I am 81. As a youngster, we changed from our outside play clothes into something clean for dinner. We dressed up to visit the doctor, a museum and so on. Doing so was a sign of respect. Special occasions required hats, gloves and our special outfits (mom made our outfits; later we learned to made our own). We were not well off, money was tight in our family. Granted, some of the required formality for woman was silly -no pants in restaurants- but totally abandoning all dress codes has eliminated the excitement and thrill of dressing for a special event for me.