Dress Code

Bestie098, I only observed a couple of passengers on our cruise in September/October who seemed to feel a bit entitled (and one of them was from Russia), so I don't think that is going to be a big issue on your cruise.

Your husband's navy blue blazer should work very well. No one will bat an eye on formal night and he will feel comfortable. Like you, I took several dresses (a number of them fairly plain and black) and found that they also worked well for any occasion onboard. I varied them with jewelry, scarves, etc. I did not take a ball gown (my only ball gown is 15 years old and I don't plan to be wearing it again) or even my black tie midi dress and I also felt like I fit in just fine on formal night. As we are taking a longer cruise next June, I do think I am going to take my more formal dress---but only because it is a pretty dress and I would like to wear it. Have a wonderful cruise!

I was interested to read in a Saturday magazine in the UK of a hideaway hotel near New York where they ban Hawaiian shirts around the pool and at dinner.

Not yet in the Seabourn dress code manual - but is it merely a matter of time.....?

On our Amazara Christmas cruise it looked, at times, as if they were compulsory.

I can't wait to hear from our pal with his 13,000 plus posts how he reacts to this!

Tony

I was interested to read in a Saturday magazine in the UK of a hideaway hotel near New York where they ban Hawaiian shirts around the pool and at dinner.

 

Not yet in the Seabourn dress code manual - but is it merely a matter of time.....?

 

On our Amazara Christmas cruise it looked, at times, as if they were compulsory.

 

I can't wait to hear from our pal with his 13,000 plus posts how he reacts to this!

 

Tony

Here's how he reacts: Seabourn will never ban Hawaiian shirts. I know a place where you can get a good deal!

As a first timer and in our 30’s, we are travelling hand-carry as well as throughout Spain, Italy and France so for our cruise, we cannot pack extensively. As hard working professionals we’re not rich!

 

So to comment as a younger virgin cruiser, the gentleman will pack a navy sports jacket, tie (for formal nights) and matching brown belt and dress boots. It is not possible to pack multiple changes on carry-on baggage. The lady will have dresses suitable but will not pack a ball gown. I hope that is ok. We love dressing up, but black or white tie just isn’t possible.

 

I respect the Seabourn dress code and the environment I am in and hope confirming to the above will be acceptable. We will also dress similarly at the restaurants and hotels we’re booked into. Having witnessed American self-entitled behaviour on previous holidays we were hoping to avoid that on Seabourn.

 

Those comfortable in a tux and ball gown will look glam. We also love dressing up but practicality aside, it’s not something we’d wear in the heat of a Spanish Summer. To each their own. And that those who have to proclaim they are very rich may just be compensating for other areas but if they don’t make it my business, I will happily avoid their problems.

What a great post that says it all. Thank You. I only wish you were on our cruise. It would be great to meet someone with such good insight.

So true. Some of them also don’t care about decorum. While 80% of our ship’s pax were the Seabourn norm, I’d say the other 20% were an interesting hodgepodge that reminded me more of the Suites/Haven crew on NCL. One of my favorite lines of the week, apparently repeated to several different passengers by a boorish pig of a man was “I’m very rich” (a very specific response to a general question of “where are you from”). We identified a handful of people we actively tried to avoid as much as possible. Alas, most seemed positively enamored with Seabourn so I’m afraid they'll be back.

We ran into the most rude woman years ago when we were on Celebrity. She was at our fixed dinning dinner table. She was so rude to the staff, three of us, asked to change tables a week into a two week cruise. That left her and her husband eating alone at a table for six. To spare her feelings we told her our friend was subject to the motion of the ship in that location. Unfortunately rude and boorish behavior can be found in all walks of life.

What I find amusing about these discussions on dress codes is that I’m always reminded of the phrase “reaching for the test”. Everybody is so concerned with satisfying the dress code, but not with looking good.

