Are British Men Scruffy In Their Clothes?

There are some very nice smart casual clothes available now. I prefer this look to the rather old fashioned styles which were considered smart work attire when I was younger. There are times of course when we need to dress more smartly. Some jobs need sensible clothes for safety reasons and others to give confidence to the customer.

Standards have dropped in all areas of life - not just dress. Ties are hardly ever worn even for 'black tie' events. Cruise ships have had to lower their dress code requirements. However, I'm glad to say that OH is as particular as I am, but if he can get away without wearing a tie he is happier!
On the other hand I have a photo of my granddad paddling at the seaside with rolled-up trousers, shirt and tie and trilby hat!!

I do not understand why so many men take pride in looking a mess.

I am not in the office today, but from messages I am getting the young employee that started all this kerfuffle apparently fancies a young female temp we have in administration at present. Being that he is a member of an on the road assignment team he is not around the office that often.

So, the reason for his being in the office on Saturday may not have been as he stated, as the admin section was working an extra day to catch up following Christmas which he was aware of apparently.

So, he arrives in the office wearing a pair of Levis, a pair of trainers and a tee-shirt bearing the logo "The Worlds Greatest Fart"

Now, I know I am of a different generation, but is such a shirt and logo supposed to impress the "young ladies" these days? ??

Undoubtedly it was the message on the shirt that caused his line manager to "tear him off a strip". Well, they always say you cannot put an old head on young shoulders.?

Anyway, back to the topic, men's poor dress standards, if that be the case.

Actually the Germans and Dutch excel in producing good smart casual clothes. It isn't always about how you wear something but the quality of what you are wearing. My DH has some wonderful smart casual clothes bought abroad and some very smart trainers!

I think the big question is....does a person's dress reflect their attitude to life? I think it does. I never look scruffy but I always change my clothes into something smart when I go out, even just to post a letter. I like to feel it shows my sense of self-respect.
If a person doesn't care about their appearance, it probably means they are sloppy in general.

Always amazed how smart European men are even in jeans, tee shirt and no socks. Definitely more to do with how you wear something rather than what you wear.

M0nica
I do agree that dressing in a professional manner probably
does gives the client a feeling confidence in the ability and service of the professional involved.

However a few years back my DH was in considerable pain and whilst various doctors discussed and couldn't agree on cause or treatment, My DH's condition was getting progressively worse.

Eventually I went with him to see yet another consultant.
We were both slightly taken a back when what a young version of my old Geography teacher shook our hands.
Casual check shirt, tweed jacket with cord patches (seen better days) brown baggy cords and suede trainers.

He pressed a nerve on my husbands arm causing him to virtually collapse in agony.
Said 'Sorry, but the good news is I know what the problem is.
If you wish I will operate and fix the problem'.
True to his word he did.

If the consultant had been in fancy dress, it would not have mattered. His confidence and reassurance were what mattered.

Our dentist, who I have the utmost faith wears jeans and white trainers.

GD1943 I totally agree.
We were discussing this yesterday, while watching Bargain Hunt on BBC, where all of the contestants were wearing very shabby looking jeans and ill fitting t shirts. I love Bargain Hunt but cannot imagine my partner (or me) going on the programme dressed in such a manner.

We were at the Royal Festival Hall recently for drinks and a concert and had both dressed in ‘nice’ clothes. We noticed many people wearing joggers, trainers and t shirts (what my partner calls ‘round the house’ clothes).

Not dressing nicely when going out, would undermine the occasion for me. But ‘each to their own’ ... ?

I agree with a previous poster that European men look smarter, even in casual wear. When we lived in France my husband was always taken for British before he opened his mouth . I think a lot of it has to do with the colours European men choose to put together, lots of pinks and peach, and by that I mean trousers as well as shirts. We very rarely see that in the UK. And no bulging pockets on the Continent, the man have bags!!

Grandad1943, I totally agree with you. My DH remarks on how scruffy a lot of people are today and says they have no pride in themselves. There are wonderful smart-casual clothes for men these days. Seems as if standards have dropped in most aspects of life - clothes, TV programmes, newspapers..... I cringe at some of it.

Not me! I'm in my 80's... jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, comfort pants in the house... I've never had a shampoo and set in my life. Clean but comfortable, that's my motto.
As for men, each to his own..whatever they want.

There has been a steady trend towards casual wear since the 1960s but it does sometimes seem to have gone too far. I have photos from 1965 of some 15 year old teenage boys wearing a suit and tie just for a casual trip to the park with their friends! Things changed a year or two later though. Now men of all ages often look very scruffy even in expensive designer clothes.

