Well, peas and chips, which "folkies" are you speaking of? That's quite a generalization.

Speaking particularly of the Sixties, but this is also what I observe now:   I knew folk singers who wanted to go for the "folk" image (whatever that is), and even though they usually dressed reasonably well most of the time, if they had a performance coming up, they'd put on something scruffy looking (patched plaid shirt, worn-out jeans, etc.). But these were not the rule. Most of the performers I knew, including those singing in coffeehouses, dressed fairly well, if informally:   clean shirt, clean slacks; women singers often in skirts and blouses or sweaters. But coffeehouses tended to be fairly informal anyway. Although there was one coffeehouse where I sang a lot that drew the "after-show crowd," and it was not unusual to see a few tuxedos and formals late in the evening—in the audience, but not on the singers.

I am a city kid, and never tried to con anyone into thinking that I am a member of "the folk" (again, whatever that is). In fact, although "generically," most people probably think of me as a "folk singer," I do not. I sing songs to the accompaniment of a guitar. It just happens that most of the songs I sing are folk songs. But that's not all I sing. Borrowing a leaf from Richard Dyer-Bennet's book (he eschewed the sobriquet "folk singer" and referred to himself as "The Twentieth Century Minstrel"), I regard myself not so much as a folk singer, but as a modern-day minstrel or troubadour (although I don't have quite as much hair as that fellow—I'm clean-shaven, which blows another stereotyped "folk singer" image). I'm a professional musician (people pay me) and I try to act like one.

When I sang in coffeehouses, I usually dressed in shirt and slacks, often wearing a dark turtleneck comme ça (having been told by a number of female friends that I look good in turtlenecks). When I did concerts (rather than emulating Richard Dyer-Bennet by wearing a tuxedo or white tie and tails), I often wore a white shirt and tie, grey flannel slacks, and a navy-blue blazer (like THIS—but that's not me, of course). Not quite "formal," but hardly "scruffy." I consider it a matter of showing respect for my audiences.

Bob Nelson (Deckman—we were a duo for a while back then and still perform together from time to time) always dresses well when he performs; generally casually (shirt and slacks), but never scruffy. Patti McLaughlin, with whom I used to perform often, generally wore a very nice-looking skirt and sweater combination. Judy Flenniken (another singing partner), when doing concerts, frequently wore a gold lamé cocktail dress (sumpin sorta like THIS). Trés chic.

So "scruffy folkies," like THIS or THIS is a pretty broad generalization.

Don Firth