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Things are so much simpler at the nudist resort.
5 replies
Things are so much simpler at the nudist resort.
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Casual hats aren't permitted? No baseball caps? Geez, I'm glad I have no reason to stay there.
@AllanG54: Hey, I got my trucker hat at a boutique in Williamsburg, not a truck stop. I'm not taking it off!
(Loudly complaining about smoking ban as I go outside to smoke my American Spirit and making sure my junky fixie bike is still locked up.)
@AllanG54: Are beer can hats casual or not? There's nothing casual about the beer I drink.
If so, then maybe a brandy snifter hat would be sufficiently fancy?
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@AllanG54: My friend had a birthday party at Ruth's Chris last year and despite the fact that he was shelling out ridiculous money for a private room, 3 courses each for 20 people, multiple cocktails and wine by the bottle and the restaurant was like a ghost town before we got there they FLIPPED when he didn't want to remove his hat. We're in a recession. Insulting the few customers still willing to pay your astronomical prices is not exactly the best way to bring in a profit.
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@TinkishDelight: Was there a particular reason he didn't want to remove it? What sort of hat was it?
Growing up (I'm in my mid-40s) I was taught that it's considered low-class and ignorant not to remove your hat when eating anywhere nicer than McD's.
I have a feeling this just one of the many elements of manners and civilized behavior that no one pays attention to anymore.
@thepassenger: It was a newsboy style cap. It was a herringbone material that was somewhat dressy and I guess \"made his outfit\" and as the paying guest of honor he didn't feel that he should be forced to remove it.
I get what you're saying that it could ruin the atmosphere, my family is from the south and I was brought up the same way. However we were in our own private room. No one could hear or see us. After asking once and having the customer tell you he doesn't want to, continuing to insist displays much more of lack of manners and civility than his hat ever could.
You say they were wrong to ask twice, I say they shouldn't have had to ask twice. When you're a guest on someone else's property you should respect their wishes. If you're unwilling, you should leave.
@Cant_stop_the_rock: He wasn't a \"guest on someone's else's property\", he was a paying customer. There is no implied hospitality, but a conscious decision to let people come to their restaurant in exchange for money.
@TinkishDelight: It is impolite for men to wear a hat indoors. But to his credit you were in a private room.
I can understand restaurants and bars being more stringent on their dress codes. Everyone thinks it doesn't apply to them. Then, instead of having a lounge with a nice atmosphere you end up with yet another bar full of drunk frat boys in shorts, flip flops and baseball caps.
@bohemian: It is impolite for men to wear a hat indoors.
who made the decision that it's impolite to wear a hat indoors? our society as a whole is way more casual than 100 years ago when these \"rules\" were decided.
i grew up, and live, in so cal. getting \"dressed up\" for me is having to wear long pants! lol
@nakedinlb: That may be why people don't ask you to certain events. If you show that you are comfortable with everyone and can adapt to any situation from jeans and sandals, to black tie you will find that your horizons broaden, and more importantly your networking circle grows exponentially. You don't make partner by being a long pants are dress up sort of guy ,trust me on that one. Even in the creative professions you have to know what is appropriate when.
I don't do business with people who would wear a hat at dinner unless it was a seder, or they were getting chemotherapy.
@nakedinlb:
And why is it impolite for a man to wear a hat indoors but oh so proper for a woman to do so?
That's flat out discrimination by sex.
I'm sure most states have equal rights laws & it might be fun to challenge them on this.
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@Greasy Thumb Guzik: Do you want to know the real reasons?
In general, when men wear hats, they take them off to demonstrate one of two issues. There's the medieval issue of \"I'm not here for combat.\" Basically, back in the day, hats were generally combat-related and you'd take it off when entering a building to show that you weren't prepared to battle.
And then there's the \"newer,\" hygiene aspect. For men, hats generally hid all manner of poor head health - lice, not having bathed since last Saturday, bad dandruff, etc. You took off your hat to indicate that you were clean and respectable.
The reason women don't do the same? Because hats for women served a different purpose. Hats were either very decorative and part of the hairstyle or they were worn to keep women further \"decent.\" Asking a woman to remove her hat was akin to asking her to flash her tits.
The more you know.
@Greasy Thumb Guzik: Yes, that is brilliant, draw attention to yourself for not being able to wear a hat inside because it is gender discrimination. Heck put the newspaper clippings on your CV.
