The grip of a dress code for a specific occasion is loosening. It has been going on for decades. The dress code hasn’t disappeared, of course. Human beings are social creatures, and they will continue to position themselves against each other under the rule of norms, for instance dress codes. Yet, what is right clothing and what is wrong clothing has become more negotiable or reflexive. Today it is more difficult to follow stable dress codes. You will simply have a hard time nailing them. The social interactions pass much of the clothing choice to you.
I feel it myself. I can dress almost as I please. Once in a while a suit (not very often a tie though) is compulsory but most days I might as well wear a sport coat and odd trousers, or even knit jersey, shirt and chinos or well-kept jeans. The former magnetic power of the occasion has weakened. The choice of style is mine.
In the photos I dress in what is typical winter wear for me. On the left a SB charcoal herringbone suit made up from English vintage cloth, a wine red regimental tie, and oxblood punched cap toe oxfords. On the right a plaid tweed jacket made up from vintage cloth, unlined wool challis tie, and soft cavalry twill mid-grey trousers. Everything is bespoke.
Photos: The Journal of Style
I liked your post, but I still don’t get the suit-without-a-tie thing. To me, it’s only slightly less “off” than a suit with tennis shoes. To my aging eyes, a suit sans tie looks like I made a mistake, not that I’m trying to be roguishly semi-casual.