Smart Casual ??

[clipped_wings]

Ok thong wearers. I give up. You win. But can you at least put a pair of socks on then? How Aussie is that?

 

[midian454]

Ok thong wearers. I give up. You win. But can you at least put a pair of socks on then? How Aussie is that?

But it's just coming into Ugg Boot season...

 

[Conrad_S]

Ok thong wearers. I give up. You win. But can you at least put a pair of socks on then? How Aussie is that?

It may be more correct in the southern states but I don't know if our little brothers/sisters across the dutch would agree with it being uniquely Aussie. When we were in campervanning in nz for the 2011 rwc, I may have been wearing thongs with socks more than is polite in Australian society. Anyway the main outcome (apart from a a stylish and convenient fashion statement) was that we were continually welcomed by the locals as "one of their own"

 

[Conrad_S]

Not having a go at you or your post. You raise a number of good points.

But here's the thing with thongs. They are good for the beach. They are good for your backyard and your friends BBQ. That's where it ends.

I can't stand thongs. They don't belong in public. They certainly don't belong in a lounge and they definitely don't belong in an aircraft due to safety issues.

John you are most certainly entitled to an opinion. But it is just that. I have a different one. What other people wear in a social situation is their business.
I also have an opinion that It's a remarkably small step from thongs to other items of clothing and situations. You are bolder than me to place yourself on that road.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Solid argument backed up by good hard evid... err, personal opinions.

and your opinion is something other????

 

[JohnK]

John you are most certainly entitled to an opinion. But it is just that. I have a different one. What other people wear in a social situation is their business.

Thankfully it is not just their business.

Thankfully establishments such as Qantas lounges, RSLs, restaurants and other clubs set dress rules. Quite happy to visit only those places.

Now how to lobby to shopping centres but that won't be so easy.

But you and the previous poster quoting my post highlighted something very important. A right to a personal opinion. I choose what dress standards I accept. And I do judge there's no doubt there. Just because someone thinks they are more comfortable wearing a particular item of clothing doesn't mean I have to accept it.

Apologies if you don't agree but that's your opinion.

 

[Bolthead]

Ok thong wearers. I give up. You win. But can you at least put a pair of socks on then? How Aussie is that?

'Aussie...', don't you mean Pommie...

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Apologies if you don't agree but that's your opinion.

Don't apologise JohnK. It's not just your opinion. It's societies opinion. Despite the "we want to so we will" set, society does set standards (whether they like it or not) and those standards do directly or indirectly influence peoples judgements. Take a wedding for example. I'm sure some bogans have very proudly tied the knot in thongs (maybe of both variety), but the vast majority do it adorned in socially acceptable (even enviable) attire. I said earlier, it's about respect. At a wedding the stars of the show dress magnificently as a sign of respect for their newly minted partner. The guests dress appropriately (not generally in thongs) as a sign of respect for the bride and groom. On the other end of the scale, how many attend funerals in thongs? That would be shockingly disrespectful to the deceased. School formals see teenagers looking stunning, because they want to. They want to demonstrate that they're prepared to enter society as an equal. The logies last night.......I can't actually recall many thongs gracing the function. Even Grubbidok agreed that it's a given that he'd show his respect to his students by wearing a cap and gown at their graduation. Thongs, boardies and an "cough, Gas or Grass" T-Shirt would likely see him being sacked and lose quite a deal of respect from students and peers alike! There is a time and place for different dress standards and "lounge" style clubs, restaurants and airline facilities are not thong venues and to declare that "we have the right and stuff the rest of you" (what was it recently said.....umm go stick your head were the sun doesn't shine....sheer class) simply disrespects the multitude of others who are expected to just grin and bear it.

Society generally accepts thongs where they belong. Society, for better or worse, judges those who disrespect their fellow travellers by wearing thongs in a formal/semi-formal setting (safety issues aside) like an airline lounge. Whether the thong brigade admits it or not, there's enough evidence on this forum (and others) to show that although there are well dressed slobs, most of those that take that slovenly appearance to the next step and become downright disgusting by placing feet on seats, feet on tray tables, feet on bulkheads, feet on armrests and clean out the rotten skin from between their toes, are wearing thongs.

 

[JohnK]

Excellent post swanning_it. Well said and one of the best I have read on this subject.

 

[midian454]

and your opinion is something other????

I posted my opinion two pages earlier. JohnK's answer to "What exactly is wrong with thongs?" was basically that he doesn't like them. I don't like patent leather loafers, but I don't turn my nose up at everyone wearing them.

Don't apologise JohnK. It's not just your opinion. It's societies opinion. Despite the "we want to so we will" set, society does set standards (whether they like it or not) and those standards do directly or indirectly influence peoples judgements. Take a wedding for example. I'm sure some bogans have very proudly tied the knot in thongs (maybe of both variety), but the vast majority do it adorned in socially acceptable (even enviable) attire. I said earlier, it's about respect. At a wedding the stars of the show dress magnificently as a sign of respect for their newly minted partner. The guests dress appropriately (not generally in thongs) as a sign of respect for the bride and groom. On the other end of the scale, how many attend funerals in thongs? That would be shockingly disrespectful to the deceased. School formals see teenagers looking stunning, because they want to. They want to demonstrate that they're prepared to enter society as an equal. The logies last night.......I can't actually recall many thongs gracing the function. Even Grubbidok agreed that it's a given that he'd show his respect to his students by wearing a cap and gown at their graduation. Thongs, boardies and an "cough, Gas or Grass" T-Shirt would likely see him being sacked and lose quite a deal of respect from students and peers alike! There is a time and place for different dress standards and "lounge" style clubs, restaurants and airline facilities are not thong venues and to declare that "we have the right and stuff the rest of you" (what was it recently said.....umm go stick your head were the sun doesn't shine....sheer class) simply disrespects the multitude of others who are expected to just grin and bear it.