@Greasy Thumb Guzik: Same reason it's OK for a woman to wear a skirt, but a guy in a skirt would get thrown out of a lot of places? It's not logical but it's what people expect.
Who are you going to sue, Emily Post?
/waits for Greasy Thumb to google Emily Post
Sorry, she's dead.
@Cant_stop_the_rock:
@Orv:
@feckingmorons:
No, discrimination by sex is illegal now.
I wouldn't wear a skirt, but what do you think a kilt is? Would you kick out a Scot wearing one? Or a Greek Evzone?
Remember, there used to be promotions by baseball teams called \"Ladies Day\". That's gone now because of anti-discrimination laws.
Jennie Jones had to give up her alleged comedy act \"For Women Only\" because men sued the clubs that wouldn't let them in to see the act. The clubs wouldn't book her anymore because they didn't want to lose the suits.
That caused her wretched TV show.
If it's illegal to discriminate against women, it's also illegal to discriminate against men.
Dress codes must be gender neutral & few are.
One of these days someone will take this to its logical conclusion & sue the shit out of a hotel or restaurant.
The hotel or restaurant will probably settle to avoid going bankrupt!
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@Greasy Thumb Guzik:
When I was in the service, we all had to take off our hats indoors. But that was 15 years ago. I don't know what their dress code is now.
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@TinkishDelight: Gotta agree with that on the multiple askings.
That just makes them look like a bunch of uptight pricks and why would they want to piss off a guy willing to spend so much money?
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@thepassenger: I contend that Ruth's Chris is no longer any different than a McDonalds.
Ok, maybe not quite that bad, but they have sacrificed quality and personality to join the slightly nicer than a TGI Friday's category (chains near expensive malls, consistency, fake fancy veneers, $30+ per person but no real chef, character or food). I assume these restaurants were developed for boomers who fed their families on Fridays, Applebees and Chilis and wanted something a bit nicer once the kids were in college.
@futuresuperbowlMVPJayCutler: How about Pottery Barn McDonalds? I think that's a good name for the category.
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I wonder how large of a production run they ordered before they realized there's no period after \"Elegant Business\".
Pfft - I ate at the bull and bear a month or two ago in jeans, loafers, a t-shirt, and a blazer. They were very nice.
Also, try wandering around the lobby of the waldorf sometime - it's chockfull of all of the things they don't allow. This is pure wankery on the part of the waldorf - if you're going to have a dress code, enforce it. Unfortunately, they realize that if they did enforce their dress code, no one would bother coming.
Contrast this with the Ritz-Carlton - not only is it a nicer hotel, but you can wander in there wearing whatever you want, and be treated as well as the suit-and-tie exec. That's real customer service.
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@mzito: Mzito is right. I stayed there as part of a company vacation group a few years back. Lots of people wore jeans the whole time and no one ever said boo.
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@mzito: Agreed. Besides, it's not like people wealthy enough to stay there wear business attire all the time or something. I'm pretty sure EVERYONE wears jeans or shorts at some point. Especially if they're on vacation.
@RogerTheAlien:
My dad has never worn jeans in his life. He's not wealthy, though. He just doesn't think jeans are ever appropriate attire. Khakis is as casual as he gets.
And he still wears a dress hat outside.
@tbax929: I'm with your dad on the jeans thing. Unless you're a professional cowboy adults should not wear jeans.
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The fact is that if someone famous walks in wearing \"stupid casual\" clothes, they won't turn them away. So act like you're too famous to give a crap what they think, and they'll treat you like royalty.
@humphrmi: Back when the Hard Rock Cafe was new and trendy this allowed us to jump the line that snaked around the block.
A group of us were dressed a bit over the top because we were going out later. We walked up to the front to ask how long the wait might take and we got right in. In front of about 75 other people.
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@humphrmi: This has worked for me more times than I can remember. You can get away with being somewhere you're not supposed to be 95% of the time just by \"looking\" like you should be there.
@FooSchnickens: Our friend worked for the company that stages parties and other events, and got tickets to a fundraiser they staged. Friend, bf, and I decided to go for the free food and alcohol. Turns out it was black tie, plus we were all 20+ years younger than everyone else. I can only hope they thought we were famous musicians or something - I have several facial piercings and visible tattoos, bf wore jeans and has a scruffy beard thing going on, and our (female) friend has a rather severe buzz cut. No one kicked us out, at least.
