You do seem to spend a lot of energy finding clothing choices to disapprove of. It is rather likely that, whatever you wore today outside the house, someone somewhere disapproves of your clothing choices.
As far as pajamas on an airplane go, some airlines provide them to some (premium class) passengers.
@Niquii77, I don’t have any objection to workout clothes per se. I own some, believe it or not, and I wear them to the gym. I just think they have no place on the street or when you are meeting others for a purpose that does not involve vigorous exercise. As with everything else, context is all. I think the overall schlub factor that so many people seem content with is regrettable. it’s not a moral issue, necessarily, but I don’t understand it. Life is short; why not look as good as you can? Babies and old people wear stretchy shapeless machine washable stuff. I don’t want to be in the category of human beings who can’t attend to their grooming. I guess it’s a dignity issue for me.
I have no problem with pajama pants on a plane or in a fast food type place. I don’t think they are appropriate out to an actual dinner that is not fast food or a late-night diner. I wouldn’t advocate them at an orientation because they say, “I’m lounging and too tired or relaxed to actually get dressed. I’m actually really not completely awake.” If a kid packed nothing but pajama pants to wear to their freshman orientation I would definitely wonder. They would seem disengaged and uninterested in full participation. On a plane, however, or other long time/distance travel mode a kid could have been dragged out at 4:30am to get to the airport and not expect to arrive at their destination until late. I see no reason not to be comfortable as long as they are clean, provide coverage of critical areas and don’t have an exposed fly or something. I don’t think my kid has flown in pajamas, but he has definitely taken sports team and band charter buses and other road trips in them.
The shorts in question do not send any messages about the student being half-hearted or disengaged from the orientation proceedings. If anything they say, “I’m fired up and ready to go here. I’m all set to participate.” For a nicer, sit-down dinner athletic style shorts would not be the options of choice. In fact, the parent recognized that and brought the topic up with the hosts who told them that it was “really casual” and she should wear what she wore on the plane.
That’s a silly question considering the viewpoint I’ve shared in this thread, but feel free to talk until your blue in the face about these athletic shorts and people who don’t know the difference between this and that.
@MomofWildChild A bit far back in the thread, but I never knew Dolfin was a brand. I had seen the shorts before, but didn’t know that’s where the style of today’s dolphin shorts originated from. The more you know.
@NJSue I rethought your comparison between a housecoat and workout gear. I agree with you in the sense that a housecoat is not something you wear out of the house much like workout clothes are not something you’d wear unless you’re working out, if that’s how you meant it.
EDIT: @NJSue I just saw your new post:
…and I completely agree with you. 
No, actually I don’t, ucb. I really don’t notice all that much. We are having a discussion. And yes I know about pajamas provided to first class patients; I’ve received them on a trip to Brazil. But that still has nothing to do with anything.
added: The pajamas that I’m talking about are polar fleece with a pattern and bottoms worn with a tshirt or hoodie not a complete set of PJs, shorty pajamas, Lanz of Salzburg nighties or other night wear not related to basic fleece pajama bottoms that are the patterned equivalent of sweatpants. My kid is partial to plaid and polar bears.
My kid also walks the dog in them so now I’m wondering about the appropriateness of substituting sleepwear for active wear. Is that OK? :o3
Someone else asked via PM if this thread should be closed. IMO, at least, as long as people are having fun with it, engaged in it, have something else they want to say, then what’s the harm in leaving it open, even if the comments are getting a bit repetitious? It’s definitely different with threads about really serious topics where everything is just repetitious and contentious. Just try not to get in the latter state with others.
FWIW, IMO what you choose to wear in public to certain kinds of events, meetings, etc. is making a statement about who you are and what you want to say to the world. The fashion industry wouldn’t be worth billions if that were not the case, even if it is spending hundreds of dollars on an outfit carefully crafted to say nothing at all. Spending $20 on a similar outfit says something. But equally clearly, the norms are somewhat different in SoCal than they are in Boston.
