Our sense of fashion

[OC Richard]

Do we unconsciously adopt certain styles of dress because we actually feel it is best for the occasion, or because we've been taught its how these things are done?

I think the two things are usually connected; in other words, how most people dress wasn't created from nothingness in a vacuum but is a result of influence from seeing how people dressed around them as they were growing up.

When I was a kid I wore cowboy boots most of the time. So did many of the kids my age around me. Were I raised somewhere else it might have been different. My best friend as a kid wore cowboy boots all the time, even with shorts!

I work at Disneyland and it's amazing how some people dress. I see men wearing suit-and-tie on a hot day, and women wearing skin-tight long dresses and platform shoes or high heels trying to negotiate their way around without tripping. At the other extreme I see people fully rigged for an outdoor hiking expedition with hiking clothes, walking staff, a backpack large enough to carry provisions for a week, and several waterbottles (in a place where you're never farther than a couple hundred feet from a drinking fountain). Since none of these people are dressed appropriately to the activity of walking around Disneyland and going on some rides, I imagine that their previous experiences or influences have something to do with their dress.

[Taj]

Interesting observation at Disney. I visited the one in Florida and to the best I can recall went the hiker style with a much smaller pack. Coming from an arid region I always carry water. Coming from an outdoorsman background I carry snacks, first-aid, and anticipated clothing needs rather than be uncomfortable or someone's dependent. I also carry a monopod/walking staff for photography and back pain relief. You are quite right that we dress partially due to background.

Regarding fly fishing, I often wade shallow streams in river sandals and Utilikilt. I've been photographed by curious passerby and always feel quite comfortable in the hot dry Colorado sun.

[BBNC]

I agree that our upbringing has an effect on how we dress. There was a time when I would never have thought of going to town with a tee shirt and jeans. Now it's normal. I dress appropriately for occasions, but try to find the most comfortable and relaxed way of doing so.

Fly fishing, now that brings up possibilities, since I start wet wading when the water reaches a little over 50 degrees, and go all summer long.

[Detroitpete]

Hmmm..to dress like the gentleman you speak of--or to look as if one leaped from the cover of an Orvis catalog? I love both kilts and flyfishing. If I expect the water to be cold and deep and I'm wading through it, then I wear waders. However I wear kilts often while flyfishing when the water isn't cold enough to cause hypothermia. The cool water feels therapeutic on this old athlete's knees.

A waistcoat and tie might be a bit much for some, but so is some of the comical 'fly gear' looks I've seen folks splash into a stream wearing. To each their own.