I wish I could remember which one it was, but one of Denver's older, higher end restaurants used to have a thing printed right on their menu saying that they have and encourage a diverse clientele, and are happy to serve people who've just come in from hiking or skiing or just tooling around the city, so please don't complain about your fellow patrons' attire. We welcome jeans and hiking boots. This is Denver and that's just how we roll.
I always liked that.
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@spanky: That's cool and all, but I think every place should enforce the \"you have to wear shoes\" policy.
I was once at a cocktail party where a random girl's feet hurt, so she took off her shoes and walked around barefoot. It grossed me out.
@Trance1861: \"It grossed me out.\"
It always cracks me up that bare feet gross people out, while the BOTTOMS OF SHOES, which are filthy are somehow better? Do you know what people step in every day?
As long as her feet were clean and did not stink they were probably cleaner than the bottoms of your shoes.
Question: Would you rather lick the bottoms of her feet, or the bottoms of her shoes?
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@Trance1861: What exactly about her bare feet that grossed you out? Perhaps it's a cultural thing but I find it rather gross when people come into my carpeted apartment with their shoes on.
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@Trance1861: i agree about needing to wear shoes. it's so prevalent [women wearing painful shoes] there's a thing for that now - roll up comfortable slippers [flash site warning]
[www.rollasole.com]
@Trance1861: Why did that gross you out? Was she sticking her feet in your drink? Were her feet making your shoes dirty? Perhaps she was grossed out by your bare hands. Put on your gloves, hayseed!!
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@Trance1861: I love how women will wear the most uncomfortable shoes just because they look pretty or something. If you can't wear them, then they might as well not be shoes.
@AirIntake: It's rather difficult to find a pair of nice, affordable and comfortable shoes.
Most shoes I have are quite comfortable and I wear them frequently, but often times you don't realize the damaging potential of the shoes until you wear them to a Persian wedding and had to dance the entire night.
@AirIntake: I agree, but sometimes it's actually a sort of quasi requirement. Women don't always have the same comfortable options that men do. Pointy toes and/or heels seem to be a requirement for many dress codes.
I worked at a company that used to send women home sometimes for all kinds of unwritten dress code violations, including wearing any remotely comfortable shoes. (A bunch of us conspired and started calling discomfort 'foot problems,' which made them back off that a little.)
And a couple of years ago, my brother got married and almost every woman at the wedding ended up barefoot, me included. He and his wife were both post-docs, so most of the guests were either academics or my hillbilly family. It looked like most of the women there had gone out and bought special 'fancy shoes' for the occasion, and discovered after an hour or so that we couldn't hack it.
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@spanky: I hate unwritten dress codes. I do contract work, so I'm in different offices all the time, and my last one was \"business casual,\" meaning no super-nice suits, but no khakis on either gender, sleeveless tops, overly bright colors or patterns, large jewelry, \"clunky\" shoes on women, or polo shirts or ties on men. Jeans were okay on Fridays but you had to wear a dressy top and dressy shoes. Athletic shoes and T-shirts were okay on the weekends, but not sweatpants.
My shoe wardrobe was very comfy, meaning not up to par. I bought some nice, round-toe heels for way too much a \"comfort\" brand, and they still squish my pinky toe. It sucks when part of your morning routine is to cover your feet in band-aids to prevent blisters.
If only Taryn Rose shoes were more affordable.
@clairedeloony: Some of this borders on discrimination of sorts. Forcing women to wear shoes that don't look comfortable. Many people have foot and back problems and can not wear shoes with heels or shoes that have pointed toes, narrow heels or hard backs.
What makes the problem worse is that you have to get into the $100 or $300 range before you can find shoes made well enough to not cut into or otherwise damage people's feet.
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@spanky: me and the hubby had a quicky wedding but want the big she-bang for our 5th or 10th (haven't decided yet) and I'm wearing converse. Screw fancy shoes...
@AirIntake: Sometimes you buy shoes for the occasion and don't know they're uncomfortable until you're at the event. Overall I do agree though, slightly less attractive shoes (and there are so many comfortable yet attractive shoe options these days!) are much classier and better looking than bare feet. Constantly complaining and sitting down is one thing, but taking off your shoes and walking about? What woman does that over the age of 16??
