Should you dress up for business class?

For me one rule i stick to when flying in J class is smart casual clothing that you can layer on or off like a nice jacket/sweater/cardigan plus a nice plain tee underneath which will allow you to dress up (lounge) or down (when flying). Agree with you, chinos or non-holed jeans, and you'll definitely need decent shoes which you can slip on/off easily for both practicality (security) or comfort (when flying).

Neat casual is fine.  You do not need to dress up but common sense also means you don't wear your gardening clothes.  

Hawaiian Shorts, Hawaiian Shirts, Hawaiian sandals.

Even in First I think what you listed above is perfectly fine.  However in J i'm going to wear decent shorts and t-shirt with plain looking runners if i'm travelling in summer and just swap the shorts for a pair of decent chinos in the winter.  I find wearing runners much more comfortable in flight considering that my feet get a bit swollen and I can just loosen the laces and luckily I've never had to take them off in security.

Tracksuit pants runners and a tshirt. Shorts or gym shorts when it's hot at one end of the journey. I don't like thongs but I'll wear sandles when it's hot or I have multiple flights and my feet get swollen. 

I was in Abu Dhabi the other week at the business class check-in & an Aussie guy was next to me in shorts & a t-shirt & the staff kindly asked if he had pants & collared shirt he could put on, as they have standards in the lounge & for respect of fellow passengers on-board. That was a first to see but I was very impressed with how the EY staff approached it!

I'm a conservative smart dresser, quality casual clothes and business suits make the man. Virtually all my wardrobe is Henry Bucks Collins Street. (That's Conservative). There is a lady at Emirates Lounge Melbourne that I often check in with and she tells me she see's some shocking attire in the lounge, this person tells me what brand shoes I am wearing, she must do the shoe fetish thing and realize quality by brand. Looking around the Emirates lounge Melbourne does show that standards are falling across the board. To me it seems that peoples shapes these days don't suit what they actually put on their backs, and as for accessories etc, a lot are in bad taste.

you don't need to dress up. Wear whatever you'd wear in public already. Most business class cabins offer very private seats - you're not in display, it does not matter.  If you can wear it into the qantas club, you can wear it in business or first. 

I'm definitely a Chinos and Shirt kind of guy, but I'll wear a tshirt under the Shirt. 

First rule, make sure you are showered and don't have body odor. Other than that, comfortable clothing that is smart casual is sufficient. 

Given I'm in my pjs within 10 mins of take off normally , I don't think dress codes onboard are that relevant 😂

It's perfectly possible to be neat and tidy as well as comfortable. I tend to opt for loafers, a skirt and layered tops to cater for varying cabin and airport temperatures. Ease of putting shoes on in the night and changing into pyjamas always factors in! My one no-no is thongs. Honestly, nobody needs or wants to see your feet. A closed shoe is not that hard.

I don't do thongs purely to avoid any chances of a wheelie bag rolling over my toes. But I agree they aren't proper footwear for most places.

Smart casual works for me. 

My own dress code is similar to the author's: chinos, collared shirt and slip-on shoes. Add a jumper and maybe a coat (depending on season and destination) and I'm good to go. If I'm going straight to a meeting, I'll suit up, but cuff links are a pain at security (the voice of bitter experience). 

Neat dark jeans, a polo or smart t-shirt, a v-neck sweater for warmth and a pair of tracksuit pants in the carry-on for airlines that don't provide pyjamas.

SGP - don't know your industry but so happy I don't work in finance or legal where suits are a requirement (I work in digital media) - I have a couple of suits but chinos, shirts, a cool blazer and killer shoes is a great in between.

My view is smart casual ( especially the lengthy trip ) comefort is very important as long as the clothing is not tacky eg ripped jeans ect

If one is traveling short distance smart casual is fine. Flying long haul one needs to be comfortable & have a routine for removal of clothes & shoes security. Whatever one wears should not be offensive to anyone for any reason. One should use common sense unfortunately common sense is as scarce as hens teeth!!  

Who cares? Comfort is the main thing. I feel sorry for the poor old stuffed shirts in suits when I'm sharing the business class cabin dressed in a polo shirt and shorts. 

In a word, yes. Dressed in shorts and a T plus thongs might be fine if heading to Bali, Fiji or the Gold Coast but a good look if in the Emirates Dubai lounges or say LAX or any US airport lounge that I have been to. 

All good ideas, but personally I don't like to see occasional glimpses of hairy knee during flight. Hi-vis overalls are perfectly acceptable.  Perth standard lounge is full of hi-vis. When I asked if that was compulsory dress code, I was told that when the new business lounge was opened there would be none--- no such luck. Always hi-vis in the Perth business longe now, even the new Brisbane business lounge.

