Dressing for dinner - a thing of the past?

Sambostar

A casual Shirt.  That's a big ask considering it's normally camo trousers smeared in dog shit or human faeces mixed with two stroke or cement, but it's appropriate, as is having a shower before you go down the pub, but maybe I'm old fashioned.

As for dressing up like a blues brother, no man, just no.

TheMarlin

If I was going to a very nice restaurant, I might pop a smart jacket on.  Hotel restaurants don't tend to be up to scratch.  It's very rare i would eat dinner in the hotel where I was staying, I'd always go out to a recommend local restaurant (while travelling). 
If I did eat at a hotel restaurant, it would only be because I'm overly tired. So, smart casual at best....if not full casual.  

CabbageCat

If it was a proper posh restaurant then I'd wear a shirt. Otherwise I'm in day-to-day attire (t-shirt, socks and nappy).

Eating out is not enough of an occasion to justify changing.

Sporky

Closest I've bothered is when we stayed at a posh hotel a few years ago; in the main restaurant it was no scruffy jeans, no t-shirts, no white trainers. The latter was pretty easy.

starwarsnosebleed

Sporky said:

 in the main restaurant it was no scruffy jeans, no t-shirts, no white trainers.

So you went naked?

Snap

It depends on the place tbh, but generally no.

Over the years, I've been fortunate enough to eat in some very swish restaurants, and the only dress code most have is don't turn up looking like you've not washed for a while. Ones with a stuffy dress code tend to be shite, and nowhere near as good as they think they are.

If I'm going out for a meal with my good lady, I will put some nice gear on.

Nothing wrong with a good pair of white trainers either - they can look uber cool with the right suit. Depends if you can carry it off.

Theres a place in the Shard, with a dress code of sorts. It lists things you can;t wear but they have a caveat: if you adhere to the dress code, but don't look good enough, you will still be refused entry. WANKERS. Now that sort of thing really gets my chuff.

Also saw one bar in the USA, with a hilarious dress code. it was a long list of stuff, but what really made me laugh was the line that said "no overly loose clothing". WTF is that then? A Kaftan?

Octafish

Snap said:

Ones with a stuffy dress code tend to be shite, and nowhere near as good as they think they are.

That's my experience the one time I had to dress up for dinner, albeit just school trouser and a shirt. Food was very average, but hey at least everyone looked 'smart' and obedient. Never owned a suit, fucking hate them. Had to hire one once for some wedding boreathon, needless to say it looked shit and so did I!

Sporky

starwarsnosebleed said:

Sporky said:

 in the main restaurant it was no scruffy jeans, no t-shirts, no white trainers.

So you went naked?

Of course not.

I wore my dinosaur pyjamas.

ESBlonde

I wear a suit for work, albeit usually a £50 tesco special because the office job is factory related and getting it dirty/torn can occure. So in that respect for me not wearing a suit is a change and getting home and casting it off is a big deal. I will however make the effort to dress up to accompany my partner at any event she choses to and she enjoys blinging up a little. Thats not to say either of us ever look like models or poster fodder, just that we feel different to our normal selves. So yes I might dress for dinner if the company and restaurant warranted it.

Blueingreen

Reminds me of a time I was seconded by my employer and spent a few nights in Winchester.  One night we went to a Chinese/Thai restaurant and there was an extended family, 3 generations, some sort of local gentry, pukka accents, fully dressed for dinner.  Men in DJs including a couple of shabby, ill-fitting, well-worn ones that looked like they'd been passed down for a generation or two.

It didn't appear to be a special occasion - my guess is that they dressed for dinner every night as a matter of course and weren't going to do things any differently just because  they were eating in the local Asian restaurant rather than at home.

TheBlueWolf

Rocker I'm starting to wonder if you're a thing of the past lol

I don't bother dressing smartly for dinner, unless it's really formal. I haven't worn a suit since the last murder case.....