@TinkishDelight: I have such a difficult time finding comfortable shoes. My feet are kind of oddly shaped and often one part of the shoe will fit but another part won't so that they end up slipping around on my feet. I don't usually end up barefoot when I need to be dressed up but I was recently a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding and brought a pair of flip-flops specifically for the reception.
Stay at The Regency. It's pretty comparable class wise to the Waldorf except the rooms are bigger and the decor is more modern and you can wear ratty flip flops wherever you damn well please.
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Remember your staying at the Waldorf for the class symbol it is, not because its a good place to stay.
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Can someone translate the rest of those terms into English?
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I'm particularly impressed by the Capital Letters. These are guidelines for Dress, dammit.
I know we're all gonna snark on this item, but I kind of like this. Wouldn't it be nice to have SOME places for dining and seeing shows etc. where people dressed better than jeans and tees? I used to take various of our children to Broadway touring productions at our city's grand old restored theater. We dressed up! It was fun! The last time I went to a play, half the audience wore hoodies and Tom Brady football jerseys. Damn.
And DON'T get me going on what people wear to church!
/rant
IRT church - this is one reason we go to a Unitarian Universalist church...and that being the only church I could get my husband to go to (as he grew up in the bible belt and did NOT want to get \"dressed up\" for church). It's also one reason I stepped AWAY from organized religion as a teen.
Do you really think Jesus/God gives a crap about what you wear when you worship? Yeah...Jesus was such a clothes snob, hanging out with the lepers and prostitutes and all. *eyeroll
I love my UU church...and how people don't care what you wear, just as long as you're there :)
@ElizabethD: Believe me when I say, I don't mourn the idea of judging by appearance. I go to work every day in a polo shirt and jeans (except Fridays, when I wear a T-shirt and jeans), and I love it.
@ElizabethD: Here's one of those times when it may really have been better in the old days. When we attended a Broadway show, or symphony, or a nice restaurant, or when we flew, we wore ties and jackets (the men, not the women). In fact, we were prohibited from wearing jeans and tee shirts in high school and most of us carried that over into college. I'm not sure it made the occasions any more special, but it encouraged a standard of behavior. That said, I still wear a tie and jacket to the Kennedy Center but I usually wear jeans to the office.
@H3ion: My mom recalls being forbidden to wear pants in college -- skirts only. She said this was not amusing when it was -20 out.
@ElizabethD: in regards to what people where to church. I myself when I go to my Baptist Church will wear black jeans, a dark colored t shirt(sometimes a christian metal band shirt if i have one) converse chuck taylors and either barbwired bracelets or leather wrist bands. I do so because I believe God, is going to listen to my heart rather care for how I dress.
Sunday mornings i go with a polo shirt (or henley) and jeans as well. I don't like having to dress up much for anything to be honest.
@stryper2000: HERE, HERE!!
Yes, I agree, what's in your heart is what God is REALLY interested in, and no one in my church would bat an eye if you visited (in fact, you would be eagerly greeted-I'm blessed to be in a church that really strives to love people like we believe God loves us).
Nothing against Stryper, but when I'm in a Christian Metal mood, nothing satisfies like Believer! If you are a big-time music fan, you MUST give a listen to Neal Morse: true full-bore prog rock with some of the most literate, uplifting lyrics I've ever heard in a Christian release (and great guest musicians such as Mike Portnoy, Steve Hackett, Paul Gilbert, Pete Trewavas, and Kerry Livgren).
@ElizabethD: Go to the opera. Everyone still dresses up for that.
My parents remember dressing up to get on an airline flight. You don't see people do that much anymore.
@CFinWV: This is one of the things I don't miss about organized religion. Getting up before the sun and dressing in formal clothing. It ranks right up there with sitting on hard wood pews for hours.
@ElizabethD: In these days I think a church should welcome anyone regardless of dress. Its a place of worship not a place to show off the latest dress or that fancy pair of shoes you just bought to your friend while in the line for communion. Or to talk to your friend in the next pew over about how much weight you lost then begin showing off your new clothes to them. Unfortunately this is what my church has become and apparently what happens when people buy dress up clothes for the sole purpose of going to church in them. Perhaps the people in church cannot afford to buy fancy clothes just for going to church. This also makes the people who just can't afford the fancy clothes feel bad when everyone around them is whispering to each other about their clothing in the pews before mass or while walking in the communion line.