Surely that is the point. There is nothing so dispiriting as seeing a lot of gents in ugly, ill-fitting clothes that they’ve cobbled together to meet the dress code. I remember one formal night when a lot of the American chaps had on dinner suits that my wife said looked like they had been tailored by a group of drunken navvies in a thunderstorm. The poor sods looked so uncomfortable. And they had forgotten the cardinal rule: never wear a ready-made bow tie. Social death.

It’s not difficult to get decent clothes. If you have the readies to go on a Seabourn cruise, I assume that you can welll afford some decent comfortable but stylish clobber. Stay away from brown and khaki.

What I find amusing about these discussions on dress codes is that I’m always reminded of the phrase “reaching for the test”. Everybody is so concerned with satisfying the dress code, but not with looking good.

Surely that is the point. There is nothing so dispiriting as seeing a lot of gents in ugly, ill-fitting clothes that they’ve cobbled together to meet the dress code. I remember one formal night when a lot of the American chaps had on dinner suits that my wife said looked like they had been tailored by a group of drunken navvies in a thunderstorm. The poor sods looked so uncomfortable. And they had forgotten the cardinal rule: never wear a ready-made bow tie. Social death.

It’s not difficult to get decent clothes. If you have the readies to go on a Seabourn cruise, I assume that you can welll afford some decent comfortable but stylish clobber. Stay away from brown and khaki.

So now posters here are not on;y advocating one dress code or another they feel free to give fashion advice which is, after all, nothing more than one person's opinion on what is correct. Many people love brown and khaki and look good in those colors. I suggest instead of the phrase "reaching for the test" we adhere to "mind your own business."

But if we Americans don’t wear our tacky khakis, how will you know we are Americans? :p

Oh yeah... never mind. ;)

But if we Americans don’t wear our tacky khakis, how will you know we are Americans? :p

 

Oh yeah... never mind. ;)

Hmmm....this may be just a case of different taste in clothing. I see men's khaki pants as just fine. Yes, American men do wear gray slacks, but probably not in a casual daytime setting (such as excursions). And, if they are not wearing blue jeans, they are probably wearing khakis. Now brown--it's just a color--so I'm not sure what the fuss is about.

The passengers on our recent Odyssey Cruise looked great. Formal night attire for men included tuxes, white dinner jackets, suits, sports jackets with and without ties and a few pairs of khaki pants. Everyone appeared to enjoy the evening wearing the garments of their choice. The fashion police were not on duty.

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So now posters here are not on;y advocating one dress code or another they feel free to give fashion advice which is, after all, nothing more than one person's opinion on what is correct. Many people love brown and khaki and look good in those colors. I suggest instead of the phrase "reaching for the test" we adhere to "mind your own business."

I think you missed the point which is don't dress merely to meet the code, but to look smart. It would be far better to wear a well-cut jacket (sports coat), a stylish shirt and good well-fitting trousers, rather than a cheap ill-fitting dinner suit with a ready-made bow tie.

But if we Americans don’t wear our tacky khakis, how will you know we are Americans? :p

 

Oh yeah... never mind. ;)

:')

I think you missed the point which is don't dress merely to meet the code, but to look smart. It would be far better to wear a well-cut jacket (sports coat), a stylish shirt and good well-fitting trousers, rather than a cheap ill-fitting dinner suit with a ready-made bow tie.

I think it's far better for people to wear what makes them comfortable as long as they don't violate Seabourn's dress code. It's not any individual's dress code that needs to be adhered to.

I think it's far better for people to wear what makes them comfortable as long as they don't violate Seabourn's dress code. It's not any individual's dress code that needs to be adhered to.

That is exactly what I meant when I said that the whole idea is to satisfy yourself first without just worrying about the dresscode.

I only asked because i have been to many of the finest restaurants around the world and very few still enforce a no jeans policy.

Because they are motivated by profit and good taste (in clothes) comes lower down the priority list.

No London Club, possibly one of the few remaining protectors of good manners, would tolerated jeans in a dining room.

"Manners maketh Man"

Tony

I only asked because i have been to many of the finest restaurants around the world and very few still enforce a no jeans policy.

