An observation about the changes in dress

Someone at my work always wears suits and odd jackets, however: without a tie.
When he wears the suits like that, it makes me cringe.
When he wears the odd jackets like that (casual fridays) it makes me think he's dressing for the clubs or something.

Pairing trainers with a suit, unless for a medical reason, is a dumb choice.

Just my opinions.

As an American, to me, suits without a tie looks like somebody going to a night club. Odd jackets without a tie usually means somebody who is in a casual environment, too casual for a tie, but wants to dress up some by wearing a jacket. That is, usually odd jacket w/o tie is the classy alternative to a polo and khakis, rather than the dressed down alternative to a suit+tie. But in my little experience, it seems different in the UK (or at least London), as suit+tie is more common attire both in professional and social settings.

If your observations are about commuters, then the choices in question are probably about function (utility) a lot more than form (style).

Maybe the guy wearing ugly trainers has nice black shoes either in a bag or waiting at the office; hell, maybe they're his new Lobbs and he doesn't want to F@#$ them up getting stepped on during his train-ride. Maybe the guys going tieless saw light rain in the forecast and didn't want to ruin their silk -- it's easy enough to put on a tie when you get to work.

I've found myself in comparable quandaries after buying clothes I really like: even if it's not about cost/expense, it could be that cardigan I bought from Revolve Clothing back in the eLuxury era before Forward/MrPorter/etc existed at all, which was 88 bucks on sale if memory serves me but fits me perfectly, is the exact colour I want and with a neat windowpane you don't often find on cardigans -- all that and a zippered ticket pocket for $88, so in many ways it's irreplaceable because I've never seen anything else like it. So after I caused substantial pilling by wearing it to class with a backpack, I never wore that sweater out again without other things over top.

I guess what I'm saying is that people have this romanticized notion of being incredibly stylish at all times and in all situations. If you have an endless supply of money or you're a celebrity who gets driven everywhere in a climate-controlled vehicle just waiting to be photographed on exit, that might very well work. But the rest of us might want to save our nice clothes as best we can, and if that means wearing casual shoes to work with a suit, even though I think it looks pretty bad in most cases, I find it hard to fault such behaviour.

Part of the topic under consideration could be that temporary, utilitarian solutions or compromises -- as above -- impact the collective style baseline over time. If the question is whether it's worth it, I couldn't say, but time will tell.

I hope not, but I fear so - both looks are, quite simply, incongruous. This could be true for both shoes and tie; but it would imply that the wearer is much more concerned with how he looks in the workplace to his colleagues than outside to everyone else.

Well, I know many people who wear sneakers to and fro work, with their ugly converses or other sneakers in a bag. It looks awful; they claim it is comfortable. In all honesty, my most comfortable shoes are my Allen Edmonds. I find sneakers uncomfortable. As for the tieless suit, I see it all the time. I can often be seen tieless with a suit later in the evening, but that is because I am running out from my apartment at 8 for a trip to the liquor store, convenience store, or a short meaning at 7 with friends. It is generally that I took my tie off and did not put it back on. As I often change my shirt once I return home from classes (college student), I may just run out for a hotdog tieless, as my I did not yet choose a tie to wear for my next class, Dinner, the movies, etc...

Yes, it could, and I think it is perfectly normal to be more concerned with your appearance when with people you know, than when with people you don't. For sure, I don't go to a grocery store or farmer's market in a 3-piece suit. In fact, when I'm with people I don't know, I prefer to dress down a bit. I don't want to look like a walking theft target. Furthermore, I'm willing to needlessly risk valuables for people I know: I'll wear my nicer stuff with people I know, I'll lend my camera to someone I know, when in my care I'll let my nephew play with someone I know. I won't take those risks with strangers though. So wearing beaters on a commute makes perfect sense to me.

It's only weird when you are wearing bright yellow shoes with your dark formal suit. I have a pair of dressy black sneakers for exactly this reason; they let me keep my nice shoes from getting destroyed on commutes, while not calling too much attention to themselves.

But to be fair to him, is there a golden rule / state law that suggests that someone has to look their best in all conceivable situations?

I used to commute a lot by train, and given the filthy condition of the trains, I would travel in some cheap "dont mind ruining" clothes, and change at work. Nothing to do with impressing my work collegues exclusively, but I am hardly going to change my attire at the destination train station restrooms in a cubicle designed for crapping in rather than changing clothes.

I echo Goldentribe's sentiments, most likely explanation in regards to commuters. Also if the person's job calls for casual / business casual attire, there is an old saying "when in Rome...", cant blame a guy for not dressing in a 3piece suit while the rest adorn jeans/polo combos.

Perfectly reasonable points.

I've done it many many times. It is perfectly acceptable to wear a tie-less shirt when commuting for practical reasons. I find nothing wrong with that, however, if you are suiting up and going to a business meeting perhaps or a formal affair proper shoes are imperative but I think the choice to wear a tie depends entirely on the individual.

certainly noticed more folk wearing trainers before arriving at work

if i didnt commute to the city with a one mile walk in the morning i would not even think about alternative shoes. it just so happens that today i started my search in earnest for 'the walk to station' shoes which is proving a PITA because there is no way that im wearing some nice white asics or new balance with my office gear

Suit with trainers just looks awful. Saving your better shoes is a poor excuse and the same goes for comfort. If you work in an environment where you wear a suit, you're not going to end up in situations where your shoes would be fucked up during your commute. Just wear well fitting shoes (comfortable) and polish them from time to time.

Mud doesn't exist in your perfect, wealthy metropolis? Nobody steps on toes there, no matter how crowded the bus/train? What a preposterously silly thing to write.

and? mud can be cleaning and scuffs polished.

I commute by both train and subway daily, and wear a tie and my dress shoes 90% of the time. My shoes don't get any more dirty by being in a subway/train car than they do walking on concrete. Same story with my ties.

In the rain I wear tingley overshoes and in the snow I wear a 10" Servus overboot.

Nope, usually don't see much mud in the city and I can't remember the last time someone actually stepped on my toes. Just wear your shoes for walking, make sure they fit though.