I would say coming to church in whatever is much better than not coming at all for the most part. Unless its something REALLY inappropriate like a very skimpy cocktail dress and 6 inch stripper heels which yes, I have seem people come to my church in a similar outfit to that! Looks much worse than t-shirt and jeans.
@Outrun1986:
I've been trying to explain this to my Holy-Roller relatives forever. They don't understand why church membership is down. Well, part of it may be that you make people feel like crap because of something so silly as what they're wearing. My church once threw out a homeless guy who was just there to attend service. WTF is that???
That is just one of the many reasons I've completely given up on organized religion. Of course, they don't accept me and my girlfriend anyone. So screw 'em.
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@Outrun1986: It's not that people who aren't well dressed aren't welcome - it's that you take pride in your faith and in your dedication and as such, take the effort to look like you give a crap.
@Outrun1986: Atheist here but while growing up in a church I could never understand the fascination with dressing up. I think it's good to put on your \"sunday's best\" and make a good impression but ultimately that 'good impression' is to let the neighbors know you're not dirt poor, to remind them you still have a job, and to let them know you're a person on the straight and narrow.
As far as god is concerned I doubt he/she could care less if you worshipped naked or in a 3 piece suit
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@ElizabethD: My church meets in a living room, so we avoid all that judgmental crap about what one is supposed to wear :)
One fun event my wife and I have done many times is to dress up as much as possible and go somewhere mundane (bowling, casual restaurant). With a bunch of friends you don't feel weird at all because you're all doing it! We call it \"See the Queen\" because that's what my wife called it in high school. The event lives on years later!
@GuinevereRucker: My friends and I would go to the wrestling matches in suits (to imitate the NWA Four Horsemen in the 80s).
It paid off once - we managed to get into a VIP meet-and-greet and got to meet the wrestlers before a card.
@GuinevereRucker: We did that all the time in high school! My best friend and I would buy terrible 80s formal prom dresses from the thrift store, and then go to the driving range and In-N-Out with our boyfriends on double dates.
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@ElizabethD: If we could ban men wearing any foot wear where I can actually see their nasty, hairy feet, that would be okay by me.
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@ElizabethD: \"And DON'T get me going on what people wear to church!\" - You're going to church for a reason, and it's not to be judged by what you are wearing. But on your main point, I agree. I went to the symphony and half the crowd was dressed to kill and the other half... they thought it was a frat house BBQ.
Also, I have gotten away with so much by just looking and acting like I'm supposed to be there. \"You don't know me? I'm the new guy.\" works all too often.
@Spaztrick: I like not looking like a hobo when I go to church. If I dress up to go to dinner, why wouldn't I dress up to go to church? That said...I usually wear jeans to church. It shows that you care about where you are.
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@pecan 3.14159265: \"you take pride in your faith and in your dedication and as such, take the effort to look like you give a crap.\"
Yeah, I can't count how many times Jesus admonished his disciples to dress like they give a crap. And don't get me started on Jehovah! That guy was the original Mr. Blackwell.
@ElizabethD: If it is not an important event -- ie, something that may never happen again, I see no reason to make a big deal over it. I'll happily wear a suit or tux to a wedding, but for a random dinner? No. After having to wear dress clothes for retail work (really? A dress shirt and tie to sell discount shoes? Come on.), I will avoid wearing them whenever possible.
I despise the fact that people think I need to impress them. Unless you are a judge or jury, your opinion probably doesn't matter to me. I'm all for taking care of yourself, but sometimes people take it too far in the other direction.
Fuck them !!!!
Wow, so the Waldorf Astoria actually wants to maintain its image as the most elegant hotel on the planet? How crazy is that?
Some restaurants have dress codes. They always have & I hope they always will. I don't care if the Waldorf has one as well -- I don't expect I'll ever stay there, but it is their hotel, after all.
Wearing a cap in a nice restaurant is declasse. Refusing to remove it is rude. Believe it or not, some of us occasionally pay more to dine at a restaurant where we're not surrounded by yokels wearing flipflops and baseball caps.