When my DH retired he stopped shaving, threw out all but three of his ties, and only has one suit which doubles for weddings or funerals. A shame because he looks good in a suit and tie. But, the beard is trimmed and he wears ‘smart casual’ when he goes out. If he didn’t I’d tell him ’orff.

Grandad - You asked if standards should be lowered for work life. Standards have changed as in the past all men would have to wear suits for office work. Nowadays most offices allow smart casual styles for men. It's usually only the most senior people wearing a suit with jacket and tie.
I find it is generally only older people who dress more formally outside work now - I hesitate to say a specific age but probably older than baby boomers like me who tend to wear jeans. I only see ladies in their 80s with shampoo and set hairstyle, skirts, tights, court shoes, formal jacket.

My husband is always well dressed in a casual way, chinos, Gant sweaters, ironed casual shirts, Timberland deck shoes, he plays a lot of golf, so Lacoste polo shirts in the summer usually. He buys good quality stuff, and like me looks out for discounts, he knows his style, he wouldn't go out looking like a scruff, I appreciate that. He also doesn't like trainers, regards them as gym wear and that's where he wears his, unlikes our sons who have a multitude of trainers for all purposes. He'd probably agree with the OP, but each to their own. We have friends where the husband is a bit of a scruff, he's a really nice person though, but suffice to say I'm glad my husband still takes a pride in his appearance. I like to shower and put clean clothes on each day and I have to say I wouldn't want to have to put up with a partner who didn't have the same attitude.

I think its lovely to see a smartly dressed man whether that's jeans and a shirt/jumper or a three piece suit - depends on the occasion. I had a job to 'de-formalise' my husband after 40 years in an office but his jeans/chinos etc are always clean and well pressed. He is very lucky to be a 6ft stock size - looks good in clothes. If you are on a budget, are a non stock size or height its more difficult but I agree you do see a lot of grungy looking guys around.

Totally agree TN !
DS and his friends are always well groomed whether in shorts and flip flops or a three piece suit.
On the other hand I often see men of a certain age and cannot help but think "Are you sure " ?

Horses for courses. What you wear in your own time is your own business. What you wear for work is somebody else's business.

At a practical level DH works in a hazardous environment and nobody would be allowed on site without approved workwear. Similarly, a bank, shop, doctor's surgery will expect staff to dress in a style that projects the ethos of the employer.

Would you have confidence if a locum GP in an unironed T shirt, ripped jeans, scruffy hair and unshaven? Wouldn't you feel uneasy that his medicine was as sloppy as his dress? because he has chosen not to bother to meet accepted professional stadards of dress.

Give me scruffy jeans/t/shirts any day to pj`s/onesies.
I hate dressing up so I go smart casual but I think that`s my age.

Just to comment that smart Casual dress is a strict rule in our offices as a client or customer can walk in at any time, and often do.

The person in question in regard to his clothes choice is a junior member of an assignment team who go into other companies to carry out safety audits, incident investigation etc and therefore there has to be a strict dress code for such work.

He has not been with the company long, and in that, there has been no problem with him up to this point.

However, what I hope to gain from forum members in their replies would be, do they feel there has been a "lowering of standards" in men's dress, and if so should that be accepted and reflected right through society including work life.

Personal hygiene is also an issue I feel, but that at times is in both men and women. That stated, it is not a problem for us in our office at this point in time, but on public transport, I believe it has become an often and very offensive problem.

Also, European men are so much smarter, even in their casual wear!

I agree with Grandad1943. So many men make absolutely no effort to look smart, both young and old. I think it is a question of pride. You can still look smart wearing casual clothes, as long as they fit well, are colour co-ordinated, clean and pressed and the shoes are polished. My OH is not the most stylish but if I mention that he's not dressed appropriately he gets very annoyed, so to avoid an argument, I say little. However, his daughter is getting married this year and he has actually forked out to have a new suit made, and wanted me to help him choose the style. In the meantime, I am ordering him some new clothes, and if necessary will take them to the tailor for alteration, as he is on the large side and it is difficult to get off the peg trousers to fit him. Thank you for starting this thread.

live n let live I say, as long as clothes are clean and the man is too, does it really matter, for God’s sake the poor man only went into the office on a day he wasn’t working, she sounds a right idiot. Men are a lot more relaxed nowadays in the type of clothes they wear. Doesn’t matter a jot to me, it’s how they are as people not what they are wearing

I agree and think it’s a generation thing.

Older men often are more smartly dressed than younger ones who are invariably in a uniform of scruffy jeans and trainers.

My husband doesn’t even own a pair of trainers!