David Sedaris on why you should dress like a corpse

[@ITSFULLOFSTARS1]

"You can never be overdressed or overeducated. " - Oscar Wilde

[@chrisfinch8637]

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." Is another great one, by him.

[@Revelwoodie]

Me: "As the great Oscar Wilde once said, You can never be overdressed or overeducated." Them: "Ma'am, it isn't safe to wear a ball gown in the pool." Philistines.

[@danielwilliams8397]

Wonderful!

[@lynemac2539]

Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death! -Auntie Mame

[@DavidKerley]

Thank you, David. Could not agree more.

[@joycekocsis9818]

I used to dress up when I was having chemo. It made me feel better.

[@exaudi33]

Hope you are better -- God bless.

[@joycekocsis9818]

@@exaudi33 yes I am. I am a 21 year survivor. ❤️

[@ITSFULLOFSTARS1]

"Dressing well is a form of good manners." - TOM FORD...Or as my mentor would say “Dress like the organ grinder, not the monkey.”

[@docmccoy95]

Love that and stealing it. LOL

[@TrueWordsRSpoken]

LOVE THIS!!!

[@edithlazenby5839]

Everyone but my brother....Cargos and Crocs, and his signature orange bandana around his head...he went in the afterlife like he lived life..he was a carpenter.❤

[@AAWagner]

In 1968 my grade school class went to the opera at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh. The girls were in dresses and the boys were in ties and jackets. I remember looking over at a young couple in their 20s sitting in the balcony. He was in tails. She was in a Kelly green gown. They stood out and looked like they were dying for being so conspicuous. I was a kid and I felt their pain. They thought people still dressed in the highest level of formal wear for the opera. I still feel sorry for them. But I also still admire their commitment to dressing correctly. An impulse people have totally lost.

[@Chick-inslacks]

I’d always rather be overdressed personally but I know most people my age and younger (some older) clearly do not share the sentiment.

[@karlstriepe8050]

I "subscribe," apparently, to my local opera. Most people dress well, some less so, none in tails, but some revel in wearing formalish attaire. One fellow wears riding boots and carries a crop! We call him "Der Ritter."

[@elainekinney6186]

I thoroughly agree with you! Society is sloppy now!

[@Canhandleit839]

I love the laid-back look. But OK I will try harder. I like that you have David Sedaris on Sunday Morning. I hope we see and hear more of him on this show.

[@michaellawrencewilson1399]

Dear “Mr. Sedarius!” Thank You. My wife and I are appalled by the way people dress (don’t dress). We thought it was a Pacific Northwest thing but found out that our “up bringing” is different from the way people are today. We dressed to go to the store. We dressed up to go out. We were horrified at how people showed up, casually dressed, to our wedding. When we attend church, they look as though they’re going to the park. Thank you, Sir. Somebody took the time to dress respectfully and appropriately. Michael 👔 and Lori 👗Wilson.

[@TrueWordsRSpoken]

I am here in Seattle and it is a damn shame that people wear the most cringy things to the symphony, the ballet, etc

[@chrisfinch8637]

It's not every day, these days, that we see people dress up for dinners at home, or even for dinners at public places. And the retro TV shows from the 50s through the 90s and such, had people dress in such fancy and colorful clothing, that really stood out, while TV shows of the 2010s through the 2020s, just wore lots of random clothing that go out of place from how other people dressed back then.

[@TheTibetyak]

I used to attend this small Baptist Church in Tahoe. In winter, we had a early morning service and 98% of us were wearing our ski gear. That included the pastor.

[@eponymousIme]

​@@TheTibetyak >>I used to attend this small Baptist Church in Tahoe. In winter, we had a early morning service and 98% of us were wearing our ski gear. That included the pastor.

[@TheTibetyak]

@@eponymousIme True that. And I would never consider attending a theater or symphony production in anything but a suit and tie.

[@maryjohoffman9336]

As always, you are spot on! I couldn’t agree more. Even weddings , where people dress like it’s any other day .

