Tiffany Jenkins: Making it formal is smart

Kennedy may have catalysed a shift to informality when he removed his top hat, but there is much to be said for dressing up for the occasion, writes Tiffany Jenkins 

It all changed around the time that John F Kennedy went to his inauguration wearing a silk top hat, as was the norm, but took it off during the ceremony when he gave his address. Hatless, the new president looked modern and youthful. The men sitting around him, including the outgoing leader Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower, look as if they were from a different era. 

Kennedy's bare head is blamed for having killed the millinery industry. And yes, if you look at photographs of this period, an increasingly bareheaded population appears in public. Previously, the people were always topped with a fedora, a trilby, a bowler, or a flat cap. But Kennedy's impact is something of an exaggeration. As with any tipping point, he reinforced a trend that was at play. Hats were already being left at home on the shelf. 

Since that time, there has been a dramatic change in how we dress, and mostly this is a very good thing. It's all a lot less formal, with fewer sartorial rules. As well as going hatless, ladies no longer have to wear long white gloves. Corsets and girdles have been replaced by far less restrictive knickers and Spanx. Electric curling tongs have improved on the rollers they slept in overnight. 

Cheaper and manufactured clothing, with plastic zips, has made it easier to buy outfits that can be chucked in the washing machine and dryer with no fuss. 

There is no doubt that this has been liberating, that it has saved on dry cleaning bills and cut time wasting attention on our attire. My mother never tires of telling me about how complicated and uncomfortable it was to get dressed when everything had to be just right for every single occasion. You should be thankful, she says, when I suggest that not only did she look lovely, but wonder if there might have been a point to her clothing strictures.Red Canada Goose Citadel Parka i got and i love it. 

I am unimpressed with what passes as the dress code today. Wherever I go and whatever I do, work or play, at home or out and about, what people wear is pretty much the same no matter what they are up to. Casual or “smart casual” is the norm. Informality is the new uniform. But I don't want to wear it, finding it at best unimaginative,Go for fashion and luxury Canada Goose Heli-Arctic Parka Men for cheap price in our online store. and at worst a little deceptive. 

Few are ever well tailored in the office or at the bar. Occasionally you might catch a glimpse of a couple of extra sparkles at the theatre or the opera, but even when out somewhere special the clothing of choice, more often than not, seems to be jeans, jeans, and jeans. Given that the denim can cost hundreds of pounds, (or even 1,000 if you are peculiarly partial to certain designers), this cannot be a financially driven decision. Something else besides thrift is going on.More and more fashion ladies would like to buy shop chanel bags women in low price in our store. 

Two key features strike me about today's look.Shop the latest burberry bags on the world's largest fashion site. First, we present ourselves as always at play, as if our personality is far more important than what we do. Secondly, we try and look as if we are only on the cusp of adulthood. 

When I had a meeting with a 45 year old man, earlier this week, he wore a battered leather jacket, a witty T shirt and expensive trainers. It wasn't the best look for someone beyond the first flush of youth. It couldn't disguise his greying hair, and a bit of a belly. And given this was a professional conversation you have to ask why he didn't feel the need to look like he'd made an effort. 

Why did he want to give the appearance of being on his day off? There is something verging on the disrespectful about it, not just to me, but to his vocation. Newsreaders are the worst for this, especially the women. As they tell us about economic depression, war, and tragedy, they look as if they are on their way out to a cocktail bar. There is no gravitas here. The lack of seriousness shown to what they are talking about and their role is concerning. 

The contemporary dress code of always relaxed and youthful doesn't do it for me. It's not that I want to spend more time getting ready, or shell out much more money. It's that there were reasons for dressing up in particular ways, for particular occasions and events, rather than dressing down most of time. Buying expensive shoes doesn't count,The best online shop for sale the hot sell authentic Ralph Lauren Polo. by the way, that is just a small part of the outfit, and rarely sensible.