I have 8 mm film of my family at the Bronx Zoo in 1956. My mother is wearing a dress, a hat, gloves,high heals and a mink stole! I am eleven and am wearing a dress, full length coat with a matching hat and Mary Janes with tights, skincolored. Oh, yes, my mother also had a purse with a short handle which she carried on her arm. My father wore a suit, a tie and polished shoes.
When we came home from school, we took off our school clothing and put on play clothes.
I would love to find a happy medium between then and now. People do act as they dress. Sloppy clothing is usually sloppy attitude. I haven't worn a dress in years but I do wear clean, non "cut up" slacks and tailored tops.
I sent my children to school with school clothing and then they changed for play as well. They called me a dinosaur for doing that but I felt they acted better in better clothing. The girls in HS flipped over my son's style of dressing. Then I wasn't so bad!