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Seriously, why don't most Westerners in Bangkok dress formal like they did during the 1960s-1980s anymore?
I am Thai and Bangkok native (and my family too), but my late grandfather was a late silent (he was born in 1927) and o… Hello, I am not sure if this question is more suitable on History related subs.
I am Thai and Bangkok native (and my family too), but my late grandfather was a late silent (he was born in 1927) and one of the few Thais who was not from an upper-class family background and had a chance to work at a couple of Multinational corporations in Bangkok back in during 1960s-1980s, aka Vietnam War era before he retired in 1993. I have just seen his pictures with his Western colleagues and clients (mostly from America and Germany) from those times and everyone in the pictures dressed so formal. When I say "dressed so formal", I mean men almost always came in suit and tie and women came in dress or blouse with (again) suit jacket. Literally, suits everywhere (and no they were not even a CIA agent or a diplomatic officer), except maybe the beach or swimming pool party at resort area. Hence, I remember my mother once told me that back in 1983 her father (my grandfather) asked her and her brother (my uncle) to wear suit jacket (also with tie for my uncle) in order to pick up our German-American family friend from LA at the Don Mueang Airport (there was no Suvarnabhumi back then)...
Now, back to the present in 2024, I go to the Sukhumvit area regularly for business (my grandfather's companies were also located in the Sukhumvit area btw) and almost every Westerner I have seen now dresses so casually (even the adult ones). It is very rare for me to see anyone in a suit. In fact, I have only seen one group of Western guys in suits near the Sukhumvit in the past month.
So, yeah, why is that? I understand that Thailand has always been a hot and humid country, but I don't think there has been a significant climate change from 1960 to 2024?
I think you're also seeing a shift in what "professional" actually means for the companies that bring expats here. Back in your grandpa's day, a lot of those Western firms were manufacturing or oil and gas operations where the Bangkok office was the regional hub, so suits signaled authority to local partners and government officials. Now most of the expats in Sukhumvit work in tech, creative agencies, or regional sales roles where the dress code is "smart casual" even back at headquarters in London or Singapore. Walk into a coworking space like WeWork on Ploenchit and you'll see people in shorts and sandals taking Zoom calls with VPs. The whole culture of "dressing up for the office" just evaporated globally after the 2008 recession and remote work took over.
honestly it's not just westerners, thais dressed way more formal back then too. look at old pics of siam square or charoen krung in the 70s and everyone's in collared shirts and slacks even for grocery runs. the whole world just relaxed dress codes starting in the 90s, bangkok included. you still see suits at the finance firms on wireless road but even there it's shifting to business casual
also air conditioning was less common back then in cars and buildings so you'd sweat through a thin shirt anyway, might as well look sharp. now every bts station and 7-11 blasts ac so people layer with t-shirts and hoodies year round. your grandpa prob wore a suit because that was just the standard for office work globally, not because he was trying to impress anyone
You're right that the climate hasn't changed, but what has changed is how we think about professionalism. Back in your grandfather's era, wearing a suit was a sign of respect and competence, especially for Western expats who were seen as representatives of their companies in a developing country. Now that Bangkok is a major global city with its own skyline and business culture, that pressure is gone. Plus, air conditioning is everywhere, so the heat isn't really the excuse people make it out to be. I think it's just that the whole world, not just Bangkok, decided that looking sharp didn't have to mean being uncomfortable.
best som tam in Bangkok? Krua Dok Mai Kao 2026
yeah Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but if you're up for a detour, try Som Tum Nua near Siam Square. their som tam pu pla ra is insane if you like the fermented fish sauce kick. way more pungent than the On Nut spot, just less grilled chicken options