I also have to admit I am a bit mystified at the idea of wearing something you just worked out in anywhere except through a drive-through. To me that sends the message “I might stink but I don’t care if that offends anyone”. No, I don’t get that at all. Maybe I misread some of the posts, but it seemed like some were saying that’s OK while others were talking about wearing clean workout clothes to run errands. I think usually people can tell the difference. JMHO.
I say let the dog pick. 
No one said this kid worked out in her clothes. These were the clothes she wore on the plane. For all we know, she had something nicer…but the host said “wear what you wore on the plane”. So she did.
And like I said…maybe she likes burgers better than Thai.
“My kid also walks the dog in them so now I’m wondering about the appropriateness of substituting sleepwear for active wear”
Great! Again, walking the dog, answering the UPS guy at the door, running to get the mail, and heck, maybe even driving to drop someone off at the train station (where you don’t get out of a car) have nothing to do with choosing to go to a restaurant!
I care about my appearance way more than I should, and care a lot about being appropriately dressed, and always have cared. This thread has reminded me that when I was a teenager I wore Dolphin shorts all the time – especially in the summer. I also regularly ate out at Thai restaurants, and thinking back, I probably was wearing Dolphin shorts at Thai restaurants more often than I was wearing anything else. If people were clucking over my gym shorts in the Thai restaurant, I was oblivious. So much for times changing!
(I’m not one for wearing work out clothes in public now; I’d never wear the outfit Pizzagirl posted for anything other than exercising. But I think different standards apply to middle-aged women than to kids).
To this kid there were not exercise shorts and she wasn’t straight from the gym. They were, to her, just normal shorts. Also, she didn’t choose to go out to dinner and pack the shorts expressly for such and event. The event came up, the OP was notified that the kid had limited wardrobe options and dinner plans were made then shifted accordingly.
We get the situation, saint fan. We are also saying that it’s wisest, especially as one transitions to becoming an adult, to think a little more about eventualities and possibilities. That’s all. No one is saying she should be strung up by her heels or that she doesn’t deserve to live.
When my S was 16, 17 or so, he had a habit of going out and leaving his wallet at home and not bringing his keys. We said to him - part of now becoming a grownup is having your wallet on you (so if you need to drive, for example, you can do so, and so you always have a few bucks on you) and bringing your own house key with you instead of assuming someone will be home. Ok, got it. Just part of their transition from kid to grownup. Think ahead. Work in progress. Nothing more,
Exactly, saintfan. Just picked D up from a week at a college program. Of the college students there, we saw MANY in sweats or yoga pants. Coming from clases, even. After their final presentations, many of the HS kids, including mine, switched into running shorts for the drive home. We’re stopping to eat on the way at a sit down family place. I’ll check to see if anyone gets the vapors.
No one talked about getting the vapors either. No one said it was the end of the world. We all said, all else being equal, it was probably too casual of a choice. It is really a misrepresentation to suggest that fellow restaurant-goers were all aflutter or complaining to the management. We all get that this was still a casual restaurant and she probably wasn’t the first person in the universe to have worn shorts there. We are talking about “all else being equal, there probably were better choices.” Sheesh.
I wear leggings and joggers at least once a week to class. I wonder if people think I’m wearing pajamas… If so, how scandalous!
Pajama pants are pretty obvious.
But it WASN’T a choice! She chose shorts for the flight and orientation. That is perfectly within the bounds of reason and social acceptability in my book. While it was a wonderful invitation from OP, the girl didn’t choose to go to dinner in the city, she didn’t choose to wear the shorts above other options, she wore what she had as that’s what she was advised to wear. The only other option would have been for the family to beg off from the invitation and get take out on their own. Should they have declined the invitation or left their D at the hotel while they went to drinks and dinner alone with OP?
I wasn’t referring to the kid in question, @thumper1. I was thinking about posts like #299 which specially stated they were going into stores, etc. wearing clothes they had just worked out in.
You know…thumper brings up a great point – maybe the daughter likes burgers more than Thai. Conspiracy. Because no dignified person would ever dare to enter a sit down dinner in athletic shorts, she purposefully wore the shorts knowing that a burger joint would be the appropriate place to wear them. She wasn’t born yesterday. She’s not dumb. I think we can all learn something from this young woman. 