"Un-style" in the social elite

Recently, a cultural transcendence took place in Baltimore and very few people know about it. It was an event that speaks to how our society is changing in accordance to fashion, style, and culture. What happened? The Prime Rib restaurant, an icon of societal elite and high class, changed its dress code from formal to business casual.  Although it may seem small and meaningless, this change speaks to how our society is adapting to a more casual style to stay afloat and remain pertinent. When a place of business says that the dress code is "formal" it makes a statement. It says that there are standards and you need to abide by them in order to receive our services. But society is changing and standards are being lowered, as evidenced by the switch. The style of our culture, and by effect youth culture, no longer reflects a unified standard but now is dispersed into a lack of a unified style or an "un-style"

On the outside, the comparisons between the style of college students today and the college students of 1968 are sparse. The students of 1968 seemed to dress accordance to a code and whether that code was written or un-written notwithstanding, if you did not follow that code you would be not be in the norm since you're not following those trends. Today, America is far more relaxed in style and dress "codes" are slowly falling by the way side. No longer do students have to wear dress shirts or dresses to class as they did in the 1960's. This reflects how our culture is changing and how individuals are able to assume a number of different roles. You don't need to dress like you're ready to learn in order to take a class at UMBC just as you don't need to dress like a member of an elite institution in order to attend an elite institution. The lack of fashion today is like the changing definition of the American experience. A woman in the 1950's had three career routes. She could be a nurse, a teacher, or a doctor; and her dress reflected that. Today, you can be whatever you want to be and your dress reflects you dressing anyway you want to dress.