New Dress Code Designations?

You can't buy a tux at Wal-Mart, but you can at M&S.

If you do a Google search on "Walmart Tuxedo", you will find that many Walmart stores also sell Tuxedos .

However, if I wanted to buy a good quality tuxedo that will last, I wouldn't go to either Walmart or M&S.

I live in a coastal town, 300 km south of Sydney, with a population of 17,000. You won't find a shop selling Tuxedos here, it is a 2 hour drive to Canberra to buy such an article.

The only place to buy a mens suit down here is 'Lowes,' decent suits for $100 - $200. Good enough for cruising, even on Cunard, well that is what I wore on QM2 last year, no problems, better than some on board who turned up in the MDR on formal nights even in a Windcheater or Adidas Tracksuit top and were allowed in. :evilsmile:

I live in a coastal town, 300 km south of Sydney, with a population of 17,000. You won't find a shop selling Tuxedos here, it is a 2 hour drive to Canberra to buy such an article.

 

 

 

The only place to buy a mens suit down here is 'Lowes,' decent suits for $100 - $200. Good enough for cruising, even on Cunard, well that is what I wore on QM2 last year, no problems, better than some on board who turned up in the MDR on formal nights even in a Windcheater or Adidas Tracksuit top and were allowed in. :evilsmile:

It’s not easy to find a tuxedo in Sydney suburbs or the city either. They are rarely worn in Australia.

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It’s not easy to find a tuxedo in Sydney suburbs or the city either. They are rarely worn in Australia.

 

 

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You are correct there, but the Masonic Lodge blokes would still wear them

and the cruisers who like to dress up big time. If I walked down the street down here even in a Lowes suit I would get locked up, they wear shorts, t shirts and thongs to funerals down here, even in the restaurant at my golf club, no dress regs. But the cruise lines are slowly giving in to the masses. Not sure why I am packing my suit for the Princess cruises coming up as apparently no jacket and tie requirement. But 'She who shall be obeyed' has directed that I take it, I have a Pom wedding at Stow in the Wold in ye old Cotswolds first up, they are big shows, blokes in top hats and tails, I hope they like my Lowes bag of fruit, bad luck if they don'.:rolleyes::eek:

Cunard will be sorry, as standards will drop lower and lower and eventually lots of people will wear any old thing. We love to dress up.

Frequently we travel on Holland America and our cruise to Alaska a few days ago was appalling. Most people turned up for Gala attire, in whatever they had worn all day.

Sandra

P&O UK are certainly formal, done 4 long cruises on P&O UK. Aurora, Oriana and Arcadia x 2, including half worldie - Sydney - Southampton. On formal nights 99% Tuxedos.

And if you don’t comply, you are restricted to a very small number of alternative venues. Also after 6pm the dress code applies all evening on formal evenings.

If you do a Google search on "Walmart Tuxedo", you will find that many Walmart stores also sell Tuxedos .

 

However, if I wanted to buy a good quality tuxedo that will last, I wouldn't go to either Walmart or M&S.

And if you don’t comply, you are restricted to a very small number of alternative venues. Also after 6pm the dress code applies all evening on formal evenings.

P&O standards have dropped substantially many who dont dress formally and eat in buffet are then allowed to go in majority of areas of ship except for certain bars and a lot of men dress formally and then after dinner get changed and dress more casually. On our last cruise on P&O one family wore tracksuit bottoms and football shirts all week and on formal night put track suit jacket on and still were allowed in MDR on formal nights.

Cunard will be sorry, as standards will drop lower and lower and eventually lots of people will wear any old thing. We love to dress up.

Frequently we travel on Holland America and our cruise to Alaska a few days ago was appalling. Most people turned up for Gala attire, in whatever they had worn all day.

Sandra

The slippery slope argument, often used in this thread, is typically considered to be a fallacy.

Calm, rational thinking is always a better approach.

If you do a Google search on "Walmart Tuxedo", you will find that many Walmart stores also sell Tuxedos .

 

However, if I wanted to buy a good quality tuxedo that will last, I wouldn't go to either Walmart or M&S.

I bought an M&S Dinner Suit (my second) so many years ago I've forgotten when (2006?). Still looking good, although I will add to it this year with another one (different style) so I have three to choose from when packing. And yes, back to M&S to get it.

Well I disagree about M&S. I bought a tux from a reputable tailor only to replace it by one from M&S in the U.K. that is still serving me well 2 years later.

The slippery slope argument, often used in this thread, is typically considered to be a fallacy.

Calm, rational thinking is always a better approach.

Have you sailed with HAL? I've watched the level of dress slide down the sartorial slope on HAL.

Marks & Spencer should do their next advert form a Cunard ship. My hubbies tux is from there too. One can not always afford a tailor! and one does not care either :D :D

edit to add, this thread is now my favourite pastime

My favorite tuxedo shirt is from M & S when the airline lost our luggage and I had to whip into one of their stores for that and some other things. It only cost $29, can be thrown into the washer and dryer coming out "starched" appearing and perfect! Come to think of it, if I have time, I will see if we can buy another one or two to replace his others.

