Older people (like me) may remember this line from trading places:
"I have always said that religion is like everything else: It's OK when taken in moderation."
I think this is the same. Yes, we all passed a very high standard of dress in our basic training and we all know that level can be required of us for a parade for the Queen's Mother. But for the civilian's too, there is a difference between dressing up to be best man at a wedding and dressing to show up at the office on a weekday.
We must expect from our people a correct level of dress on an ordinary day, which means everything that should be worn is worn, in the right place and at the right "angle", but not so over pressed/starched/spit as may be required when on parade.
And the NCO's must be able to tell the difference. Best example (in my mind) has always been shoes. The regs state they must be "clean" and "polished black". It has never stated they must be "spit-shinned". If you shoes are clean and black with proper polish, the same way a clean and proper civilian working in an office's would be on an ordinary day, you meet the standard on an ordinary military working day. The spit shine can be kept for parade days or similar special days.
Anyone who can keep that standard up has no business being corrected.
Too often, the Dress Police goes around trying to enforce the "parade" level of dress instead of addressing failure to meet the "lower" ordinary day standard and they lose the respect they should have. If you fail to meet that "minimal" standard, however, yo deserve what you get.
