Do you remember the days when men wouldn't have dreamed of wearing anything other than a suit for a night out at the pub or the pictures?

That dates you, doesn't it? It puts you firmly among the Who's Counting? crowd.

It's the over-50s who were the suit generation. None of this casual nonsense for us. We dressed properly, which gave a night out a sense of occasion.

From the elongated styles of the late 1960s, influenced by the Teddy Boy drapes, to the boxy Italian jackets and narrow trousers of the early 1960s and the wide-lapelled bold checks and flares of the late 1960s and early '70s, it was suits all the way.

For men in manual jobs who wore overalls or informal clothes for work, putting on that clean shirt, best tie and smart suit to go out was a major transformation. Forced to dress down during their working day, they dressed up in their own time.

And those who worked in offices and wore a suit for work merely put on a newer, smarter suit for their leisure outings.

In the golden days of the 1950s and 1960s, you will recall, most men had at least a couple of suits. Nowadays it's hard to come across a working-class man who has more than a single suit in his wardrobe if he has one at all, and that's only brought out for special occasions like weddings, funerals and job interviews. And office workers keep their suits for work and dress down for their leisure time.

Not even a meal at a classy restaurant merits the wearing of a suit for many men. It's casual trousers, open-necked shirts and casual jackets or even sweaters.

The sense of occasion has gone. Women still make the effort, but men don't. And that's a great shame - particularly for a city like Bradford which had its wealth created by manufacturing the cloth from which suits were made.

It wasn't simply intense competition from countries like Japan which saw Bradford's wool-textile industry shrink so dramatically. It was the fashion move against the suit.

And now there's been another nail in its coffin with the decision by international accounting firm Arthur Andersen to allow its staff to wear casual clothes to work. If other companies follow suit (whoops!), there'll soon be no need for men ever to own a suit at all.

Unless, of course, it works the other way. Perhaps wearing informal clothes throughout the working day could trigger a desire to dress up for social occasions. Maybe Arthur Andersen's dressing-down policy could, in fact, end up being the salvation of the suit rather than its death knell.

I Don't Believe It!

Paul Barker, writing from Allerton, is well fed up with private-hire drivers, having just been "carved up" by one for what he describes as "the umpteenth time".

I know what he means. One sliced his way in front of Mrs Mildew and me as we tootled along in our little hatchback the other day. Mrs Mildew reacted in what I thought was a rather unladylike manner - although she insisted her gesture was meant to tell him that it was the second time it had happened to us this week.

I have to say here (after taking advice from professionals) that most private-hire drivers are considerate and law-abiding and that it's a thoughtless minority who give the rest a bad reputation.

However, back to Paul Barker's letter. He offers these tips for budding cabbies about to embark on their chosen career in Bradford...

1. Seat belts? They're for wimps!

2. Other road users will always appreciate it when you pull out or do a U-turn in front of them as it enables them to test their brakes.

3. Yellow lines mean no parking - except for taxis and private-hire cars.

4. Red traffic lights. Some visitors to Bradford might not be aware that private-hire cars are allowed to drive through these.

5. After 11pm always sound your horn when picking up fares from private houses. Always give an extra toot for good luck and you'll be sure to get an appreciative wave from those residents who are still awake (and who you've just woken up).

6. When you overtake another road user and pull in immediately in front of them, they might sound their horn. This indicates that they wish to know how far away you were from their rear bumper just before you overtook. Wave your hand at them showing one finger for one inch and two fingers for two.

7. Most customers, especially women, like to see how a real man drives. So be sure to give them a real show of macho skills with bags of wheel spin and plenty of flash overtaking manoeuvres.

8. In the rush hour, if you come to a long line of stationary traffic, simply drive down the outside to the front and there will always be some kindly person who will let you in.

If you have a gripe about anything, drop a line to me, Hector Mildew, c/o Newsroom, T&A, Hall Ings, Bradford BD1 1JR, email me or leave any messages for me with Mike Priestley on (44) 0 1274 729511.

Yours Expectantly,

Hector Mildew

Enjoy Mike Priestley's Yorkshire Walks

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.