On the topic of attire, I hope that there are some ugly Amtrak Christmas sweaters among our group this holiday season!
Here's a couple facts. I posted, "I think it's a gimmick that downgrades are sold as appealing to younger generations." Do you remember when Amtrak slashed dining car service during COVID--what did they call it? "Contemporary Dining." They were trying to sell a downgrade as something new and modern.
I also posted, "Who needs sheets and blankets in sleepers?", suggesting that it was a possible downgrade analogous to not wearing socks. May I remind you that Viewliner II's were designed without linen closets?
I work at a convenience store, and see a good cross-section of the community and what people wear. Occasionally, men and women come in dressed in formal attire--they might also dig those clothes out if they were going to be on a nationally-broadcast interview. But most of our clientele is construction workers, and their clothes are grimy and tattered.
My first memories of being concerned about clothing were when I entered elementary school in Hawaii. My mother dressed us considerably better than most kids, who just wore shorts, T-shirts, and flip-flops (called "slippers" in Hawaii). Then, I went to an elite boarding school where there was a dress code all the time (no jeans, shirts must have a collar) and we had to wear a jacket and tie to dinner four nights a week, or going to any away athletic meets, as well as other occasions. I was acutely aware that I had a polyester sport coat from Sears, while most of the guys wore wool coats from Brooks Brothers.
Then I married a flight attendant's mother, and we could fly free in first class on United Airlines as long as we wore a sport coat and no jeans. I rarely fly economy now, and wear jeans and a casual shirt in first-class. On Amtrak, I made a point of wearing nice clothes when I rode first-class on Acela, and elsewhere on Amtrak I always try to wear clothes that are (in the words of my prep school) "neat, clean and in good repair."
