Thinking of moving to Detroit area (Ann Arbor: fit in, to buy, school)

[HockeyFan]

Button down shirt (with a sweater, does every restaurant set the temp at 65 there as they do here?) would be just fine for me, no problem!

[detshen]

Originally Posted by HockeyFan

Button down shirt (with a sweater, does every restaurant set the temp at 65 there as they do here?) would be just fine for me, no problem!

Yes, always bring a sweater. A button down shirt w/sweater and khakis will go almost anywhere in metro Detroit.

[HockeyFan]

Sounds good to me! SoCal's not that way -- it's not all t-shirts and flip flops here. Plenty of places, even casual places, with dress codes (collared shirt required, no team stuff)... not really my speed to dress for the entire day a certain way because a place that serves an eight dollar burger tells me so. Nicer restaurants range from what you described -- sweater and khaki types -- to suit and tie type.

[detshen]

Originally Posted by HockeyFan

Sounds good to me! SoCal's not that way -- it's not all t-shirts and flip flops here. Plenty of places, even casual places, with dress codes (collared shirt required, no team stuff)... not really my speed to dress for the entire day a certain way because a place that serves an eight dollar burger tells me so. Nicer restaurants range from what you described -- sweater and khaki types -- to suit and tie type.

I wore flip flops and casual skirts almost everywhere in SoCal, I just wore fancier leather flip flops for nicer places. in Detroi all my friends are into fashion so I've had to change a bit to feel comfortable, but I'm still the most casual.

[HockeyFan]

Styles are different for men, there's less options. It's suit and tie (formal), shirt and slacks (semi-formal/semi-casual), or t-shirt and shorts (casual).

For women, there's a range of semi-casual, semi-formal. I find here, women are not sweatshirt and jeans casual, they're a little more fashion conscious -- even if it's casual, it's name brand casual. Not really formal, but not truly casual to me either.

Are you in a fashion-based industry, or a field such as advertising, etc., where fashion tends to be more prevalent?

[detshen]

Originally Posted by HockeyFan

Styles are different for men, there's less options. It's suit and tie (formal), shirt and slacks (semi-formal/semi-casual), or t-shirt and shorts (casual).

For women, there's a range of semi-casual, semi-formal. I find here, women are not sweatshirt and jeans casual, they're a little more fashion conscious -- even if it's casual, it's name brand casual. Not really formal, but not truly casual to me either.

Are you in a fashion-based industry, or a field such as advertising, etc., where fashion tends to be more prevalent?

No, I hate fashion! I work in medicine, but I have a private practice so I wear traditional work clothes, no scrubs or white coats. My friends here in Detroit work in all different fields, they just always look dressed up and stylish. I never did the brand thing in SoCal, I lived in a beach community so that's part of it. I wouldn't wear sweatshirts though, I guess my casual was actually fashion conscious casual, but not brand conscious, I spend very little on clothes.

I'd rather be a guy, my BF has his "uniform" which is probably like your style, jeans or khakis with a polo or button down. That is so much easier. I'm not like most girls, I hate shopping, and I will never understand the shoe obsession, but I do want to look appropriate so I have to shop more here.

[HockeyFan]

I feel for you -- yeah, fashion is easier when you're male. It never really changes much -- and usually if it does, it doesn't look so good anyway.

Beach communities, for the most part, are very casual in SoCal -- they are pretty comfortable I find. There's one or two that are more exclusive, but most are pretty laid-back.

[detshen]

That made me laugh, my neighborhood was definetely not the "exclusive" type of beach community.

[Nearborn]

The economy is so bad in Detroit that most places couldn't care less what you wear. There was a time where you'd feel out of place in Marios in jeans, tennis shoes and a t-shirt. Not anymore. At one time, I'd never go to The Whitney without at least a jacket and tie. Not anymore.

I think practically the only places with a "dress code" anymore are the private clubs.

[detshen]

Originally Posted by Nearborn

The economy is so bad in Detroit that most places couldn't care less what you wear. There was a time where you'd feel out of place in Marios in jeans, tennis shoes and a t-shirt. Not anymore. At one time, I'd never go to The Whitney without at least a jacket and tie. Not anymore.

I think practically the only places with a "dress code" anymore are the private clubs.

The US is just getting more casual, I really don't think it has much to do with the economy, popular places are still busy.