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Bay Curious

How the Bay Area Came to be a Hub for Casual Style

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Chloe Veltman
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Levi's has played a big part in casual fashion across the world, and it's based in San Francisco.  (Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Nordstrom)

On a recent visit to San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House, KQED listener Michelle Morby didn’t like what she saw. In the middle of the champagne-sipping, pre-performance throng, she spotted someone wearing jeans and white sneakers.

"That to me is completely offensive," Morby said.

Morby is someone who likes to dress up when she goes out.

"If I got a ticket to the opera tonight, I would pull out a silk jumpsuit. I would wear it with the tallest platform sandals that I have. And I would do my makeup, and I would wear all my jewelry," she said.

Like beauty, fashion is very much in the eye of the beholder.

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So the fashion faux-pas prompted Morby to ask Bay Curious the question, "Why has the Bay Area become the Casual Capital of the World?"

Read the full web version: How the Bay Area Came to be a Hub for Casual Style

Reported by Chloe Veltman
Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Maggie Galloway, Robert Speight, Katie McMurran, Paul Lancour and Ryan Levi. Additional support from Julie Caine, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey, Pat Yollin and David Weir.

Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller.

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