[@NotSteve88]

I took my son to see A Christmas Carol when he was maybe 8 or 9, at the most beautiful and historic theatre in our area. I took him shopping the weekend prior and let him pick out a dress shirt and tie. (Clip on, but still. 😉) He was proud to dress up and go somewhere so fancy, and it became our tradition for several years. As he grew older, I could tell he enjoyed the process of picking out his dress attire more than the actual show, but I was fine with that. I loved it actually. He’s grown now, and the last time I went to a show at the same theater, with a group of friends on a Saturday evening, I was disappointed at what I saw around me. Everyone in this spectacular place wearing jeans, sneakers and the like. Just seems disrespectful.

[@olga138]

I attend concerts at a local college, and these are orchestral performances.....and people wear shorts, bill caps, and ratty tee shirts. I don't get it. The performers have studied music all their lives and worked for weeks to make this concert a success---don't we owe them the courtesy of dressing in clean, appropriate clothing?

[@margo3367]

The audience would be appalled if the musicians dressed similarly.

[@wideawake5630]

​@@margo3367actually I fear they wouldn't.

[@elisabethpine3420]

And the orchestra members are dressed for the occasion.

[@nycfilmgirl11]

Thank you, David Sedaris, I could not agree more -- I was recently speaking with a friend about the current state of dress. And, yes, people, please turn off your phones at the theatre, cinema, etc.

[@docmccoy95]

Spot on as always David. It's tourists. New Yorkers, for the most part, still enjoy dressing up for special occasions. Yes, the theater is special.

[@rwhist528]

Dear Mr. Sedarius, thank you for the satirical comment on how we should dress for the occasion. My thought is that do your homework before going to a show. Many times when I attended an opera or a show, I couldn’t fathom how some people dressed. One time at La Scala opera house in Italy, some people got away with jeans and short sleeve shirts. (That’s a big no-no!) During each “encore”, people pulled out their phones to take photos. I thought they could have gotten kick out of the theater because of strict dress code on their website. But somehow they avoided get the boot.

[@alanna8983]

Thank you, David Sedaris! Once again, you hit it out of the park!

[@rachelleharms3314]

Dear Mr. Sedaris, I truly hope your commentary on CBS News Sunday Morning reaches many ears. My mother and I were season ticket holder at our beautiful Civic Center here in Oklahoma City until her health stopped us from going. Over the years, we noticed the decline of dress for those at the theater. People started showing up in jeans, which wasn't too awful, but when I saw someone in sweat pants I knew it was the end. As you said, the theater is an event for which you dress. We loved to see how smart we could look because that's how one dresses to go! Earrings, necklaces, high heels and an evening dress. As time passed, we became the minority but we never stopped doing our best! It's a sad, sad testimony of how we've devolved. Again, thank you, and I hope you keep sharing the word and that SOMEONE will listen.

[@janblacha8522]

My wife and I always dress up when we go out. This ia a great video. I learned how to dress from my Godfather. He would come over our house like Ward Cleaver. My father had my Godfather come over on Saturdays to help him with home projects. Once, they were laying new concrete for a garage to be built. My Godfather took off his button down shirt and proceed ed to mix cement in the heel barrel. I took at a restaurant. This past Saturday a grown man came to evening dinner with pyjamas on. I manage the front of the house. I wear a sport coat, button down shirt, slacks and black shoes...and always a ascot. Thank you.

[@carrollmurphy2289]

I applaud this message!!!! ❤

[@danwallach8826]

If we dressed better we might treat one another more respectfully.

[@pmbouvier]

The first, and only, time I saw my mother in a dress was in her casket. Thanks again, David, for hitting the mark.

[@susannpatton2893]

I so agree with him. I wish people took more care in their dress. You don't have to look like a frumpy mess that didn't give a care as to what they look like

[@olly8]

My grown kids think Im being silly. I DON'T CARE!! My late mother-in-law lived in Massachusetts during the Kennedy era. She taught me how to always present my best self. I may run an errand w/o full makeup or dolled up...but I remember how she would always turn heads. I dress to present myself with beauty & grace. If you've got it- flaunt it!! It always makes ME feel better. Sorry kids, Im going to shine while I can. And at 72, the compliments STILL MATTER.👸

[@gerilorensen5410]

My father's favorite quote: "Dress for the occasion. You'll enjoy it more!!"

[@jguitar23]

Never before have such lovely clothes been so affordable. Wearing your fancy stuff to the theatre, a wonderful tradition.❤ If you want to wear slouchy stuff for fancy events, at least make it solid in color, pressed & clean!

