A dress code banning urban wear at the Brunswick House, a popular nightspot for University of Toronto students, is generating controversy.

The decades-old establishment has signs which explicitly prohibit baggy pants, do-rags, bandanas, track-suits, jerseys, tank tops and reverse baseball caps. Most of these items are apparel associated with the black community, raising the specter that the ban may spark controversy.

Similar rules, in other Toronto establishments, are directed at hip-hop clothing, but it is only enforced by nightclub doormen, not written rules posted anywhere.

Casual clothing like khaki shorts, sandals and flip flops are permitted in Brunswick House. James Webb, manager of the club, explained the ban on certain fashion is because young people who don hip-hop and urban wear intimidate patrons. "The last thing you want is anybody being uncomfortable in your place."

Ian Espinet, an urban music promoter in Toronto, lamented the stereotyping of people wearing urban fashion as prone to violence and criminality. "It's a tactic to keep out a certain type of people... We'd be lying to ourselves to say there's no racial element in the exclusionary process in certain circumstances and places," Espinet told the Globe and Mail.

Club owners pointed out dress codes have eased in many city nightspots. Sandals and jeans have become acceptable attire, so long as the denims are not baggy,

Even offices have started to accept the jeans as corporate wear if the pants are regular in style and dark. Toronto image consultant Sarah Collins stressed torn pairs, denims with crease lines, contrasting stitching and studs and low-rise jeans are still no-no for office use.