Unfortunately NycSnob passed away late last night from spontaneous combustion.

>Unfortunately NycSnob passed away late last night from spontaneous combustion.<

Pity. I was going to spam her email with copious links to fashion nightmares.

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/?page_id=9798&paged=5

This guy seems to be attired in slacks, shirt and hat suitable for the most formal establishments.

<i>"You are the one that said price was a good indicator of attire. I pointed out that this is simply not true. Which is it? Is price a good indicator or not? You seem to have trouble making up your mind."</i>

That's funny. No one has ever suggested I was indecisive. You obviously don't know me. And probably never will.

Sweetie, I don't live in a black and white world. Rarely, if ever, are there only two choices. Presenting one example of casual, the "most expensive restaurant in America," a sushi restaurant no less, is not compelling. Overpriced casual sushi restaurants aren't worth another minute of thought. No one in her right mind would dress up to eat a fish head.

<i>"Why do you keep bringing up price? You seem obsessed with it."</i>

You lack imagination.

<i>"And increasingly, the time and place for jeans is Friday evening at many of the best restaurants in the world."</i>

You keep wearing your jeans, dear. I don't dine out on Friday and Saturday evenings (those nights are for bridge and tunnel) so there's no chance I'll ever run into you.

<i>"I was following your lead."</i>

I am a leader. Not a follower. I know now to ignore any food scribblings from you.

<i>"Tell you what, a couple of friends know Danny Meyer personally - shall we ask him how he feels?"</i>

I have every intention of asking him myself. I don't need to go through friends. But thanks anyway for your kind offer. (Look for the article in a well-known travel magazine.)

<i>"Is this a discussion about attire for restaurants, or a dating site?"</i>

I'd rather fall prey to some over-bloated marketing concept, like charging insane prices for raw fish at Columbus Circle, than make love to a lazy man.

<i>"Tell you what, send me an email, and I can let you know my dining schedule so you can work around it."</i>

Like I said, I don't do weekends. I'm confident I'll never run into you. In fact, I'm pretty confident this will be my last response to this thread. I'm suddenly bored.

I am reminded of the pedant in the new Woody Allen movie.

<I>That's funny. No one has ever suggested I was indecisive. You obviously don't know me. And probably never will. </I>

That is a weight off my shoulders. Here I was concerned that we were going to be frenemies, and I already have too many of those.

<I>Look for the article in a well-known travel magazine.</I>

Be sure to include plenty of pictures. I don't read too good.

<I>I know now to ignore any food scribblings from you.</I>

Feel free. You seem more concerned with whether fellow diners are wearing jackets than the quality of the food, anyway.

You see, I'm arrogant enough to not care what people think of me. I'm not quite so arrogant as to think they do.

<i>"You seem more concerned with whether fellow diners are wearing jackets than the quality of the food, anyway...I don't read too good."</i>

You must have me confused with someone else, dear. The OP mentioned a v-neck sweater. I suggested a cardigan style. Nowhere on this thread did I mention the word jacket or offer an opinion on men who opt to wear one. You are right, you don't read to good.

Enjoy that foot in your mouth. Wearing jeans, perhaps?

Say what you will about NYCFoodsnobs repeated diatribes, but I reckon there's a certain poetic justice to TG being on the receiving end....

Oops, I forgot one...

<i>"Frankly, I'm not entirely certain your "fat, Ohio cousins" would miss their "judgemental, pompous NY cousin" would he/she elect to stay home next Christmas.</i>

Are you kidding? My fat, Ohio cousins LOVE me! Who else is going to bring them autographed 8x10's of their favorite Hollywood film and TV actors?

We find the deterioration in standards of dress appalling, and suspect it will only get worse.

You're going to have to tone up, NYCFS; travelgourmet is winning.

Anselm, who is handsome, clever, rich, and impeccably dressed.

AA - gourmet and snob are the same person. It's a practice session to stay sharp.

I have two comments -- no, I have never seen a guy just wearing a Tshirt to dinner in restaurants I go to in France. A cafe, sure, but a "nice" restaurant? no.

But I don't think anyone noticed the really weird idea -- this man plans to bring ONLY a "long-sleeved checked" shirt to wear to dinner. one, apparently. ugh, sounds like something for the farm

<i>"You're going to have to tone up, NYCFS; travelgourmet is winning."</i>

Charlie Sheen believes he's winning, too.

