Is it just me or is everyone gone around the bend with "casual"

Parents Forum Parent Cafe
#1

Honestly, i feel more like my mother every day. This is not a good thing.

But we have friends-of-friends in town who are here in town for their daughter to attend a two-day college orientation. We live in a large urban area on the east coast and very close to this university so we said, “come on over for drinks and then we’ll walk to this very cool Thai restaurant down the street.” They asked what they should wear and I said, “really casual…a sundress…even just nice long pants” only to find out that the 18-year-old soon-to-be-freshman has with her only two pairs of Nike shorts and 3 t-shirts. I said, “hey just wear whatever you wore on the flight and that’ll work.” But – you guessed it – she wore a pair of Nike shorts and a t-shirt.

I don’t know…i know many of you will jump in and say, “hey that’s how kids dress” but, i mean, she’s not 10! And that’s what she wore for two days, meeting her professors, signing up for classes, attending academic briefings.

Not sure why this has riled me up…but, in any case, we’re going to a burger place instead…but jeez louise.

Anyway, get off my lawn, kids.

#2

Nike shorts and a t-shirt sounds like the perfect flight outfit to me…

#3

Since when does a Thai place require more than shorts and a T-shirt? Even a trendy one?

#4

Maybe she didn’t pack anything nicer.

At least she wasn’t wearing pajamas! I hate that trend!

#5

I may be an old geezer as well, but I do think it was imprudent to pack only Nike shorts and T-shirts for a college orientation weekend, and to meet her parents’ friends for dinner.

By the way, that Frisbee landed on my lawn, so it’s mine now.

#6

See, I kind of expected these answers…makes me feel more out of touch than ever :slight_smile: but i guess its what folks do now…even on a big trip…running shorts and a t-shirt.

#7

When my kiddo was a HS senior, and growing it seems an inch a month, basketball shorts were about the only thing he wore. He dresses up more now that he’s apparently stopped growing, but I can sympathize with the parents. Kids go their own way sometimes, and don’t always think about dressing up a bit. I agree that I can’t imagine a restaurant being a problem, but I’d like my kid to at least wear “nice” shorts for a college visit.

#8

Try not to be too horrified by the way people dress in Hawaii or California if you visit those places.

Particularly with a connecting flight when you are running to make your connection after your inbound flight to the hub is delayed so that your hour connection is now 15 minutes.

#9

Did she know that dinner out was a possibility? If not then I have no issue with what she wore.

#10

I chuckled when I saw this post. My husband is somewhat old fashioned and still dresses up when he flies. (Not quite a suit, but definitely Dockers. Jeans only if he’s feeling REALLY casual.) The kids and I meanwhile are in sweats and T-shirts! But not to a college orientation…

#11

We’re from SoCal, but my kids don’t dress that “casual”.

#12

OP, I’m with you on this topic.
I think it may be a regional thing. When I look at pictures of college students, it looks common at some schools and uncommon at others. I’ve seen young women head to Europe with these clothing choices and they might as well have ‘American’ stamped across their forehead.
We did a law school tour a couple of months ago and the tour guide was wearing Nike shorts and an oversize T-shirt. We were shocked.

#13

In the final analysis, I suppose it “doesn’t matter” what people wear…within broad limits.

Having said that, kids, and adults, ought to realize that you will be judged on how you dress (and speak and write).

One of my favorite gripes is the number of young men (well up into their forties!) wearing baseball caps all the time, including indoors, and when eating. Sometimes when we’re in a not-too-formal dining establishment, I’m amazed that I’m in a minority with my bare head. I’ve joked that there is a new paradigm emerging. It’s one where the old custom of certain restaurants maintaining a supply of jackets (for men who show up without one) will shift to maintaining a supply of various baseball caps. Then when you walk in the hostess can say “Oh sir, I see you’ve forgotten your cap. Please, wear one of ours so you’ll feel comfortable”. :slight_smile:

#14

Oh, seriously? How about comfy on the flight in T-shirt and shorts, switch to jeans for dinner, and perhaps some kind of blouse with buttons (or attractive pullover), and bermuda-length shorts or crop pants (or mini skirt with or without tights) for the college orientation?

In my day, by cracky, any situation where first impressions were important meant erring on the side of overdress, not underdress. And I went to school in the desert, so you couldn’t say it was just too hot to cover any of your skin when you went to Career Services for that interview.

Also I worked one summer in a sweltering factory on second shift, where long pants were mandatory for safety reasons. We lived with it.

#15

Causal to me isn’t athletic wear, but clearly tastes and preferences differ.

If I were off to a college orientation, I would not only pack athletic wear. Come to think of it, zero athletic wear was in my bag when I went toy orientation. And no, I don’t believe the ten second jog to my gate requires tennis shoes and athletic wear. :wink:

If I had been in that situation, I would’ve felt underdressed even for a causal Thai restaurant. I would’ve worn a dress or some shorts and a blouse.

I say this whenever I see kids running around in the streets in my neighborhood. “Where are your parents? Don’t you have house to be in? Darn, kids always outside having fun!” :slight_smile:

#16

Personally, having come from a culture where no one would ever think of going to a restaurant in sports clothes, I find the lack of emphasis on dressing up refreshing.

#17

You did say “really casual”. Your friend of friends probably stopped listening at that point. My husband sometimes dresses inappropriately. I’ve given up angering him by suggesting he change clothes and remind myself that is attire bears no reflection on me.

#18

We were told to wear t-shirts, shorts or jeans, and comfortable shoes to my orientation. A button down blouse would’ve stood out as overdressed.

I’m on campus this summer at UMich and see all the freshmen at orientation. Jean or cotton shorts and t-shirts are the overwhelming majority.

#19

My husband recently moved in with me in our college town and is appalled with himself…just this week he said “I’m getting so frumpy!” because he wears shirts with no collars so frequently now. HA.

#20

A “cool Thai restaurant” ? To me that screams shorts and a T. Unless you meant “cool” in the sense that the AC was set way too high, And in that case —shorts, a T, and a hoodie.