Society generally accepts thongs where they belong. Society, for better or worse, judges those who disrespect their fellow travellers by wearing thongs in a formal/semi-formal setting (safety issues aside) like an airline lounge. Whether the thong brigade admits it or not, there's enough evidence on this forum (and others) to show that although there are well dressed slobs, most of those that take that slovenly appearance to the next step and become downright disgusting by placing feet on seats, feet on tray tables, feet on bulkheads, feet on armrests and clean out the rotten skin from between their toes, are wearing thongs.

Society may set standards, and until VA imposes and enforces a no-thongs policy, I will wear them as the conditions I explained previously arise. If they do impose and enforce such a policy, I have no problem adhering to it.

I was recently asked to be the Maid of Honour (I am a man) in my younger sister's wedding and I gladly obliged. The entire bridal party apart from the bride were wearling astro-turf thongs (as previously discussed), not out of self-disrespect or being 'bogans', but per my sister and now brother-in-law's wishes. The guests were advised and encouraged to dress comfortably and to have fun; and fun was had by all on a very memorable evening.

The pro-thongs people have been discussing their otherwise neat attire, while the anti-thong people are jumping to "face tattoos" and "cough, Gas or Grass" T-Shirts, taking the discussion in wild directions. Saying that "most take that slovenly appearance to the next step" is making all sorts of generalisations

I never said go stick your head where the sun doesn't shine, I hinted that I don't have my own head there like so many of the closed minded people on this forum.

Like it or not, air travel is now an affordable form of getting from A to B, accessible by people from all sorts of socioeconomic backgrounds. To many people it is just that, a way to get from A to B, not a hoity toity outing with caviar and bolly.

People here need to stop jumping to conclusions based on what may be one aspect of a person's appearance and tarring all they feel are below them with the same slovenly brush.

 

[grubbidok]

Even Grubbidok agreed that it's a given that he'd show his respect to his students by wearing a cap and gown at their graduation. Thongs, boardies and an "cough, Gas or Grass" T-Shirt would likely see him being sacked and lose quite a deal of respect from students and peers alike!

Heh, even Grubbidok. FWIW I don't own an cough, Grass or Grass shirt, so if you see one in the lounge please don't think it's me!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Heh, even Grubbidok. FWIW I don't own an cough, Grass or Grass shirt, so if you see one in the lounge please don't think it's me!

No but I did! A lovely hitchhiking lady with a bikie pulled over and that was the text......followed by "nobody rides for free".

When my Mum saw it (this was quite a number of years ago) she commented that it was a clever slogan, but I should be aware that it may offend some people. Looking back, I must have heeded her words as that T-shirt only came out occasionally where appropriate (mates BBQs etc) and it it was not then, nor today, a shirt that I'd think was lounge appropriate. It was not intended to suggest you had such a shirt and I apologise for the implication......I was just highlighting my view (rightly or wrongly) or social acceptability!

 

[russ]

If AFF existed 50 years ago, we'd be arguing about whether or not people should wear top hats in the carriage waiting room.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

If AFF existed 50 years ago, we'd be arguing about whether or not people should wear top hats in the carriage waiting room.

Not the best analogy. Top hats were and still are, socially acceptable (just not so common anymore). Thongs on the other hand, were acceptable back when humans climbed down out of the trees and lifted their knuckles off the ground, but have never been socially acceptable since real footwear was invented.

 

[Warks]

50 years ago it was 1966 (feel old people?) - pretty sure top hats were long gone in the time of the Vietnam War. Maybe 100 years ago?

In the 60s and 70s it was becoming "anything goes" with shorter skirts and barely there clothing. People were projecting full nudity to be the norm by the 90s as I recall. Somewhere in the 80s the world became a little more conservative though.

And for the record I hate wearing thongs and I don't really like to see them away from the beach but what am I going to do about it? Nothing of course. Not something to worry about. I just saw a dozen smokers outside the Virgin Lounge at T2 in Sydney with about ten signs behind them saying "non smoking zone". That's probably more important.

 

[midian454]

Not the best analogy. Top hats were and still are, socially acceptable (just not so common anymore). Thongs on the other hand, were acceptable back when humans climbed down out of the trees and lifted their knuckles off the ground, but have never been socially acceptable since real footwear was invented.

Geez, I hope you don't fall off that high horse, it's a long way down to us knuckle draggers...

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Geez, I hope you don't fall off that high horse, it's a long way down to us knuckle draggers...

Associate yourself with my comment of fact all you like. I've refrained from commenting about much of your posting on the topic.

 

[midian454]

Associate yourself with my comment of fact all you like. I've refrained from commenting about much of your posting on the topic .

I tried to present a fair argument for my side without resorting to attacks or sweeping generalisation. My apologies if you did not like my posting on the topic.

Enjoy the rest of your day and may your future travels be free of the discomfort of what other people choose to wear.

 

[andrewlorien]

I'm loving this.
and since it's got personal: i don't wear shoes. not at home, not in the office, not at funerals, not at weddings. My friends and colleagues have all come around. But some lawyer decided that it would be unsafe for me to get on a plane without shoes. And i don't like wearing thongs. So i have my comfy shoes i save up for flying, which i kick off when i'm in the plane.
The rest of me is smart and casual, but airline lounges and Sydney/Melbourne/London bars are the only places you'll meet me with shoes on.

 

[Ausbt]

I tried to present a fair argument for my side without resorting to attacks or sweeping generalisation.

midian has made his argument well and having shared a plane with him, I can vouch for his perfectly acceptable sartorial choices at the pointy end.