[@scotsam7590]

Isn't it amazing that for the last 50+ years western society (and probably others) have had ample choice of clothing & style for the first time in history and are dressed worse than the last 2000 years by choice.

[@mililaniman]

I enjoy this commentary. I always try to dress for the occasion.

[@JohnnyAngel8]

Once, my sister and I attended an evening performance of "The Nutcracker", in Boston. We were dressed in "business casual" clothes: my sister wore a dress and I wore a shirt and tie; we both had shoes on, not sneakers. She leaned over to me just before the show began and asked if I thought she was dressed well enough. Just then, I looked over in the balcony where a man stood up. He had a T-shirt on and his rotund belly was obvious. I told her to look over at the man and she became calm.

[@ddewittfulton]

Moe Rocca and David Sedaris CBS Sunday morning... now THAT makes me feel old!

[@daviddaniels6726]

Bravo!

[@fredbeebe2642]

except my mother wearing pajamas and slippers in her casket

[@tamivancleave5134]

Hello David Sedaris, I agree with everything you spoke of with passion! What has happened to Our Dignity... What happened to getting all dolled up? Yes, I'm a Lady! I also went to a Beautiful Play! I was in my favorite heels, ling silk dress with my faux fur, with my real diamonds & pearls! FYI i don't wear them like I used to. What a sham... Thank You David Sedaris I too miss the 80's-90's.... Tamaraz ~.~

[@captainnima]

Perfect. Loved it. Thank you.

[@klondt]

Loved it!

[@2godless]

I feel like that when I go to the Kennedy center. People dress terribly now.

[@L.Spencer]

I thought people wearing very casual clothes at the opera was just a casual San Diego thing.

[@Bobalicious]

When I was a child of six, or so, my mother would have us bathe and dress in our best to go and sit in a darkened theater to watch a movie.

[@lorettanericcio-bohlman567]

Thank you David

[@romanjohncarlos2368]

David Sedaris is a class act!❤

[@chesterthawkins7510]

Love you David.

[@JaneJenkins-s8e]

He is always spot on.

[@bbttresidder7224]

I couldn’t agree more. So frustrating to go to a nice restaurant on a special occasion and see that cargo shorts and flip flop crowd. Nothing like bringing down the atmosphere….

[@eponymousIme]

The really up-scale restaurants still have dress codes, so far as I know.

[@Jharpe83]

We have seen more people unaware of what is appropriate behavior in the public space (or sometimes they purposely refuse to acknowledge it.) The distinction between the public space and the personal/private space has been blurred over the last few decades. For instance, talking loudly on cellphones concerning private matters in the public space, blasting music from boom cars, etc, has become commonly tolerated, instead of rude or anti-social. So dressing for public events (that most would not consider casual) as if you were at home or the beach, is just another example. It then becomes more common and validated over time, in a lowest common denominator way. It's a Gresham's law corollary: over time, the bad drives out the good.

[@vh4575]

I went to a reading at a theatre in London - who was reading his own diaries? David Sedaris wearing cargo shorts!!!

[@tamirenno5845]

Yes! 👏

[@pabloguillen5591]

Amazing wit !

[@heynowls3058]

Turn off your phones! The wisest advice David just gave us! Turn off your phones.

[@NolaChick82]

I agree, David!

[@wendywheelock943]

Casual Friday at work recently. I had on a dark blue pair of jeans, no holes, a thin belt, a silk blouse, a tailored blazer, and a cute pair of kitten heels. Co-worker had on a untucked tee shirt, wrinkled khakis, and pair of converse. Guess who was out of dress code and asked to not wear the outfit again? ME! Why? I wore jeans. 😮

[@wideawake5630]

The whole concept of casual Fridays is insulting to begin with. What are we, five?

[@wendywheelock943]

@@wideawake5630 The ENTIRE concept I was stating was that I, even casual, was still professional. And the "Slobathon" I work with is allowed to look worse than what I would wear to bed ...and he was considered presentable. Society has fallen on its face.

[@meiray]

Back when I still went to an office, I would always make a point to dress nicer on Fridays - button shirt and a tie, because everyone else was dressed more casually, so I looked extra classy.