@pecan 3.14159265:
I've just started wearing Tevas to work. I'm wondering how long it'll take the powers that be to add them to the list of banned items.
I run around all day, and they're my most comfortable shoes. So I wear them.
@mxjohnson: If the Waldorf Astoria actually cared about \"elegance\", it wouldn't have a freaking Starbucks.
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@that charlie sedarka: The Starbucks is licensed, not corporate owned and therefore it's the hotel setting the dress code not Starbucks corporate.
@chiieddy: I understand who is setting the dress code. I do not understand what is \"elegant\" about a Starbucks, be it licensed, corporate-owned, or a joint venture between Queen Elizabeth and Classy McClasserson. It's the same \"coffee experience\" as you can get on any corner in any city in this country. Let's not pretend it's anything special.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-808630-100x100.png\")
It's nice to go some places where everybody is dressed well and all - and that's speaking as someone who is almost always happier to be in casual clothes.
But the lobby thing is silly and unenforceable since people may arrive from the airport in rumpled tshirts and jeans. It's like the EULA that you can't see until you've broken the seal on the box.
And having attended many conferences at hoity-toity hotels back in the dotcom boom, I never saw the badges thing enforced anywhere. If they did, the conference would be elsewhere next year and they know it.
It's about creating the aura of elegance, even if that elegance isn't 100% achieved.
@kaceetheconsumer: People who \"dress well\" don't really dress well...they wear cheaply made chinese ties, crappily made bangladeshi shirts, suits with threads coming loose, and shoes with rubber soles (the mark of a cheap dress shoe...er...cheaply made dress shoe).
Elegance is not dropping your 50 dollar hamburger and \"frites\" on your crappy ensemble then paying the hotel 20 bucks for dry cleaning so you can eat tomorrow.
When I travel for business they're lucky I wear pants to dinner after 8 hours of babbling from genius' I swear have no college degree.
It's not elegant to tell your customers to pay obscene amounts for a room then tell them that they can't wear jeans to go get a steak on their employer's dime...that dog won't hunt monsignor.
@kaceetheconsumer:
This.
I have no problem dressing up when I'm going somewhere dressy. However, oftentimes I'm going straight to the hotel lobby from the airport. And I'm not dressing up to fly. Never. Ever. Ever.
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This isn't a \"dress code\" - the latter part DOES call out specific dress code stuff, but they merely suggest that conforming to their suggestions will make your stay more enjoyable. I take that as meaning you won't be embarrassed about being the only person dressed casually when you wander into a more formal dining area, etc. You can choose not to do it, and no-one is going to tackle you and drag you to a changing room and force nicer clothes on you.
Does this dress code also apply to kids? What level of snobbiness would dictate permissible kidwear in public areas of a hotel? I can understand if they don't want people wandering around like slobs, but this seems to be too much.
Does the hotel have a swimming pool? If so, what are the dress requirements?
Bankers aside, I thought \"smart casual\" was pretty much \"dressed up\" for NYC. On one of my first work trips to NYC, I thought I would try to look nice with a jacket and slacks, and got a good-natured ribbing from the New Yorkers in $100 T-shirts and $300 jeans.
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@mdoublej: I hope you didn't take to heart clothing criticism from someone dumb enough to pay $100 for a t-shirt or $300 for jeans...
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@GearheadGeek: Seriously...cheap fucks. Anyone knows a good pair of jeans comes in the 900 dollar range.
Okay, so \"Smart Casual\" can include jeans in any smart casual area except for INAGIKU.
A person can go from SIR HARRY'S to OSCAR'S by removing a belt? Adding a belt? Getting a shoe shine? What?
Do the rules work the other way too? If you don your tuxedo for dining in PEACOCK ALLEY and then go directly to STARBUCKS, will they stop you at the door?
If someone comes to visit you wearing a t-shirt, they will not be permitted to go to your room because it would entail traveling through a \"public area?\"
Do they have some kind of meter to determine the acceptable level of fading in a particular pair of jeans? Wouldn't they have to gauge that against the state of the jeans when there were brand new?
Forgive my ignorance of fashion protocol.
I've actually frequented that Starbucks and no one has ever said anything to me about a variety of outfits that wouldn't qualify as \"Smart Casual\" lol. What is \"Smart Casual\" anyway? Dress like you're a smart person? Be casually intelligent? WTF?