LoFi

Blueingreen said:

Reminds me of a time I was seconded by my employer and spent a few nights in Winchester.  One night we went to a Chinese/Thai restaurant and there was an extended family, 3 generations, some sort of local gentry, pukka accents, fully dressed for dinner.  Men in DJs including a couple of shabby, ill-fitting, well-worn ones that looked like they'd been passed down for a generation or two.

It didn't appear to be a special occasion - my guess is that they dressed for dinner every night as a matter of course and weren't going to do things any differently just because  they were eating in the local Asian restaurant rather than at home.

That's just Winchester - you probably also saw plenty of red and yellow trousers, and tweed jackets (I'm guessing the restaurant was Bangkok Brasserie?)

I'll certainly make an effort if I'm going to a nice restaurant, but would stop short of a tie. In fact, despite wearing a suit for work, I think the last time I wore a tie was to a wedding 18 months ago.

(Also, I like the fact that I knew who had started this thread just from the title.)

ThePrettyDamned

I still giggle at the "rules" for wearing a suit for work... Let alone wearing one to dinner! 

Load of nonsense. Be comfortable. 

Blueingreen

I should have mentioned this was late 80s.  Can't remember the name of the restaurant - possibly was the Bangkok Brasserie.  We were working in Alton for about 6 weeks.  Alton was a tiny place so we tried staying in various more interesting looking towns within reasonable striking distance - Salisbury, Winchester, Guildford. 

Obviously it crossed my mind that what I was seeing, like a scene out of the Cazalets, might not be so very unusual in Winchester, but I haven't seen anything quite like it anywhere else and I've seen my fair share of travelling and restaurants.

EricTheWeary

I rarely use hotels - I'm not keen on paying to sleep in a bed last occupied by a sweaty sales rep having joyless sex with a disease ridden prostitute. 

So, dressing for dinner doesn't feature large in my life.

Snap

Octafish said:

Snap said:

Ones with a stuffy dress code tend to be shite, and nowhere near as good as they think they are.

That's my experience the one time I had to dress up for dinner, albeit just school trouser and a shirt. Food was very average, but hey at least everyone looked 'smart' and obedient. Never owned a suit, fucking hate them. Had to hire one once for some wedding boreathon, needless to say it looked shit and so did I!

Mate, a good fitting suit is a great thing. Doesn't have to cost the earth, just stick to wool, dark colours, and get it altered to fit properly. A suit off the peg hardly fits anyone right: sleeves too long, kecks too long, shoulders too wide, waist of jacket too flabby.

A hundred quid suit from topman, if well altered will look superb. Add in a good t shirt/shirt, good shoes, you's the man.

CabbageCat

If I'm at a hotel I'm probably on holiday or at a wedding. If it's a wedding I'll be in a suit anyway but I'll be fucked if I'm wasting precious holiday luggage space with a suit.

stickyfiddle

I have to say the handful of times I've been for dinner where there is a dress it has been spectacular, but that's because I've chosen the places for the food and reputation, and despite the dress code if anything. A light jacket is fine if you're somewhere nice, but I don't think there are many places left that require a tie. 

As for ties, can we just abolish them, please? We've finally gone business-casual at work, unless you're seeing the kind of clients who give a shit (it's a major corporate financial services affair, so there are still plenty of those clients) and there are STILL people under the age of 40 who insist on sitting at their desk all day wearing a full suit AND tie. Some don'will even do a full day without taking their jacket off. I can understand liking having a "work uniform", but I find that baffling. It's not like they're great, fashion-conscious dressers who look great. They look bloody awful, some of em. But yet it continues.

FX_Munkee

It depends if we go straight to dinner from the court, or I get to go home first and put something loose fitting on over the ankle tag.

sgosden

Only ever in hotels for work. If its dinner with some level of hierarchy (senior managers, or the other way - apprentices) Id have jeans and a shirt/polo.

In a premier inn for 2 weeks on a course, in the same restaurant everyday. Jogging bottoms and  the most offensive T-shirt I can find, complete with yesterdays dinner stains on.