[@elisabethpine3420]

Your coworkers were feeling stupid and envious. I always dressed properly as a secretary. Bought my clothing at a thrift store but upscale brands and tasteful, and my coworkers hated me.

[@josephballerini3730]

Dress codes are a minefield for employers. One that stands out in my memory: two different women wore the same outfit. One woman was thin and the other was overweight causing the same outfit to look revealing and distracting. Head of he department told the direct manager of the overweight woman that the outfit was inappropriate and he should speak with her (thin woman worked for head of dept). He refused, recognizing, I think, how problematic that conversation could be.

[@4musikable]

So very true.

[@nashshaffer6235]

I totally agree as a society we have lost our sense of decorum.

[@Madbandit77]

Amen, David.

[@fooltosign]

I used to go to the opera by myself and still dressed in a formal gown. I remember going to see Michael Jackson in the 80s with friends. We were all dressed up for the concert. Others were dressed like they were hanging out at a backyard barbecue. Something is lost in society when respect for the art/artist is neither shown nor given, IMO.

[@satvikraghav4507]

High time adults start dressing up again

[@adelaferreira4575]

Absolutely right !

[@WhittWoofs]

Well he's not wrong.

[@Laura-my5gb]

And of course. Try passing on the popcorn and candy wrappers the theater somehow believes we must have during a great live performance

[@kenlodge3399]

Thanks a bazillion. Was once able to share your sentiment more forthrightly, but was involved in (on the fringes of) theatre productions and going places, one attends. It's so noticeable - seeing what we've become, but oddly and at the same time recognize the progression. Also noticed so many old acquaintances become staunchly conservative, causing another part of me to contend - let your freak flag fly!

[@timmckeown1313]

👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. I was out recently with my wife at a local restaurant and in walked a couple. The woman was dressed to the nines while her “date” was looking like a rumpled pillow…sweats and all. I guess not all of us can afford a full length mirror.

[@hummersd]

Speaking of turning off phones… please also (respectfully) STFU during a show. Went to a Broadway show the other night, and had three couples around me talking, and one teenager making a spectacle of himself to get attention. 🤫 🤐 😶

[@dbmail545]

David is one of those authors whose written works can only be fully appreciated by those familiar with his spoken word. Like William S Burroughs, I hear his voice and speech patterns when I read him now.

[@robertpettigrew3862]

Could not agree more👍👍

[@JamesBrown-ij1px]

'Whatever Happened to 'CLASS'? ~ Fred Ebb

[@vebetka8333]

Thank you!!!

[@ParticleLarry]

Ghostbusters or Ghostbusters 2 , there's a big difference?

[@heathermetz6576]

0:58 “You REALLY couldn’t find anything better in your closet?”

[@nancycdonahue6212]

I agree with you 💯!

[@Chick-inslacks]

I appreciate this. ❤

[@kathleenbergeron1292]

I enjoyed this episode, but do we really need all these slides dropped into the background? Are we that starved for having someone else fill our images, rather than leaving it to our minds?

[@xavierm3415]

I am not very good or natural with clothes, but I least I try my best to dress for the occasion. But nowadays with a dark jean & a shirt is like being dressed to the nines... ;)

[@elisabethpine3420]

Wow. I have been thinking this since I attended my first Metropolitan Opera and saw people who had dressed casually. It seemed all downhill from then.

[@Hypatia52]

From Seattle. I've been fighting this fight since 1976! I had someone tell me if her $400 Patagonia coat and $200 jeans were an affront to people attending the opera or symphony or theatre, maybe I'd prefer that she didn't attend. And now I get guff for dressing in business casual for doctor's appointments. Wealthiest country in the world looks like we are all buying our clothes from the Goodwill clearance bin.

[@AZITHEMLGPRO]

Woowwee this really spoke to me on somethin heavy

[@Will-s6f]

Flying on an airplane too! And court, your there to impress the judge, in case you're unaware...lol

[@bethsnyder8376]

Ever see how some people dress for church these days.

[@eponymousIme]

>>your there to impress the judge

[@telluwide5553]

When airlines turned the whole flying experience into nothing more than taking a bus, flying became less special and it was definitely reflected in how people dressed and behaved.... Maybe if they turned every seat in economy as premium economy, charged more and had some dress code, people would behave better and the whole flying experience may improve drastically....

