Is your formal dress polyester?

Just wondering.

I have a few new dresses I'm thinking of bringing for formal night, but they are 100% poly. The dress I brought last time is cotton/poly and it has a bit of stretch :D but not as dressy. I had to dress it up with accessories. Dresses made of silk are pricey and impractical for travel since they wrinkle. Poly usually does not. But poly in the Caribbean? We like to walk outside after dinner.

All my dresses have sleeves too, although they are short ones. I have a new gold one that I really want to bring but it is thick, poly, and does NOT stretch! :eek:

There are so many different types of poly materials these days. I love

matte jersey. I would consider it in the poly family and have found quite

a few that can be dressed up or down.

It is not the Polyester of my Mom and Dad's day.....nor it is the poly of

my youth.....;).......nothing wrong with it at all on a Caribbean cruise,

(in my opinion:)).

You said your dress is gold, thick and doesn't stretch? That does not

sound comfortable to me.....but maybe that is just me. I have a maxi

dress that is soft and has a flow to it...it does move and it is not

thick......I don't believe I would be comfortable in a "thick dress".

I've had stretchy, sparkly, slinky formal gowns, some are poly, I'm sure...they look pretty damn good! It's not so much the material, as the cut and drape and style! A "FORMAL" dress made of polyester will look formal....a daytime dress will not...

I think the OP is concerned about polyester being comfortable in warm weather.

You said the dresses have short sleeves so they should be fine. If they are cocktail length rather than floor length, that would help also. (Sea breezes against your legs!) I agree that it is hard to make cotton look dressy, and polyester usually does pack great, especially jersey.

As for the heavy gold dress, I'm sure it is lovely but it might be bulky to pack, warm, and uncomfortable to wear. But of course beauty and comfort seldom go together! So if you really want to take it, go for it!

And to answer your original question, yes my "formal" dresses (cocktail length) are poly.

I think most or all of my formal wear is some kind of synthetic--jersey, poly, or something else. I've never noticed it being hot; in fact, inside I'm often cold. Even in the Caribbean, at night, walking outside can be cool and breezy.

Silk, to me, is hot and I probably wouldn't wear cotton on formal night. I like the packability of most synthetics--little to no wrinkles.

Most of my formal wear is polyester or has portions (like linings) that are. I have not found them too warm at night. In fact, with a nice sea breeze, I might need a wrap out on deck.

I believe mine are. I have yet to be hot in a dining room or show lounge. Most of my dresses are sleeveless or strapless so I bring a wrap for warmth.

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Around here, I think it would be very hard to find formal wear that is not polyester, or at least some kind of synthetic material. Maybe in a large city that is possible, not here though.

Two of my formal gowns that I purchased in Hawaii are 100% polished cotton and look marvelous. My other is crepe and silk. The formal pants are crepe and silk. The sequin tops are a poly blend, I think.

Yeah I was basically concerned about being too hot. The dress is a brocade, so it's thick. Though it doesn't have the traditional pattern of a woven brocade. (First pic). I added in a pocket on the right side last night. :D That's what this dress was missing. Couldn't put one in the left side without a bunch of hassle, since it zips on that side. I also can't raise my arms very gracefully in this dress but I love it. Wore it to a Cirque show on Fri with the heels I was planning on bringing and seems like it would work. Def cocktail, not formal, but I think it will do.

The second non formal dress is also poly with an acetate lining. But it's flowy, so I'm not worried about this one.

Am I the only one that finds that the AC on the ship and in the dining rooms is too COLD? I usually bring a cashmere twin set and other long sleeved (not too heavy) fancy sweaters along, with black pants or skirt. Never, never a sleeveless top. I'd freeze to death. Save the shorts and t-tops for the pool areas.

 

Am I the only one that finds that the AC on the ship and in the dining rooms is too COLD? I usually bring a cashmere twin set and other long sleeved (not too heavy) fancy sweaters along, with black pants or skirt. Never, never a sleeveless top. I'd freeze to death. Save the shorts and t-tops for the pool areas.

Agree! You could hang meat in many of the public areas on ships!

I also love taking cashmere sweaters on cruises! :)

LuLu

I recently took 3 poly dresses on cruise which work for formal nights. To me weight is a factor. All 3 totaled 2 lbs. Roll em up to pack at last moment. Take almost no room in bag. Hang them in shower upon unpacking, all set. I also like that they are shifts and accommodate those added pounds as cruise progresses.

Yup, polyester knits with a bit of lycra. I love them. Light, easy packing, no wrinkling to speak of and I can hand wash and dry them by squeezing in a bath towel and hanging them up should the situation require.

Mine are sleeveless, my upper arms aren't fantastic but hey, they are my arms, I'm 58, a bit rumpled and bumpled by life, grandbabies, fun and it shows a little. At least my dress isn't wrinkled, thanks to polyester.:D

I wear a wrap on my shoulders if it's chilly in the dining room.

I like prints because they don't show the spots that polyester can be prone to in solid colours. That is the only downside. Sometimes when it's humid and hot, the poly doesn't breathe like cotton, but I think the brand I get breathes better than polyester used to. Must be microfiber or something.

No. My formal clothes (casual either) are not poly because poly makes me itch. :o

Envy those who can because poly is so very forgiving. :o

LuLu

Organic cotton and silk only.

I don't like how polyester hangs and it is more prone to harboring odor. Plus, some of it contains triclosan.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/09/05/346055067/stinky-t-shirt-bacteria-love-polyester-in-a-special-way

Two of my formal gowns that I purchased in Hawaii are 100% polished cotton and look marvelous. My other is crepe and silk. The formal pants are crepe and silk. The sequin tops are a poly blend, I think.

I have made a note of this--THANKS!

Just wondering.

 

I have a few new dresses I'm thinking of bringing for formal night, but they are 100% poly. The dress I brought last time is cotton/poly and it has a bit of stretch :D but not as dressy. I had to dress it up with accessories. Dresses made of silk are pricey and impractical for travel since they wrinkle. Poly usually does not. But poly in the Caribbean? We like to walk outside after dinner.

 

All my dresses have sleeves too, although they are short ones. I have a new gold one that I really want to bring but it is thick, poly, and does NOT stretch! :eek:

No, none of my evening and ball dresses are polyester. Almost all are various silk weaves (silk satin, silk taffeta, silk organza, silk chiffon, silk dupioni) whilst a few are velvet (viscose and silk blends or cotton) and two are a mix of thin cotton and silk. I also have one that is a mix of cotton and viscose lace; it's a dark blue dinner dress (narrow skirt and 3/4 sleeves).

The linings are either habutai silk or rayon/viscose or even a very thin cotton weave. I cannot abide polyester, as it does not breathe, allows smelly bacteria to grow (there was a study earlier this year or last year), and my skin gets itchy after an hour or two.

P.S. I found the study: http://aem.asm.org/content/early/2014/08/12/AEM.01422-14.full.pdf?ijkey=7ZnH4A6MFZj2A&keytype=ref&siteid=asmjournals

It was done in 2014 at a university in Belgium.

Different strokes for different folks:).....we all wear different things but as for that

study? I think there are studies about everything......I will still be wearing my matte jersey:)

I am a big fan of the matte jersey synthetics. They pack beautifully, drape well, weigh very little and are dirt cheap in places like Ross Dress for Less. The gowns I buy there are under $40 and look every bit as pretty as those costing hundreds more.