I work for a high value fund in Mayfair in London, a traditional haunt of the rich and well dressed. Since the invasion of super-rich Russians and Saudis over the last decade, this has become less evident, but I believe there is still a ring of truth to the idea. If there is one thing that will undermine the genteel society of the Clubs on the other side of Piccadilly though, it is the abhorence of dress down Friday.
From where I am sitting, in an office of five, I can see two pairs of jeans. The only tie I have seen all day has been the one I am wearing. "Why so offended?" you might ask, and it is a fair question. After all, why dress smartly if one doesn't need to? The fund is succesful and makes a lot of people very rich, so ties can be done without, can't they?
The problem with that argument is that it reduces people to homo economicus. Happily, money is not the only thing in life, although we increasingly seem to forget that, and through the pernicious influence of dress down Fridays, society is in danger of losing its élan and grace. Up until quite recently, one was careful to show everyone what a sober and succesful chap one was through the astute deployment of a well-cut suit and discretely patterned tie, and this was merely the most visible symptom of a culture that lived by a well-defined set of behavioural rules. Snobby though it sounds, deference was a part of this, and I believe that it was a very good thing. Having definite rules to follow in the majority of social encounters ensures that everyone knows what they are supposed to be doing at any one time. Somewhat like a military parade, a known set of actions leads to order and harmony. This is why table manners are considered so important. It's not the actual rules themselves that matter - they're pretty arbitrary and vary from culture to culture - rather, it's the fact that there are rules to follow. Everyone knows what they are supposed to do and everyone fits in.
In the modern age, social rules are considered deeply unfashionable. Dress codes are a good example, particularly for evening wear. There is a reason men wear black tie and appear so monochrome: it is to allow the ladies, who wear splendid dresses and dazzling jewellery, to take the limelight, while the gentlemen remain elegant yet unobtrusive. Now though, some men seem to have forgotten this very simple rule and insist on trying to out-dress each other ever more casually, like a crowd of spoiled children. Who can show the most chest hair? Ooooh, pick me!
I recommend that everybody remember that no man is an island. Shoes are polished and shirts are ironed for the same reasons that foul language is avoided and hands are shaken with a smile: everybody likes to feel valued and that other people they encounter have made an effort, even in a nebulous and impersonal way, to impress them. Since lazy celebrities have made it "cool", or at least socially acceptable to appear in public in scandalous states of undress, we have lost our manners in matters of clothing, resulting in the endless confusion as to what on Earth that ludicrous instruction "smart-casual" actually means.The sooner we can get back to a nationwide adherence to a small thing like an unwritten dress-code, the sooner we can hope to strive for a perfect example of a lady or gentleman.
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