[@kelleherjw]

At those ticket prices, forget it.

[@Tomeleck]

Funny. When I attended jury duty in Los Angeles two years ago, one of the other prospective jurors was wearing a ragged T shirt and shorts. The T shirt expressed his preference for one of the Democratic politicians currently running for office here. When he stood up to protest being asked to be a juror, the judge asked him several pertinent questions. One question was who chose his present attire, and whether he had any other more suitable clothes to wear. The prospective juror answered positively. The judge promptly sent him home with the provision that he should return an hour earlier the next day wearing clothes more suitable for jury duty. The judge then continued saying that he should return to court tomorrow showing more respect for the other jurors, the seriousness of these court proceedings and the lives of the defendants who would be on trial.

[@N_Loco_Parenthesis]

He's a treasure.

[@Knitone1]

While I agree, it is funny how you say you know you can just say nothing, when it comes to someone criticizing your dress, but you.....

[@RichardQuaid]

Now there's an idea, leave the phone on, and see who calls. The corpse that is.

[@jamesbishop6873]

Does he know he became Lou Sedaris dressing little Paul in Brooks Brothers?

[@jeclipse129]

It really is American society. When I moved to Europe nearly everyone dresses formally for shows at the theatre.

[@zenveg]

Baseball caps at a restaurant is my pet peeve.

[@BookBabe1967]

I’m a ticket sales person for a high school theatre program. My problem is people asking me if they have to purchase a ticket for their INFANT! Really? Would you bring that baby to a movie? NO, you wouldn’t. Theatre etiquette no longer exists.

[@JBravoRebel]

Domestic flights and airports demonstrate the ultra-casual accepted conventions of today. Often I consider people just arising from bed, or preparing for an intimate rendezvous, neither appropriate nor flattering for 90%+ of the population.

[@jaimedance3]

1 more thing whenever I do die I am not wearing a suit to be buried in no way! I'm going out In my Betty White shirt probably!

[@L.Spencer]

People hardly dress up for weddings, and it seems they don't for "church" either. And it's getting harder and harder to find formal wear in the stores.

[@serenityjewel]

Poor baby. The days of his youth are gone and the world is changing without his permission. Thankfully he won’t be around much longer to be horrified that people refuse to be uncomfortable for him. Personally I would want to spend my final years focused on my family, my friends, my hobbies, my passions, my dreams, my goals, and maybe on how I can make the world a better place or contribute to the future success of this next generation but that’s just me. If griping about how the world isn’t a carbon copy of “the good old days” and how he thinks time should have stood still for his generation - when it didn’t stand still for all the generations before him - is how he wants to go out, so be it. It’s his life to waste.

[@me-in-MPLS]

HERO

[@stetson1503]

Yes!

[@bingonamo7520]

I saw Tina the musical in Sydney, Australia in January and was both amused and disgusted at what some people were wearing. I wouldn't even go to a barbeque at a close friends house dressed that scruffily. It was similar to the Ghostbusters t-shirt lady. Except the t-shirt would have been faded.

[@Sköldpadda-77]

As I sit here watching this in a t-shirt and old basketball shorts with a hole in the crotch, drinking beer and eating generic bbq chips from the bag I cannot help but feel like a slob. Comfortable, yes, but not proud. I don’t even own a suit. I promise to wear one if I ever get to see you at a live reading.

[@liliablar]

Cool bro!

[@jacktorrance2633]

If you're at the theater and you're looking at me instead of the performance you've wasted a lot of money.

[@JohnnyCatFitz]

I love an excuse to dress up! Og, its so disheartening that people seem to be so ignorant that clothing is a language, its a statement you are making,a story to are telling, a mesage to strangers, about yourself. When i see that type of dress, its so anti social, so rude, so boring.

[@genagena127]

Yes!!

[@juliadplume3097]

“If this is not a special occasion then what is?”

[@execfb]

Be thankful Lauren Boebert wasn’t seated beside you.

[@rezarcher]

I ain't afraid of no ghosts!

[@santiagorodriguez3330]

Anerica has. become a pigsty in only 2 generations. very sad😢

[@maggiaebi8323]

Very Andy Rooney-ish...always good pointers!

[@DavidBrown-ye5xv]

Try shorts at holy day of obligation mass