rebdoniel — Very good. I’ve written the same thing in other forums. Perhaps we learned together at one point?
At any rate. To put succintly, there is no Jewish Levush except for Kippah, Tallis & Kittel. Tefillin is difficult to describe as a Levush, more as a Tachshit.
Here is a definition of Jewish Levush that I came up with:
….Articles of clothing made specifically and exclusively for Jewish people to wear.
In that definition, neither the white shirt, nor the black suit/slack, nor black hat would fit the above since these articles of clothing are available to the general population at large.
Everyone can wear a white shirt and black suit. Bank executives on Wall Street/Bay Street (Toronto) do. Does that make them Jewish?
Shmendrick: As rebdoniel wrote above, much of what you think as religious is really cultural/sociological. That does not mean we don’t keep to our traditions. It does mean that when people wear clothing that is different from what is expected in a certain environment, say a Bais Medrash; we treat that person no different and show them the respect that is due to them.