On a personal note, wool slacks, chinos, but no jeans--too heavy for flying.

Business or sports shirt. Tie on the way out but never back.

Australian J flights seem to have way more "middle-aged grunge" pax than I see elsewhere. You know, the 30- and 40-something guys who think they're still in shape and still teenagers ... in dark tshirts and worn jeans (that probably cost them several hundred dollars !). Tragics.

Smart casual for holidays or weekends, business casual for business trips. That's all you need to know. Big fan of lightweight chinos. I'll make an exception when flying into a very hot climate on holidays such as Singapore, for which I'll wear clean 3/4 length dress shorts and slip-on shoes, which is still stylish.

For me it's less about setting up clear rules for which types of clothing are (un)acceptable. The guiding principle should be respect for fellow travellers. All too often I unfortunately find that the type of passenger travelling in shabby sports gear, dirty shoes, sandals (with bad foot hygiene) are also the often the first ones to behave unacceptably. They are typically the first ones with their naked feet up on the seat, against the front seat/bulkhead, on the lounge coffee table. Really sad sometimes but just shows you how knowing how to dress and behave in close proximity to strangers often goes hand in hand. 

Ahhh my hobbyhorse and soapbox topic. I don't think a collar and tie is essential or a necessity but show respect to other passengers and look presentable. It drives me nuts seeing people with bare feet, looking a mess etc. They may have paid a reasonable amount for an air ticket but so have I and if I can have respect for other passengers then feel the same should be in reverse. Don't fly up front on a full service airline dressed as if you have the cheapest ticket on Tiger, Ryanair or Easyjet. Also, standards in lounges have dropped heavily. It is not your home, get your feet off tables and couches. There needs to be better policing with dress codes into lounges - too many using the QF Singapore and Hong Kong look slovenly. I'll probably get slammed but I don't care you wont change my mind. QF please bring in dress guidelines for international lounges and continue to enforce the ones you have for domestics.

I was having a discussion with a new staff member yesterday about our "Casual Friday" (which I think is suitable travel attire) and I rolled out my old mantra - Friday is not Saturday :)

Flying within OZ, the destination and time of year determines my apparel. I always wear boat shoes as they are slip-ons and always a collared shirt. A smart set of jeans or similar shorts (sometimes they are sports shorts but don't look like footy gear) covers the lower half. All the clothing is comfortable which is the major priority.

Neat dark jeans, a neat plain black t-shirt and clean, plain sneakers are my normal attire for business class. They need to be comfortable enough to sleep in and dark enough to hide any spills. I do not understand how anyone sleeps in a suit.

For (proper) F class I’ll go chinos, a shirt and a neat blazer.

I think the key is clean, neat, well-fitting clothes.

Yes always a good idea to look smart, fresh and clean in any class - at least at the beginning of any flight !

Dead set I pay for first and business class I'll wear what ever I'm comfortable in. Are we that concerned about what other wear.  

Yes, you should always dress up in Business and First. Show some respect and have some class. You are a grown-up, not a large child. And besides, what would your mother say?

What I wear when I get on board depends on where I coming from and what I wear when I leave depends on where I am going to. PJ's are the norm in-between. Cargo Pants, Polo Shirt and Colorados for the cold and Shorts, Polo Shirt and Sandals for the hot. Always ensure socks are on as soon as you change into PJ's. Nothing worse than smelly bare feet in a small cabin. I haven't owned a suit in 15 years and only wear ties for weddings and funerals. :)

Definitely dress up and retain the standards! On saying that though, there is nothing wrong with changing into comfortable and presentable pj's during the quiet periods of the flight.

I fly EK first and business frequently and I love wearing shorts as they don't constrict movement and u don't get hot in them. I pair them with a collared short sleeved shirt, socks and sneakers. It is very comfortable for long flights. The only drawback is if you arrive somewhere very cold. In 2001, I walked out of Hamburg International into the snow, looking like a total dork in shorts and tee shirt. After that, I always take an appropriate change of clothes and change in the bathroom before landing. Very easy in EK A380 F bathroom!

And I have never been given a second glance in the many times I have entered the Dubai first class lounge in shorts and tee shirt

David, I dress like you if I'm flying the day before but if I'm flying Domestic and stepping off to go straight into meetings, then it's either suit and tie (likely for SYD and MEL) or open neck long sleeve business shirt (for CBR, ADL and PER). 

I think us Aussies are the worst dressed in QF premium cabins. I always note this when transiting in LHR and DXB. You can spot the Aussie a mile away. Considering pyjamas are offered in J as well as F why go travelling looking like you've just scored big time at a k-mart target or kathmandu sale? No need for a tux but gee some travellers take casual and drab to a whole new level.