I do recall a Mess Meeting at HQ 11 Gp (Bentley Priory) in the early 80s, where there was a vociferous protest from living-in Fighter Control junior officers about having to dress for dinner. They wanted shirt & sweater to be SOP dress in the evening. I don't recall the result, but have a feeling they won their battle to drive down standards.
I was taught that one should dress in the expectation of the Mess receiving visitors, and visitors at BP were likely to be people of some significance. [/BOF]