Wouldn’t the amount of people wearing t-shirts and shorts have caused us to nudge our way out of wearing suits and ties, given the point of the Overton Window is to shift the norm through what we are accustomed to?
As a counter point, the window has shifted with some fashion. Sneakers used to be informal only, whereas they can now be a part of formal outfits too
Nice sneakers + a dress for example
I think we’re always going to see an association between expensive clothing (clothing that is hard to acquire and care for) and formal events. The same way we might save a good food item for a special meal, etc
Do you see a lot of people wearing suits outside very traditional, conservative settings? I can’t remember the last time I wore one casually. I don’t think most people even own their own suits these days, they just rent them for special occasions. We also have the problem of the anchor generation. I’m pretty sure most of us would be fine abandoning suits altogether, but the boomers have lived so long and held on to cultural relevance far longer than any generation in history which has slowed the progress of the Overton window.
Wouldn’t it be normality to distinguish professional from the casual?
Yeah, but what is formal isn’t objective, so you’d think it would be something that could get carried by the shifting window.
