The end of Kiwi shoe polish?

[Quirky]

Hardly surprising with the ongoing 50+ years trend away from dressing well.

Didn’t you get the memo, dressing well isn’t a requirement to do your job. Even when you look homeless, you can still accomplish the same tasks as someone who ‘looks’ professional.

 

[dimsum]

Didn’t you get the memo, dressing well isn’t a requirement to do your job. Even when you look homeless, you can still accomplish the same tasks as someone who ‘looks’ professional.

I try to dress well. But I understand that it isn’t a requirement to do many jobs. If they are WFH, sitting behind a computer or in a non-public facing job, I could care less if the person has an old hoodie and Cheeto-dust covered fingers as long as they were doing their job.

Example: When I was in Ottawa, I worked with an LCol in a different area. We obviously wore DEU 3B in our days at the office, but on Teams meetings they often wore a t-shirt or a hoodie. At no point did I think they were less professional in that Teams meeting.

 

[Quirky]

I try to dress well. But I understand that it isn’t a requirement to do many jobs. If they are WFH, sitting behind a computer or in a non-public facing job, I could care less if the person has an old hoodie and Cheeto-dust covered fingers as long as they were doing their job.

Example: When I was in Ottawa, I worked with an LCol in a different area. We obviously wore DEU 3B in our days at the office, but on Teams meetings they often wore a t-shirt or a hoodie. At no point did I think they were less professional in that Teams meeting.

Majority of the comments from the public on news articles or CAF social media posts regarding our new dress policy has been negative. I don’t think dress when WFH and teams meetings are the issue here.

 

[dimsum]

Majority of the comments from the public on news articles or CAF social media posts regarding our new dress policy has been negative. I don’t think dress when WFH and teams meetings are the issue here.

People more readily leave bad reviews/comments than good or middling ones. I’m not going to gauge dress policy (or anything) on someone who started with “…back in my day…” or the comments section of the CAF Facebook site.

 

[brihard]

Majority of the comments from the public on news articles or CAF social media posts regarding our new dress policy has been negative. I don’t think dress when WFH and teams meetings are the issue here.

That’s because the majority of the comments on CAF articles or social media posts are from the type of people who hang around making comments on CAF articles and social media posts. They trend really, really dumb- lots of general anti-government types, some of the batshit crazy conspiracy theorists, a sprinkling for former members who got kicked out, and a leaving of vets who are long past their best before date, and might not have been all that before then. Replies to CAF posts serve mostly as a barometer of what’s pissing off the comments section wingnuts this month.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

If you don't wear the "right outfit" or keep to a certain standard in many civilian professions, than you can bet you either won't get the job or will not advance. The public expects a certain amount of uniformity and presentation while in uniform. Relaxing standards is one thing, taking the standards out into the alley and shooting them in the head is another. Relaxing the standards has gone in full ahead because it's about the only thing the military really has control over and is far easier than fixing systemic problems.

 

[dimsum]

If you don't wear the "right outfit" or keep to a certain standard in many civilian professions, than you can bet you either won't get the job or will not advance. The public expects a certain amount of uniformity and presentation while in uniform.

Yes, but since most of us here are military or military-adjacent, I’d say we have a bit of bias bc all of us know the pre-2022 CAF hair standards.

6 years ago, beards would have been right out. However, 176 years ago, muttonchop sideburns would have been fine.

Relaxing standards is one thing, taking the standards out into the alley and shooting them in the head is another. Relaxing the standards has gone in full ahead because it's about the only thing the military really has control over and is far easier than fixing systemic problems.

I think “taking the standards and shooting them” is a bit extreme. No one is lighting the Dress Manual on fire here. You can‘t go around wearing a DEU tunic top, unbuttoned, and CADPAT pants, for example. Hell, wearing the wrong patch on the wrong sleeve is still a no-no.

The Norwegian military allowed men with long hair for years before the CAF adopted HAIRFORGEN. No one’s saying they don’t look professional.

