> What’s the deal with the overly strict dress code in the first place?
Some organisations have a great deal of cultural inertia
If I start a club that requires all members to wear red trousers, then people who hate red trousers won't join, while people who love them will join in great numbers.
Members who are ambivalent about red trousers won't feel comfortable enforcing the rules, so they won't take the junior positions of power that lead to senior positions of power.
I'm pretty sure this is why London still have some private members' clubs that will insist on all men wearing a tie.
Some organisations have a great deal of cultural inertia
If I start a club that requires all members to wear red trousers, then people who hate red trousers won't join, while people who love them will join in great numbers.
Members who are ambivalent about red trousers won't feel comfortable enforcing the rules, so they won't take the junior positions of power that lead to senior positions of power.
I'm pretty sure this is why London still have some private members' clubs that will insist on all men wearing a tie.