In my flying instructor days I wore cotton trousers, RAF flying boots and an RAF cold weather flying jacket (not in summer) plus the service issue flying gloves. I suffered the snide looks and occasional gibes for it.
At weekends I flew Grob109b motor gliders for the Air Cadets and that required the full RAF flying kit minus helmet. That was how professionals dressed and was based on many decades of past bitter experience. I couldn't bring myself to fly in polyester and t-shirt during the week teaching PPL's.
I never needed the kit in the end. But you never know.
Its just like people on motorbikes in Jeans and T-Shirt and Helmet. You tend to think - Pillock!
Light aircraft are really not very different in terms of severity or frequency of accident.
Cheers
WWW