Nice jeans. But should you really wear them to the opera?

The Christian Science Monitor ^ | 3/9/05 | Kim Campell

[petitfour]

Define appropriate.

I dressed rather nicely for my father's funeral. However, I'm certain it did not matter to him what I wore.

[Tamar1973]

Americans aren't the only people who have no idea how to dress anymore. When I lived in South Korea, it was a very common sight to see people wearing rugby shirts and jeans to the opera and suits, dresses and high heels when hiking in the mountains.

I still wonder how those women were able to walk about in 2+ inch heels in rugged mountainous terrain but they did it somehow (probably with the help of lots of aspirin and foot rubs).

[Xenalyte]

But as jeans become more expensive, they are also becoming more ubiquitous, showing up everywhere from Midwestern churches to Broadway shows. Nothing is off limits, it seems. Or is it? Among those who buy high-priced, designer denim or who simply don jeans frequently - there's debate about where it's appropriate to wear them.

It is NEVER appropriate to wear jeans to a church service.

A fellowship meeting, yes. A Wednesday-night potluck dinner, sure.

When you are worshiping, or allegedly doing so, NO FREAKIN' WAY.

Ladies, what say y'all?

[Modernman]

I think I'll pull out an antebellum gown next time I go to the opry. Gotta maintain standards.

Nobody is saying you have to wear the same things people wore centuries ago. What I'm talking about is appropriateness. If an event is "formal" you wear whatever is the formal attire of that era.

[xsmommy]

hey, anticipated Mass on a Sat at 5pm or a late mass at 5 pm on a Sunday, we Papists will wear jeans in a heart beat. doesn't make it right : )

[Modernman]

Define appropriate.

For a funeral? A dark or black suit for men and a dark dress or pantsuit for women.

[Xenalyte]

Whiling away the time in the Salt Lake City airport waiting for Xena's Guy's family to arrive last Christmas, I was on the phone with Bacon Man (who was helping me conduct some covert Christmas-present espionage) and spied a young man whose pants were so low that - well, I can't tell you the comparison I was about to make.

Suffice to say that a good deal more than half his hiney was aired.

I was edging up behind him to give him the mother of all wedgies when he sat down. Damn the luck.

(I've wondered since how his parents, who were sitting right there and clearly had no problem with him displaying more than 60% of his buttock area, would have taken me doing that.)

[Modernman]

You know, it used to be that liberals were the ones who dressed like slobs. Unfortunately, it seems like conservatives are getting the disease these days.

[Xenalyte]

With all due respect, they pretty much are the equivalent in Pasadena which is MUCH larger than San Angelo.

And much smellier too, saith this Houstonian who often has the misfortune to pass that way.

[exnavychick]

I love jeans. I have several pairs, and wouldn't want to do without them. They're very versatile.

That being said, however...I am the type that DOES dress up for airplane travel, for example. My jeans are worn around the house, running errands, or sometimes when I go out with my husband to shoot pool or something. The rest of the time, I'd much rather be wearing some nice slacks or a skirt or dress. I love getting dressed up, and I don't find it to be stuffy or elitist to dress appropriately for church services, weddings and funerals, or a cocktail party, ect.

[Xenalyte]

People wear jeans to funerals in Texas?

Not to funerals in my family, we don't.

I'm somewhat querulous about what Xena's Guy's younger family members will wear to our wedding. I wonder how to tell them that jeans are not appropriate. (I also wonder why I have to.)

[petitfour]

A pantsuit for a woman? hah! When I was growing up in Mississippi, a pantsuit was not appropriate at a funeral. By the time I was 20, there were some females who might have worn a pantsuit to a funeral, but hoity-toity folks would have looked down their noses at them and said they were dressed inappropriately.

Personally, I try to dress in a way to blend in with the crowd.

I wonder how the common folk dressed when they went to see Shakespeare back in the day.

[Xenalyte]

Hell, I still wear business attire on the rare occasions I fly. And I'm only 36.

Someone has to maintain the standards!

[Cathy]

I own about 10 pairs of jeans - granted some are "around the house" jeans, and some are very nice looking. I wear jeans all the time but know when not to.

There a hundreds of different kind of jeans, classic fit, easy fit, stretch, non-stretch, low rise, ultra low rise (these are the jeans young girls wear when they should not), boot cut, flare, straight leg. It is exhausting!

My personal favorite, just below the waist, boot cut in Long!

[Xenalyte]

I still wear skirt suits on interviews and in business-formal situations. Pantsuits are just one notch below correct business-formal.

[Diddle E. Squat]

What kind of insecure, desperate, follow-the-crowd-and-pied-piper, gullible, easily seduced, zero-common sense idiot pays $100 or more for JEANS?

Seriously, that's the kind of little thing that is a huge warning sign for any single guy. Stupidity in little can be an indicator of much more stupidity down the road. Get out while you can.

[Betis70]

Around here they were probably dot.com millionares.

In contrast there were a lot of well dressed people--nice suits, Easter dresses, hats, the whole nine yards. The chumps really stuck out.

[Bacon Man]

Well unless their pants were drooping as well, at the very least they would have bought you a drink.

[Chef Dajuan]

Yeah, their adut gear is just Phat Farm. The kid stuff is called Baby Phat.

Oh, P-Diddy is so late, only losers wear Sean John now.

[Xenalyte]

Since they were sitting, I couldn't tell how loose their pants were. Now I wonder.