We love to dress up, but our only problem is we use the Queen Mary as a means of transportation, not just strictly for pleasure, since we prefer to cross the Atlantic by ship rather than by air. That means we have to store the formalwear someplace for over a month and then have Luggage Forward pick it up and deliver to whatever ship we are taking home so that we don't have to lug that suitcase around Europe. Wish Celebrity was the formal ship instead since it is just for cruising and we miss formal nights. So I guess if we can go through the trouble and expense, it shouldn't be a problem for just "cruisers" to pack a suit and tie for a couple of nights.

And if you don’t comply, you are restricted to a very small number of alternative venues. Also after 6pm the dress code applies all evening on formal evenings.

Correct, no issues with the dress codes on any line including P&O UK as long as they are enforced, if not enforced, get rid of them. Them's the rules, which I abide by.:halo:

Marks & Spencer should do their next advert form a Cunard ship. My hubbies tux is from there too. One can not always afford a tailor! and one does not care either :D :D

edit to add, this thread is now my favourite pastime

Better still put in a M&S - stocking dinner suits on the Cunarders, then pax can buy them on board. Not sure if Cunard does dinner suit hire, Princess does.:halo:

Have you sailed with HAL? I've watched the level of dress slide down the sartorial slope on HAL.

This thread was very much on my mind this past weekend when I was on a little 2 day segment of a larger canal transit/repo cruise on the Eurodam. Both nights were a boarding/debark evening for us and the dress code reflected that by listing both evenings as informal/smart.

On the first evening, I looked around to look at what was worn by the guys. Very few jackets. I didn't see any t-shirts or shorts, but I wasn't checking clearly. Then I looked around again and saw a lot of people having a wonderful time at dinner, delicious food, and excellent service. From that moment on, I didn't bother checking what other people were wearing. (For the record, I was wearing an open neck shirt, blazer, and khakis.)

Both dinners were wonderful. (Many more choices on the menu than in Britannia, but that's another story and another thread)

- Mark

My favorite tuxedo shirt is from M & S when the airline lost our luggage and I had to whip into one of their stores for that and some other things. It only cost $29, can be thrown into the washer and dryer coming out "starched" appearing and perfect! Come to think of it, if I have time, I will see if we can buy another one or two to replace his others.

 

 

 

We love to dress up, but our only problem is we use the Queen Mary as a means of transportation, not just strictly for pleasure, since we prefer to cross the Atlantic by ship rather than by air. That means we have to store the formalwear someplace for over a month and then have Luggage Forward pick it up and deliver to whatever ship we are taking home so that we don't have to lug that suitcase around Europe. Wish Celebrity was the formal ship instead since it is just for cruising and we miss formal nights. So I guess if we can go through the trouble and expense, it shouldn't be a problem for just "cruisers" to pack a suit and tie for a couple of nights.

Btw M&S often have an offer where you can buy 2 of the luxury branded formal shirts for £60 (normally £45 each) that’s what I did and take both with me when sailing.

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The dress code is always a well supported thread on here, with, it must be said 99% in favour. But give it up people, the battle is well and truly lost. The Scruffifiers of the western world can claim a famous victory.

No matter how much we fulminate on here the downward trend is unstoppable. Look around you people, see how the world you inhabit is populated by torn jeans-wearing grandmothers and 70 year old males dressed like 17 year old skateboarders. No style, no dignity, no self-respect.

And it is not only on cruise ships, it is everywhere, high class hotels, restaurants, the theatre. Oh don't get me started on the dress in the theatre. Last Thursday I went to a sell out performance and I think there were probably about three men including myself who were dressed decently. I wasn’t expecting diner jackets but most of the men looked as though they had arrived straight from a building site or from a weeks hiking holiday. Anoraks, dirty shoes, greasy hair, filthy trainers, most washing machines have a setting for trainers but it appears not to be much used. Many were wearing their intelligence reducers, some of them set to full power, i.e. back to front. And rucksacks - ARRRGGHH. Some big enough to yomp over the Falklands and enough water bottles to cross the Gobi. All for a two hour performance in a theatre with running potable water and a large bar.

Many of the women were not much better, wearing jeans and other trousers that looked as though they had been attacked by savage dogs on the way in. The best dressed people there were some asian ladies in saris, a cool and elegant island in a sea of grubbiness.

So, sad to say, ladies and gentlemen it’s over, we may hold out in little pockets of resistance by refusing to conform to the all pervading dross but soon, very soon we will be an anachronism, weirdos in a world where everyone dresses like a sartorially challenged, colour-blind 14 year old.

Sad Innit?

The dress code is always a well supported thread on here, with, it must be said 99% in favour. But give it up people, the battle is well and truly lost. The Scruffifiers of the western world can claim a famous victory.

No matter how much we fulminate on here the downward trend is unstoppable. Look around you people, see how the world you inhabit is populated by torn jeans-wearing grandmothers and 70 year old males dressed like 17 year old skateboarders. No style, no dignity, no self-respect.