But back to shoe polish. I will wistfully think about the drying cans of Kiwi in my cupboard as I dust off my Leather Lustre’d shoes next time I wear DEU. Probably next Nov 11.

 

[Furniture]

Yes, but since most of us here are military or military-adjacent, I’d say we have a bit of bias bc all of us know the pre-2022 CAF hair standards.

6 years ago, beards would have been right out. However, 176 years ago, muttonchop sideburns would have been fine.


I think “taking the standards and shooting them” is a bit extreme. No one is lighting the Dress Manual on fire here. You can‘t go around wearing a DEU tunic top, unbuttoned, and CADPAT pants, for example. Hell, wearing the wrong patch on the wrong sleeve is still a no-no.

The Norwegian military allowed men with long hair for years before the CAF adopted HAIRFORGEN. No one’s saying they don’t look professional.

But back to shoe polish. I will wistfully think about the drying cans of Kiwi in my cupboard as I dust off my Leather Lustre’d shoes next time I wear DEU. Probably next Nov 11.

We kinda did shoot the standards though. The Norwegians have standards for the long hair and beards, we essentially did away with those standards. There are people with rat's nest beards, and unkept looking long hair in uniform. Not many, but enough to be noticeable.

 

[FJAG]

...and desert boots! When NATO armies switched to brown suede boots, it spelled the end of black boot polish!

Time to reinvent ... Ta Da ... the Garrison Boot.

These ones could use some Kiwi!

 

[mariomike]

Can't beat a smile and a shoe shine.

 

[dimsum]

...and desert boots! When NATO armies switched to brown suede boots, it spelled the end of black boot polish!

 

[RangerRay]

Time to reinvent ... Ta Da ... the Garrison Boot.

These ones could use some Kiwi!

Gad, those look awful! You’re not kidding that they could use some Kiwi!

 

[SupersonicMax]

Does the dress manual say anywhere that leather footwear must be shone?

 

[brihard]

Does the dress manual say anywhere that leather footwear must be shone?

Oh hey, Max knows the cheat code to give Inf WOs an aneurysm!

 

[dimsum]

Oh hey, Max knows the cheat code to give Inf WOs an aneurysm!

It’s super pedantic but is it the difference between “clean” and “mirror polish”?

I bring that up because years ago, a really senior member brought that up and at least at the time, the Dress Manual said “clean and shone”. How shiny wasn’t specified.

This pedantry also comes up in another point - RCAF 2-piece flying suits. Nowhere in the 1 CAD Orders (where said dress is discussed) says that the shirt has to be tucked in. The Aircrew Life Safety Equipment (ALSE) Manual even specifically says that the shirt can be worn tucked or untucked. But try wearing it untucked in unit lines…

Anyway, since you made me scour the Dress Regs, that woman needs to see a chiro for her shoulders.

 

[OldSolduer]

Oh hey, Max knows the cheat code to give Inf WOs an aneurysm!

I’m glad I’m retired,

 

[quadrapiper]

It’s super pedantic but is it the difference between “clean” and “mirror polish”?

I bring that up because years ago, a really senior member brought that up and at least at the time, the Dress Manual said “clean and shone”. How shiny wasn’t specified.

For more intense cardiovascular spasming: the regs now only specify "clean."

It's possible to keep some truly unspeakable things "clean."

 

[ueo]

Time to reinvent ... Ta Da ... the Garrison Boot.

These ones could use some Kiwi!

Look more like Corcorans with a paste on sole!

 

[markppcli]

Majority of the comments from the public on news articles or CAF social media posts regarding our new dress policy has been negative. I don’t think dress when WFH and teams meetings are the issue here.

That’s because it’s usually the old and the bold complaining about the loss of what they perceived to be very important in 1975

 

[dimsum]

Why not? Someone decided this (first picture) was approbate dress for standing guard on the tomb of the unknown soldier. In that case what's wrong with this second picture?

Heresy!!!