Are British Men Scruffy In Their Clothes?

My husband dresses for the farm and they’ve not yet invented the word for his extreme disarray. But he scrubs up well - so well that people haven’t recognised him!

Maybe quite a few do look scruffy, and don't much care, but personally I'd prefer that to the other extreme as described to me by an Italian boyfriend of a dd.

He said that in Italy, and particularly in the workplace, you are judged by your clothes, and especially by what they cost. He said they will size up the brand/cost of every single item you have on, down to your tie and your belt, and if they're e.g. their equivalent of M&S, not designer, your name is mud.

I said surely he must be exaggerating, and he said no, not at all.
This was later confirmed by a relatively young Italian colleague of dh.

Smart gent Maw! I don't think British men (or women) are any worse or better/cleaner or dirtier than people abroad. It depends on the individual, the circumstances etc etc.

Lovely pic of Paw .

When we went to our first French funeral we were surprised to see no smart clothing. Jeans, anorak, even blue overalls were obviously acceptable.

Smelly
Couldn't get over how smelly some men's clothes are in Britain. They might be clean but by God their clothes stink.

Maw just like to say that Paw, looked a very kind and gentle man.

Chestnut, plenty of room for wearing nappies in those!

Thanks, Grandad1943. I knew it meant trousers but thought it was a particular type.

My Dh wears jeans & t-shirts. He was in the senior service so knows how to look smart but his current ‘uniform’ is best for wrangling with our massive cats and the grandchildren!

Just have to laugh when I see this.....

Paw never did “casual” well, although he scrubbed up beautifully in a nice bit of tailoring -usually 3-piece- I wonder if that is why some men don’t do casual too well - years of school uniform followed by more years of smart suits and ties?
However, he did look good in chinos, a navy blazer (or linen jacket) and his signature Panama hat and in winter I “sorted him out” a casual “uniform “of cotton roll neck Landscend) , lambswool or cashmere sweater, (Woolovers) , and cords or twill trousers (Peter Christian) with or without a tweed jacket.
Stereotyped I know but acceptable anywhere and above all comfortable!

I like to see a sturdy man in well fitted jeans, as long as their bum isn't hanging out.
I think they can look smart enough for every day wear.

We were driving the other day when a man got out of a parked car and we had to swerve to avoid his door. I said “Oh my God I could have done without that!” DH said “yes” followed by something about him being an idiot. What I was referring to was the fact that he bent over to get something out of his footwell and I could see almost all his buttocks above his waistband! It quite turned my stomach! What is this propensity for some blokes to wear trousers that don’t cover their nether regions, or for them to assume that people find it fetching?

Meant to add, under no circs will DH wear sandals ( with or without socks!) ?

SueDonim, strides are an alternative word for trousers and was very much used in my younger teenage years of the sixties.

Not so much used as terminology these days, but I still like the word.

Call me old fashioned if you like. ? ?

I wonder if it’s a generational thing?
Even so, I can’t understand why younger men would only possess a pair or two of jeans and not any other kind of trousers ( the wrong trousers Grommit!)
Our teenage DGS wears spray on jeans? but also owns chino type trousers as well as normal grey school trousers.
DH never wears jeans, but likes cords in Winter and chinos in warmer weather.He doesn’t own a tee shirt either, prefers either polo type short sleeved shirts or button up shirts.
He has lots of shoes, and only wears trainers for walks, also has lots of coats and jackets.
DS has to wear suits for his working life so lives in jeans and tees at home.
British men abroad used to be laughed at for the socks and sandals look, but actually I noticed that both in Italy and Greece, lots of older men ( native to those countries) also do the same.

What are ‘strides’? I thought they were an Australian term for the type of trousers worn by farmers?

I have to agree that European men from such nations as Germany and the low countries do, in general, look smarter than both British and French males.

However, that stated, reading through the replies on this thread and by way of my own observances, there would seem to be a very large disconnect between generations as to what is seen as acceptable in smart casual wear.

For me and I believe for many of my generation smart casual is a clean pressed button up front shirt with a smart pair of fresh-looking strides (not jeans) and a pair of clean shoes. I Still like suede shoes but that is just me, of which I have several pairs I call my brogues.

The above very much appeared to be the acceptable "norm" for men until around 2005-2010 when tee-shirts, jeans and trainers seemed to become the dress for many men and even having a "spruce up" prior to going out on an evening appeared to become unfashionable with very many males.

In offices and other workplaces where in the main the dress codes have very much been relaxed in recent years, the above disconnect as to what is acceptable as smart casual and what is not would appear now to have become a problem.

British men in years passed very much had a reputation as being smart in dress, but those decades now seem long past, and that is truly a great pity I believe.

Your more recent post explains things G43! Not too sure that he would make the impression he was hoping for but who knows nowadays?

Words that would have resulted in total shock horror now seem to be commonplace across society. I was in serious trouble with my Dad when I told him that I was back early from the park because there was Sh1t on the swings. Just repeating quite innocently what I heard others saying!

Oh, Sussexborn, I’m loving the lawn mowing man! We always knew it was summer when my dad took off his sleeveless pullover.

Should we judge a book by its cover?

Some young men nowadays looks very smart indeed, with their carefully styled hair and well groomed beards/faces. Men’s skin care product sales are rising, too. Some, like my oldest son, could wear a bin bag and look smart.

Attire has changed so much over the past 50 years for both men and women. Personally, I like look as though I’ve made an effort but each to their own.

was hoping to add “even in a heatwave” to my last entry.

Will say that is the most annoying thing about GN. I was previewing the post when it took off and posted itself and now I can’t amend it! SO FRUSTRATING!

The man’s line manager was totally out of order. Why? Because it was Saturday and he was not working.

A long while back I got off a train with baby in pushchair and two small children. I was a bit alarmed when two full on punks came towards me but they picked up the pushchair and carried it up the steps, pushed it over the bridge and then down the steps on the other side of the platform.

Our son and one SIL are always smartly turned out and we joke that one of our son’s sweaters probably costs more than OH’s new suit. The other SIL is more casual as he works from home and mainly at night. He is a great husband and loves children and animals. He doesn’t need fancy clothes to impress me.

Granny caused some consternation when she requested no jeans at a family gathering. The younger members always looked clean and tidy but she obviously disapproved of denim. One young nephew in law did not attend as a protest and our SIL2 had to buy a pair of trousers as he didn’t own a pair.

We used to have a neighbour who wore a buttoned up suit to mow the lawn every Saturday afternoon, complete with knitted sleeveless pullover. His wife thought it was important to keep up standards.

Not so sure about the smart European Men bit, or maybye it passed Belgium by.
At DDs wedding the ushers almost turned away 4 guests who were dressed so scruffily they thought they were gatecrashers.
One man in old jeans and a jumper with holes in it.
At friends 50th wedding anniversary one man turned up in clothes I had seen him wearing in his garden the previous day!!!!
Although what attracted DD to her husband was how dapper he is, always smart and groomed but he is half french.

True, JessK. I worked with an Italian man who always looked neat and groomed. He was very image conscious and would often look in a mirror - even went to brush his teeth after lunch!