There was a time when dress codes were quite rigid; certain items had to be worn in a systematic set. Those days are over, and people are now free to live out of the box and be creative and innovative. For example, fedoras and bowler hats were popular items for formal and semi-formal occasions during the Great Depression. Nowadays, they are worn by young people as part of their smart casual attire. Victorian fashion is similarly revived within the goth subculture; this is known as neo-Victorian fashion.

Nowadays, people get to casually wear items that used to be worn only for formal occasions. The necktie is one such example. It has become fashionable among the youth since 2002. It is now worn loosely over T-shirts and tank tops. Neckties remain to be worn as a smart-casual item for both men and women. Sometimes, it is worn to semi-formal parties with short-sleeved dress shirts and unbuttoned vests.

Women have been wearing pants since the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. During this time, women were compelled to work while their husbands were in the battlefield. Today, women have been wearing more than just pants. There are now women's tuxedos and similar business suit-inspired women's apparel. Traditional wear for men in non-Western nations are now being worn by women, too.

Such is the trend in historical revivals such as in neo-Victorian, neo-Edwardian, and wartime fashion. Wartime fashion tended to involve women's attire having male-oriented items because this was the time when women had to enter the labor force. Neo-Victorian and neo-Edwardian fashion for women ranged from full Victorian gowns to business suits with men's cravats drawn from Victorian riding suits. The latter example may have cravats tied over mock turtlenecks or "poet shirts" with high-waist skirts or pants.

Certain subcultures also tend to have standard dress codes although this can be flexible. The revival of historical fashion sometimes occurs in some subcultures. Great Depression-inspired attires are being worn by some pop and R&B artists. On the other hand, neo-Victorian attires are popular among the goths. Examples of Great-Depression-inspired clothing included loosely worn neckties or cravats with mock turtlenecks and unbuttoned vests.

Work clothes, like referee shirts, are now even being treated as casual wear. Nowadays, office clothes also include smart-casual attire. There are companies that no longer require male workers to wear neckties.