I don't get the controversy here. One of the most upscale hotels in NYC has dress codes for its restaurants. How shocking! For those who seem to have never heard the term \"smart casual\" before, it's a fairly common way to describe appropriate attire. \"Smart\" in this instance means \"sharp,\" as in \"Nice haircut, you look really sharp.\"
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I miss the days when people didn't have to be told they shouldn't look like they just rolled out of bed before they went out. The more upscale the place, the more effort you should make in your appearance. Jeez, at least throw on a polo shirt, and tuck it in for God sakes!
T-shirts and fanny packs have no place in the Waldorf.
I take my hat off in McDonalds.
@cameronl: True rich people don't dress up because they don't have to. The Waldorf should welcome guys in tight shorts, crappy t shirts and flip flops because they're the ones who are going to tip the most.
@cameronl:
with you on this.
how is this not common sense really. the thing even says PLEASE. it gives you a sense of the atmosphere and formality of each of those spaces.
dressing appropriately for those environments is a matter of class, and is something that shows respect to others who are there. i recognize that a larger amount of the comments here are self concerned indignation about how folks can wear anything anywhere because the world revolves around them, but your attire and manner will tell volumes about your civility and class.
funny, because i get to dress casually most of the time. i love being able to wear shorts or flip flops in my free time. but there are times i want to have a special dinner, a nice night out, etc. i am happy to dress accordingly. i don't save my good clothes for work and jury duty, in fact my real good clothes are just for my use on those special occasions - a nice night out with my wife.
that was the point someone made above about choosing to wear nice clothes to church. it wasn't about fashion or judgement, it was a show of respect. that point was lost. (i'm an atheist and even I get the point of choosing to show respect).
hats coming off indoors is another one. some folks insist on keeping their hats on in restaurants - it's rude. maybe they need someone to spell it out for them like the hotel did?
in the end, this isn't a -big- deal. but i'm a little dissapointed that folks don't have the courtesy and common sense to dress appropriately. even after guidelines are written out there are those who believe no rules or social norms apply to them. it's always a, uhh, pleasure *cough* to be around people who are sure common courtesy doesn't apply to them. it's a shame really.
i expect people to be in their casual clothes rolling into any lobby, but in the nice dining establishments jeans and a tshirt is a little low class. it's kinda obvious.
@cameronl: Tucked-in polo shirt? I'm not exactly a lesbian, ya know... (No, really. A couple of friends were running this monthly night in a gay bar, and most of the first night's clientele were the lesbians coming up from downstairs. Butch, for the most part, and there were more tucked-in polo shirts per capita than anywhere else in the known universe.)
@drjayphd:
Here I thought I wore polo shirts because they were comfortable. I didn't know I was genetically preordained to like them!
@cameronl:
Shall we get off your lawn, too?
Just kidding. I agree with you. I live in Tucson, and the only time I've ever seen someone in a suit here was at a funeral and in court. It took me about before it stopped feeling weird to see people in shorts and t-shirts at formal places.
The phrase \"stupid casual\" just made me almost spit coffee all over my desk.
@morganlh85: I just keep picturing a white kid with a backwards baseball cap and a popped collar saying \"That's STUPID casual, dawg!\" hahahaha
Count me in among those who wish there were a few more places/occasions where you could dress up these days -- and yet, a hotel lobby shouldn't be one of those places. How \"smart casual\" can you look after a three-hour delay on the tarmac and then a flight with turbulence?
This makes me miss living in New Orleans, where people were mostly super-casual -- but when you dressed up to go out (the theater, certain restaurants, Mardi Gras balls, New Year's), you went all-out. I had several friends who owned their own tuxedos, and at least one of them was already on his second because he'd actually worn out the first. This was a guy in his early 30s. The dressing up was always fun.
@picardia: I never really got the \"dressing up is fun\" idea. I mean, I can understand wanting to look nice, but the level of discomfort involved in wearing dress clothes always kills it for me. I always can't wait to get out of them and into something that doesn't choke me, bind up my shoulders, and make me sweat.
@Orv: Quality dress clothes that actually fit properly should never be uncomfortable. Mr. Pi is as home in jeans and a t-shirt as he is wearing a suit and tie. In fact, he likes this brown dress shoes so much he wears them with his jeans and polo shirts. Bye bye ratty sneakers!