And it is not only on cruise ships, it is everywhere, high class hotels, restaurants, the theatre. Oh don't get me started on the dress in the theatre. Last Thursday I went to a sell out performance and I think there were probably about three men including myself who were dressed decently. I wasn’t expecting diner jackets but most of the men looked as though they had arrived straight from a building site or from a weeks hiking holiday. Anoraks, dirty shoes, greasy hair, filthy trainers, most washing machines have a setting for trainers but it appears not to be much used. Many were wearing their intelligence reducers, some of them set to full power, i.e. back to front. And rucksacks - ARRRGGHH. Some big enough to yomp over the Falklands and enough water bottles to cross the Gobi. All for a two hour performance in a theatre with running potable water and a large bar.

Many of the women were not much better, wearing jeans and other trousers that looked as though they had been attacked by savage dogs on the way in. The best dressed people there were some asian ladies in saris, a cool and elegant island in a sea of grubbiness.

So, sad to say, ladies and gentlemen it’s over, we may hold out in little pockets of resistance by refusing to conform to the all pervading dross but soon, very soon we will be an anachronism, weirdos in a world where everyone dresses like a sartorially challenged, colour-blind 14 year old.

 

Sad Innit?

There's quite a bit of judgment in this response and certainly reinforces that for some, style is far more important than substance. I attend the theater several times per week in NYC, including Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, ballet, opera, symphony, and chamber music. I sometimes wear a suit and tie, sometimes a sports jacket, and sometimes jeans. This is common among theater-lovers here. We care more about how audience members behave and not what they wear. We are focused on what's on the stage. I've seen terribly well-dressed attendees making noise, sleeping, and checking texts during performances. I've also seen rather poorly-dressed people maintaining silence and focused on the performance. But I'll take substance of style any day, whether at the theater, on a cruise, or at a restaurant.

. But I'll take substance of style any day, whether at the theater, on a cruise, or at a restaurant.

My thoughts exactly! Why take away from your enjoyment of the voyage by focusing on what someone else is wearing? I could care less what you are wearing, you will not affect my vacation one way or another. Live and let live, and enjoy the ride!

Exactly the responses I was expecting. Which proves my contention that it is pointless to wail and whinge on here about the lowering of Cunard's standards because the prevailing view and actions are just this. "I'll wear what I like when I like.' and all too frequently the attitude of , 'And I'll do what I like when I like.' goes along with that. And that's just how it is. See the many, many posts on here over the years from people, usually males, asking questions about what they can 'get away with' on formal nights, how far can they stretch the rules, will there be sanctions against dining etc. etc.

And of course my post was judgemental, (what a pejorative word that has become), if I can judge someone as being smartly dressed then I can do the same for someone who isn't. We all make judgements about other other people, it's human nature. How often do we hear the plaintive cry of 'Don't judge me'. Well how the dickens are we to come to any conclusions without a judgement.

MM

I think the point that is missing is we older folks were taught that appropriate dress is a sign of respect - that you care enough to take the trouble to wear what is expected of you. If the expected changes to less formal, I feel you can always dress up but not down. So, let us wear on the Queens as dressy as we wish - yes, even ball gowns because we can't look down on someone dressing on the "upside". Where else can you wear it anymore if not on the Queens?

By the way, it is not just sloppy Americans who don't dress up anymore. We went to the theatre in London last time we were there over 5 years ago and my husband and I were the only ones in a suit and elegant dress. The others were in flip flops and shorts. However, I think the pendulum is starting to swing the other way when they found out people took their jobs more seriously when dressed in suits rather than casual.

We have chosen in the past to spend our retirement travel funds on Cunard as a way to escape this downward spiral. If the experience is no longer the traditional Cunard of the past, why would I continue to travel with them?

If Carnival Corporation views Cunard as just another one of their cookie cutter lines for mass travel, what other icons on Cunard ships will go next? Will they see a need to still have a dedicated ballroom taking up all that non-revenue producing space when they could add even more revenue producing cabins or perhaps a couple of new bars for those wanting 24/7 Rock, Hip-Hop or other recorded pop music for breakdancing rather than those old fashioned live musicians playing Classical or Jazz music for listening.

Exactly the responses I was expecting. Which proves my contention that it is pointless to wail and whinge on here about the lowering of Cunard's standards because the prevailing view and actions are just this. "I'll wear what I like when I like.' and all too frequently the attitude of , 'And I'll do what I like when I like.' goes along with that. And that's just how it is. See the many, many posts on here over the years from people, usually males, asking questions about what they can 'get away with' on formal nights, how far can they stretch the rules, will there be sanctions against dining etc. etc.

And of course my post was judgemental, (what a pejorative word that has become), if I can judge someone as being smartly dressed then I can do the same for someone who isn't. We all make judgements about other other people, it's human nature. How often do we hear the plaintive cry of 'Don't judge me'. Well how the dickens are we to come to any conclusions without a judgement.

MM

It would seem you have missed the point.