The age of the outrageous slob

I just got home from a memorial service for a former colleague and longtime friend. He was also an individual well-known in the community, and was married to a woman who was this riding's MLA for many years.
There were probably more than 500 people in attendance, which was as it should be, as he was a great person, not to mention being a great guy. I liked him very much. We utterly disagreed about politics, but that didn't detract for a second from my high regard for him as not only an idealistically committed soul, but also one of the more intelligent human beings I've had the privilege to know.
But, what struck me with those half a thousand good and grieving folk is how many were dressed like slobs. This was a memorial service. This was about 'respect', so why would you attend such a thing looking like you had just been for a walk in the woods, or perhaps had given your car a lube job along the way?
The most grievous offenders were the people in my age grouping, well into middle age. You know, the vestigial hippies and their ilk. I will grant that many people were nicely and appropriately dressed, but why weren't they all? I've seen this happen a lot, not just at funerals and memorial services, but also at weddings.
How did this happen? Where did 'Sunday best' go? Is this a smalltown phenomenon, or is it also found in larger urban centres. Yes, we like to think we're all very democratic at heart, and that garb shouldn't signify differences in status. At the same time, do we no longer dress for the occasion. I know that few people dress up to go to dinner, even at a classy restaurant, alas, but are funerals off the hook, too? Do some people never change their garb regardless of the event for which they're in attendance?
Too bad, if that's the case. I'm old enough to remember when men wore a jacket and tie to take an airplane trip. Maybe that's excessive, but it was kind of nice, too.