and not a tennis outfit. I have mentioned before that I was in Sardi's last year for the first time in many years and it made me sad seeing how people were dressed there to have Sunday brunch. Sardi's used to be a place where you wanted to look your best and they would not allow you to not be properly attired.

I understand times have changed and casual dress is the normal way to go in almost any occasion. That being said, I miss the old days when there were certain events that people wanted to look their "Sunday best". I guess the big problem today is the extreme. It is one thing to be dressed business casual it is another to look like a slob in public.

"I don't think anyone is championing "the slob", but it seems like some people simply like to judge."

I have not read all the posts so I don't know if they are judging or just voicing their personal opinion. People can wear whatever they want unless a place has a dress code which is very rare in today's world.

"I think the disconnect is that you are imposing your sense of "best" on someone else. I very rarely if ever dress like a slob but I also happen to feel incredibly stupid "dressed up" as if I were meeting Georgie Jessel for drinks at Sardi's. "



Personally, I am not imposing my will on others. I am just expressing what I do and how I liked it better many years ago. Like I said before, people can wear what they want unless places have a dress code. If you feel incredibly stupid getting dressed up than don't do it. If I enjoy getting dressed up than that is my choice. I think we all get the difference between dressing like a slob and dressing casually.