Or why didnt someone offer to lend the young girl a skirt or dress (easier to find one that would fit than finding slacks in someones closet)
Or maybe however well-intended the nice Thai restaurant, the offer should have been “let’s just grab something at Panera (etc), I know you guys are tired.”
Well…that’s sort of what the OP ended up doing. They went to a burger place which ended up being a good choice as everyone was tired.
I am rocking a tardigrade shirt today 
Past a certain age, it’s just slovenly to show up at a non-athletic social gathering in running shorts & T-shirt.
What is a “tardigrade” shirt?
@jym626 My girls would rather fake an illness and stay home than borrow a skirt or dress from someone their parent’s age!
The op has college aged kids. Maybe one is a daughter.
My young ladies would be happy to shop my closet. I have to guard it closely, especially the shoes. 
My D is discovering that I have a lot of nice sweaters and outerwear, which fit her OK, even tho we evenwe can’t share other clothing or footwear.
Funny, mine wanted a couple of my blue blazers.
My girls wouldn’t borrow from a stranger either.
I have to chuckle at this thread because my daughters are so different. Both are super concerned with fashion and style, and fit well in NYC where they live. Their wardrobe problem is that they may over-dress. They will definitely arrive with several outfits appropriate for fine dining, but may be ill-prepared for hiking in the woods. I always have to remind them to pack leggings, gym shorts, tee shirts, bathing suits and sneakers when traveling.
We’re off to orientation at UCLA next month. I don’t expect DD to pack much beyond the infamous gym shorts and t-shirts. She might even wear those to meet her profs and when we go out to dinner too. I’m just fine with that. I love the West Coast!
On a slightly more serious note, I think teenage/college-age girls can get away with the workout clothes, whereas most everybody else can’t. Of course it depends on the area; we’re less casual outside of college town zones - on recent trips to SF and Vegas we tended to dress more smart-casual for dinner.
“On a slightly more serious note, I think teenage/college-age girls can get away with the workout clothes, whereas most everybody else can’t”
For sure. Some of those girls look just great, no matter what they wear, and nobody (at least here on the West Coast) is looking down upon them for what they wear. We’re just thinking, “Dang, wouldn’t it be nice to look that good again!”
Dang, “the west coast” isn’t any one stereotype. Nor is LA.
The USC girls I know are very stylish and put together.
Just pack something besides gym shorts. If you know the area, you know there’s more around UCLA than just campus.
College-age girls look great in their underwear, too, but that doesn’t mean they should show up in a nice restaurant dressed in their skivvies.
“Dang, “the west coast” isn’t any one stereotype. Nor is LA.”
No kidding. Some parts of LA feel super-superficial, clothing and hair and makeup, wealthy housewives spending money like there’s no tomorrow and we are supposed to believe that because it’s the west coast, come as you are everywhere? Give me a break. I suspect bev hills and her daughters don’t just own/wear gymshorts and t shirts.
LA is a different group, that’s fot sure. But I’ll bet anomander’s D would be just fine wearing her gym shorts to orientation.