Like it or not, we judge people by how they dress

Times change, and we all find ourselves swept along by the current. Men, myself included, generally do not “dress up” before heading out to a “nice” restaurant nowadays, unless it’s for some truly special occasion such as a wedding reception, or perhaps an anniversary dinner.

For the most part, the coat-and-tie look is a thing of the past, which is fine by me. That is, so long as people realize that dining at an upscale eatery still requires a different wardrobe than, say, what you would wear to change the oil in your car.

My wife Liz and I went out to dinner on Thanksgiving. Once we were seated, we began taking in the passing scene. There are few things I love more than people watching. And what better place than at a restaurant, where you have a close-up view of a group of folks for an extended period of time.

At first, I was only mildly irritated when a customer arrived with his shirttail hanging over his butt. I realize this may be some sort of conscious, deliberate fashion statement rather than an oversight, but it's also a mark of indifference and poor taste in such a setting, making it almost as big a no-no as wearing pajama pants in public.

But then it happened again. Another guy showed up sporting the no-tuck look, apparently having been too damn busy before he left the house to stick his shirt into his pants. It is very time-consuming, after all.

Moments later, a third diner popped in wearing jeans and a T-shirt, sans dress shirt, sweater or coat, even though it was only about 38 degrees outside. This fellow’s minimalist wardrobe allowed the rest of us to get a gander at his heavily tattoed arms, so that was a plus.

And so it went. Although most of the restaurant’s patrons were dressed in a tastefully casual style that was appropriate to the occasion and the location, the grabbed-whatever-was-handy crowd trickled in in dribs and drabs. Which brought to mind an episode of Seinfeld in which Jerry slams George for wearing sweatpants in public: "You know the message you're sending out to the world with these sweatpants? You're telling the world, 'I give up. I can't compete in normal society. I'm miserable, so I might as well be comfortable.'"

Clothing may not make the man, but like it or not, it says a lot about him.

It was H. L. Mencken who proposed that “unsuccessful candidates for the presidency be quietly hanged, as a matter of public sanitation and decorum.” Perhaps that recommendation should be expanded to include a whole different class of people. They may be missed once they're gone, but their ratty old sweatpants won't be.