I think the all-about-COMFORT slobs, who hide behind COMFORT when they really mean LAZY, will win. Lazy is epidemic in America these days, much like obesity. There's no amount of pompous snobbery I can dish out that will make anyone care more about developing a sense of style and treating a quality experience with an outfit to match.

However, I believe discussions like these bear fruit. Many tourists ask about clothing because they have no experience dining in a RESTAURANT in Italy or France, two countries with rich respect for their fashion history. Asking the clothing questions is a smart place to begin. I applaud the OP for showing she cares. If other tourists read a thread like this, they can decide what side of the seam they wish to sit on. Since the majority of women buy clothing for their men, I think there's hope.

Given the changes in baggage rules, travelers are challenged to pick and choose. For me, it's a no brainer: I think denim is way too heavy to consider it a necessity when I travel to Europe. Even though my derriere looks great in a fabulous pair of jeans, I prefer packing a pair of Armani slacks. They are so much more comfortable, with the look and feel of elegance. They're much lighter, too.

Unfortunately, the clothing industry is in trouble. The bust in our economy has done great damage. It didn't make the news and few people know but a famous fashion retailer recently fired NYC's most popular tailor. After 40 productive years, with a following to warrant name above the title, the retailer could no longer justify the man's salary. The demand for bespoke suits for men and women plummeted after the market crash. And it looks like any future demand may be lost forever.

Yes, times are a changin'. With threads like these, one can only hope.

I don't even understand some of these tirades. For a three week trip, I will have one pair of jeans. I will wear them on the plane, so there is not even any packing or worrying about weight involved.

I do not travel under the weight of pompous snobbery. I will leave that burden to other people. I can't believe how much certain people worry about the contents of their suitcase and the opinion of strangers. If an unknown stranger glares at you at home for any random reason, do you feel diminished or unworthy?

Here is the line-up, in order of appearance:

<u>Clueless</u>
Mimar (the OP)

<u>Sans Jeans</u>
NYCFoodSnob
elberko
Underhill
mamcalice
nytraveler
StCirq
travelerjan
CYESQ
tarquin
spaarne
Tulips
Gretchen
RM67
oliverandharry
RonZ
Christina

<u>Jeans Uber Alles</u>
travelgourmet
Ackislander
kerouac
AnthonyGA
Michel_Paris
AnselmAdorne

<u>Equivocal, unknown, or just enjoying the show</u>
gh21
xxyyzz
colduphere
yewstulivnitalia
Peter_S_Aus
Stilldontknow
sap
Pat_in_Mich

<u>What else you would expect?</u>
flanneruk

<i>kerouac on May 17, 11 at 12:20am
Yes, and they have only scratched the surface, because we have not even started talking about perfectly dressed total loudmouth jerks, who can ruin the ambience of a meal far more than a discreet, poorly dressed person.</i>
So true. You never forget those dinners.

Well, I DIDN'T say no jeans, I just suggested that throwing a sports-coat over whatever "ordinary" clothes you're wearing would be a simple answer.

Brilliant work spaarne.

What does Uber Alles mean? And equivocal? And who is Sans Jeans? Please translate for us jeans-wearing folk. We are too lazy to look it up.

I fail to see how a sports coat could change anything.

I usually cannot even remember how anyone else was dressed after eating in a restaurant, because I'm not looking at everyone else, nor do I assume that they are looking at me.

It's a question of vanity, I suppose. Vain people incorrectly believe that their opinions of a stranger's clothing are important to that stranger. And vain people incorrectly believe that strangers are looking at them and evaluating their attire. If one is not afflicted by vanity, these illusions disappear.

That is so true. I cannot remember a single meal about which I remember someone being inappropriately dressed and yet I am certain that I have been to hundreds of such meals everywhere in the world. (I know, for example, that southeast Asians are horrified to see Westerners wearing flipflops or sandals on sweltering tropical streets when, OMG, they are PEOPLE WHO CAN AFFORD TO WEAR NORMAL SHOES! I guess the same goes for people who wear jeans when they can afford normal trousers.)

Perhaps certain people keep a scrapbook on the subject.