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@Orv: My problem is that I dress up and look killer for approximately half an hour. Then my hose runs, my hair starts to go, my nose looks shiny and threads begin peeling off my clothes and landing everywhere.
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From the dictionary:
Smart casual (as distinct from business casual) is a loosely defined dress code, casual, yet \"smart\" enough to conform to the particular standards of certain Western social groups.
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The lyrics from the song \"Signs\" comes to mind when I read this post...
Oh, say now mister, can't you read
You got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat
You can't watch, no you can't eat, you ain't supposed to be here
And the sign says \"You got to have a membership card to get inside\" - uh!
What is \"elegant casual\"? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?
It would be simpler to say \"No t-shirts, jeans, athletic shows in the restaurants. Jacket required in Fancy Pants Room.\"
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I'm frantically trying to think of a way to book a drag act convention at the hotel. I'm not sure if the staff would faint from the clothing... or the hairspray!
@Julius Seizure. (the CANUCK one): That sort of thing can be especially fun if the convention collides with another, much more stuffy convention that's booked at the same time. This can be particularly hilarious at things like sci-fi or furry conventions, where you end up with a bunch of guys in suits from BigHugeCorp staring in puzzlement at people walking around in costumes.
One reason I avoid cruises is because I do NOT dress up on vacation. I can't relax!
Suprised they still do this. I always rolled my eyes at any \"dress for success\" events. Some of the most sucessful people I know wear jeans and t-shirts.
I have several friends with masters degrees who can barely operate an elevator.
@PLATTWORX: 100% correct. People with real money wear suits maybe 3 times a month. Not even jeans...if it's hot they'll wear running shorts and flip flops.
The way I see it, if some establishment has insanely high (compared to an every-day schmo) dress codes, and that very same schmo goes and pays an exorbitant amount of $ to participate in that establishment?
The schmo ought to suck it up and play by their rules. Trillionaires follow those same rules, why should the house change just so you can wear a t-shirt?
Isn't Dress Attire redundant? And then they go and refer to it as \"our Dress Attire,\" as if \"Attire\" were some kind of synonym for \"Code\" or \"Standards.\"
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I trend towards 'Pants less Casual'
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There are still a few people out there who consider themselves 'high society' and expect others around them to 'fit in'. These are the kind of people who would routinely stay at Waldorf's in the past. Given the apparent necessity Waldorf feels to clarify their dress code, methinks the nouveau rich have flocked to Waldorf's in droves, wearing their catchy little t shirts that proclaim in a jaunty trite meaningless fashion the wearer's true religion. Well, Granny can't abide t shirts in the dining room, so Waldorf's gotta lay down the law!!
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T-shirts may not be worn in the main lobby.
Note to self. Still staying at the Hampton Inn.
@Smashville: Listen folks...if you have enough money these rules don't apply. I have never seen a person who drives a ferrari, lambo, or porsche (a real one) in a suit, ever. This is for the nouveau...let them eat cake!
@Smashville: Not to be contrary, but it IS the Waldorf. There are plenty of Rock 'n Rollah, high-end hotels where you can burn cash and dress like Will Durst.
It's not about how much cash you're willing to spend, it's about buying into their atmosphere. Which wouldn't exist if fanny-packed tourists wearing tank tops were swarming the lobby at all hours.
Don't like it? Don't go. (shrug)
@Smashville: Not Hampton Inn, but I'll sure tell the staff where to go if they question my choice of attire. I respect most institutions, and I wouldn't dream of going into the lounge with jeans and a t-shirt, but if I am spending hundreds or even thousands for a room, I'll wear whatever I damn well please in the lobby and corridors!
Indeed, one of the reasons I hate \"dress codes\" is that depending on who is wearing them and how you are presented, a well put together outfit of a tee and jeans can look ten times classier than someone else wearing a sweaty shirt and crumpled tie...
@Smashville: You forgot \"or public areas of the hotel.\" That is just nuts, I just stayed at a nice 5 star hotel in Beverly Hills and they didn't have a dress code (I think) but I sure felt that I shouldn't have worn shorts and a t-shirt when I was at the bar or restaurant.
@Smashville: Yeah, if I have to dress like I'm going to an office, it's not a real vacation. ;)