Dress Code

One way that British pubs have tried to cut down on hooligan behavior is to ban the kinds of clothing that the typical hell-raiser wears:  hoodies, sweat pants (“track suits”) and so on.

I like this trend.

So you can imagine my response when I read this sad little tale:

Jo, from Paris, was on the hunt to sample some traditional Scottish food and drink with her husband.  They decided to head for the George IV Bar after hearing rave reviews from locals, Edinburgh Live reports. 

Jo said: “My husband and I are from France and for a first night in Edinburgh, we really wanted a nice pub where we could eat food and listen to music at the same time.

“The place was very well noted and the food looked delicious so we tried to get in. My husband was refused entry by the security guard that deemed his pants ‘inappropriate for a restaurant.’

“Very disappointed and I definitely won’t recommend it. We’re currently eating at a pub that doesn’t have live music, too bad for us, but at least we are welcome and we’re eating well.”

The response:

However, the bar’s general manager hit back, writing: “We have a policy of no tracksuits/cottons/jobby catchers in the bar in the evenings.

“Many bars in Edinburgh have the same policy. We work hard to cater for our clientele.”

Once again, my policy of always dressing well when traveling is vindicated.

As it happens, I’ve been to the George IV a couple of times, and it’s a lovely place — not the least because it’s free of trashy yobs and their equally-trashy cock holster girlfriends.  And the food is brilliant.

Add the George IV to your “the next time I’m in Edinburgh” list.  I’ll be going back, for sure.

16 comments

  1. If things were done my way, no one would even be allowed to board the train/bus/aircraft wearing jogging suits, sweats or spandex lowers. Spandex uppers on the femmes is tolerable but not necessarily appropriate..

    This from a suit and tie international business type for 40+ years. Loosening tie acceptable after boarding btw.

    1. A few weeks ago, I asked my boy the retired Navy pilot, now a commercial airline pilot, how the job was going. He said he loved everything about it except the passengers. He’s sick of scuzzy people traveling on the cheap, looking and acting like entitled slobs with over-displayed tattoos and inappropriate clothing; he said they even board in pajamas and wet bathing suits.

  2. I dress nicely to practice law every day

    I wear a sport coat as a default, but I wear a suit (with a tie, of course) for important meetings, particularly with older clients, and also for court appearances

    I grew up without money, country clubs, or other trappings of wealth, but with a heavy dose manners from my parents and from the nuns who tried valiantly to educate me

    I held menial minimum wage jobs for years as I worked my way through high school, college and law school

    My wife and I joined a very nice local country club around 15 years ago, and it’s been appalling to witness the absolute lack of manners and courtesy that so many members exhibit, especially the second and third generations of wealthy families, who are usually dilettantes

    They wear their shirt tails untucked, they exhibit boorish table manners, they walk ahead of their wives (like Muslims) and they drop the F-bomb in loud conversations in the pub and everywhere else

    I’m glad to see this pub upgrade it’s experience for its valued customers

  3. I grew up wearing a suit and tie to church. We’ve evolved to a more “Casual” look now. I don’t miss putting on a tie, but I do believe we’ve lost something intangible. Same with work.

  4. High school had a dress code that I follow to this day for the most part.

    Unless you’re playing a sport, exercising or going for a walk, track suits and athletic wear are inappropriate.

    Kim, your post years ago about baseball caps made a mark on me. The jeans, tee shirt and baseball cap do indeed look like a kid out to play rather than an adult male. This caused a bit of an issue in the summer when much of that was my out of work attire. The baseball caps get worn for yardwork, walk in the woods or going to an outdoor range. Otherwise, my panama adorns my head. I’ve received many compliments on it. Autumn, Winter and Spring usually were the seasons for my tweed flat cap. This year I bought a crushable wool fedora like hat that I have enjoyed a lot since I bought it last September.

    T shirt and jeans is chore clothes to me now. I found that a polo shirt with a tucked in tail and chinos (HS dress code above) is far more suitable attire for casual places. Rather than reach for a windbreaker, I try to reach for my sport jacket more often. A good sport jacket will last years or more.

    When I was on some of the committees at the hospital, our meetings were typically held on the days off of the workers. A memo went out to everyone to not dress like they were headed to or from the beach. Many of the young women did not understand the concept of business dress casual. I think they had scrubs for clinical work although some nurse managers wore scrubs as well which was absurd. The young women had scrubs, going out clothes and sloppy mess for everything else.

    JQ

  5. I’m glad these pubs are maintaining a dress code. it’s long, long overdue.

    There was a time in Boston that you couldn’t get a drink at a nice bar without wearing a jacket and tie. We need to bring those places and times back.

    JQ

  6. I noticed years ago when travelling that you get better service from just about everyone involved if you dressed nicely. My company had a formal policy that business casual was required for any travel on their dime, and since they were paying, I complied. Reluctantly, at first, but it only took one or two trips to realize that business attire was also more comfortable and easier to maintain when on the go. Unfortunately, I don’t have the coin to dress as the locals do as our humble scribe recommends, so I do sort of look American all the time. Swings and roundabouts, I suppose.

    BTW, service industry folks and women in general really size you up by your choice of shoes — the nicer yours are, the nicer they are. It is uncanny to see once you start noticing it. I suppose it’s the male equivalent of “my eyes are up here”; except that they are way more subtle about it.

    1. Bnations,
      that’s a good point. I usually wear hiking shoes/ low boots all the time. Maybe I should change that to something that takes a shine.

      JQ

  7. Some say that the “Peaky Blinders” look may overtake track suits among certain segments of society. And then will you have to rethink that cloth cap? bit.ly/3xcZ6Gg

  8. Some say that the “Peaky Blinders” look may overtake track suits among certain segments of society. And then will you have to rethink that cloth cap?

  9. “I wear a sport coat as a default…” What sport does one play in a sport coat?

    Whatever guys. Their establishment, their rules. However, I dress for comfort, not to impress the hoity-toity brit wannabes. I’ll just go down the street where the food is just as good, probably cheaper, and the proprietors will gladly accept my custom.

  10. Not fluent in Scottish colloquialisms, could someone explain tracksuits/cottons/jobby catchers?
    Tracksuits I understand but the other two escape me.
    Thanks in advance.

  11. True Story – First time my wife flew overseas she was to meet me in Amsterdam. She was using a Delta “rewards” ticket(that had an $18.00 fee) which meant she would be in an econo-class seat from Tampa to Amsterdam via Delta/KLM. So she checked in wearing slacks, Bass loafers, and a blazer. About ten minutes after she had checked in, a call comes over the PA system asking her to report to the ticket counter. They tell her that econo was over booked and asked if she would mind changing her seat to first-class(that was an $1900 ticket back then) because they liked to have well-dressed business people in first class. So because of how she was dressed, she flew 1st class from Tampa to Amsterdam for her first overseas flight. (Note: she always dressed “up” when ever she flew anywhere.)

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