P1 has a relatively unsophisticated crowd. Too much Ed Hardy and FC Bayern.

To give you a quick idea of more sophisticated places that enforce a silent "dress code":

Costes in Paris

Sheraton Diana Majestic in Milan

Hotel de Paris (except in August) and Jimmy'z in Monaco

I wouldn't hold those places out as the norm. P1 is still one of the hardest doors in Munich, and for that matter I don't recall ever seeing anyone there in Ed Hardy or a football jersey. Costes doesn't really have a door policy and most of the people dressing up are older and or phonies. Hotel de Paris and Jimmy'z is a different story as Monaco in general is all about dressing up and showing off, though I am not sure I would conflate that with "sophistication." This is coming from someone who wears a dress shirt and jacket de rigeur whenever I go out...it is no longer the norm and no one would bar you from entering hotel costes if you dressed down.

It's not a matter of guts, it's a matter of what makes them the most money, and/or what's required of them as a common carrier. If airlines could make more money enforcing a dress code, and assuming they're allowed to, then they would do so. That they don't is a pretty clear sign either (A) they would lose money by doing so, or (B) they aren't allowed to.

Nightclubs/discotheques are entertainment venues, not transportation, nor do they have any common carrier obligations, nor is there a risk of someone showing up with prepaid tickets and then having to deal with IDB because they're inadequately dressed. You're comparing apples and ball bearings.

Nightclubs are in the business of selling an "experience" or a "scene." There's a business benefit to them in controlling the "quality" of the people they let in. People say, "I want to go to "club of the moment" because of the scene, the experience, or because its the exclusive place to be seen."

Airlines are in the business of providing transportation. People don't say, "I want to fly Air France because it makes me feel like I'm part of something exclusive." They fly AF because of the price, the schedule, the non-stop route, the loyalty program, or some other tangible benefit.

I would also argue that the nightclub goer seeks a "shared" experience, and hence, the nattiness of the fellow guests may be an important component of that. I personally, have no desire to share anything with other people on an airplane, except maybe a little shared conversation.

If I were riding First Class on a long-haul flight then I will wear my usual sweats, t-shirt, and sneakers. Of course I will have a sweater with me just in case it gets too cold.

If I were riding FC on a domestic flight then I would wear whatever I would wear when I'm in the back as well.

Aesthetic environmental pollution is similar to passive smoking. Especially if you fly in F or stay in the best hotels.

Obviously said in jest, but I wonder whether anyone can actually think of ways in which the two are similar? It might be more amusing than discussing whether there is a dress code in F (there isn't).

Given his comments in this topic, I am not so sure that was meant in jest. I know I can't enjoy my suite at a nice hotel just knowing there are riff-raff in the lobby not dressed in suits.

Here is an innovative way of style control in hotels: http://www.sohohouseberlin.com/membership/application/

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity

The German language (-> Sigmund Freud / Angst / �ber-Ich / ...) has a word for the phenomenon which doesn't exist in English: "Schwellenangst".

Translates as "threshold anxiety" or "(Psych) fear of entering a place (fig)".

How predictable that you would be impressed/enamored with something as pedestrian as Soho House. You seem like a very insecure person.

"Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater." Albert Einstein

When I choke on smoke, that's a natural consequence of the interaction of
my lungs and the pollutant. When someone chokes on my jeans and plaid
flannel shirt in first class, that's his or her choice.

after a 2 week work trip on saturday my dress shirts were either soiled or wrinkled so i settled on a t-shirt for my longhaul.

my upgrade failed to clear.

was this some supernatural force at work?

I fail to see the parallel between the serious health implications of second-hand smoking and "aesthetic environmental pollution" (although you should trademark that phrase...it's quite creative).

Nonetheless, this reminds me of the scene in Pretty Woman where the manager of the Beverly Hills Hotel gets his hackles up when Julia Roberts' character presents in the lobby in an outfit that leaves little to the imagination. Perhaps the hotel manager (played by Hector Elizondo) has a legitimate concern that the presence of a prostitute in the hotel will be offensive to the othe guests. He's, in part, in the business of selling "exclusivity."

I would expect few first class fliers--even those who pay for it--to rank "exclusivity" high on their list of reasons to fly up front.