 

Because they are motivated by profit and good taste (in clothes) comes lower down the priority list.

 

No London Club, possibly one of the few remaining protectors of good manners, would tolerated jeans in a dining room.

 

"Manners maketh Man"

 

Tony

Well said.

I find some contradiction in comparing posts 806 and 815 from Toryhere - apparently we can wear what we like, but then preferably not ill fitting clothes, ready made bow ties, brown or khaki!

I will continue to wear what I like provided it adheres to the dress code of the evening, and it could possibly be ill fitting, brown or khaki, and just hope that Toryhere will not be on board to frown at me.

LOL Lincslady! I agree with you. I think most of us try to meet the dress code AND wear well fitting attractive clothing. We may well far short, even though, as someone commented we can well afford to dress well. Sometimes it just isn't that easy.

I find some contradiction in comparing posts 806 and 815 from Toryhere - apparently we can wear what we like, but then preferably not ill fitting clothes, ready made bow ties, brown or khaki!

 

I will continue to wear what I like provided it adheres to the dress code of the evening, and it could possibly be ill fitting, brown or khaki, and just hope that Toryhere will not be on board to frown at me.

That's what confused me too. Wear what you want as long as it isn't brown or khaki or ill fitting or I don't like it. That's the message I got.

I continue to think some of the posts here must be tongue in cheek. I’m an ex-pat Brit who left the empire more than 40 years ago so I have no first hand knowledge but I find it hard to imagine that the stuffy clubs of yesteryear still exist. These people must be joking, surely.

I will say that I don’t like the condescending comments about American khakis. That smacks of cultural ignorance. What if I came from Sri Lanka or Saudi Arabia. Would my formal and traditional dress be frowned upon?

For the record, I spent a business life in suits and I feel comfortable in one. The tux crowd enjoy the theatre of the occasion and that’s great, it just isn’t for me. On the upcoming cruise, should I go to a formal night I will wear my jacket (I think the colour is referred to as “Oat”) and probably a pair of dark pants with black shoes. I haven’t decided on which shirt yet but whichever one it is I will likely add a tie. I like ties, these days I wear one at least 5 times a year. That should meet the code and I will be very comfortable. I hope to meet people who are friendly, humorous, entertaining and beyond that I really don’t care if they are wearing a green striped jacket with orange khakis and sea boots. (If they are, they probably have a great story to tell).

Please reassure me that 50% of the posts here are not real.

I find it hard to imagine that the stuffy clubs of yesteryear still exist.

I can assure you the clubs do still exist and membership is much coveted. Notice I leave out the word stuffy as whereas you may mean it as an insult there are people who regard it as complimentary.

I'm off to play tennis at a Club you might call 'stuffy' but which I love. I will respond to the rest of your post and some of the ones before it when I have a bit more time.

Tony

That's what confused me too. Wear what you want as long as it isn't brown or khaki or ill fitting or I don't like it. That's the message I got.

Brown, khaki and resdy made bow ties are out. None of them match the word “formal.”

My point was that it is better to wear something less dressy that is well made rather than a dinner suit that doesn’t fit properly and looks like you are wearing it just to fit the dress code.

I continue to think some of the posts here must be tongue in cheek. I’m an ex-pat Brit who left the empire more than 40 years ago so I have no first hand knowledge but I find it hard to imagine that the stuffy clubs of yesteryear still exist. These people must be joking, surely.

 

I will say that I don’t like the condescending comments about American khakis. That smacks of cultural ignorance. What if I came from Sri Lanka or Saudi Arabia. Would my formal and traditional dress be frowned upon?

 

For the record, I spent a business life in suits and I feel comfortable in one. The tux crowd enjoy the theatre of the occasion and that’s great, it just isn’t for me. On the upcoming cruise, should I go to a formal night I will wear my jacket (I think the colour is referred to as “Oat”) and probably a pair of dark pants with black shoes. I haven’t decided on which shirt yet but whichever one it is I will likely add a tie. I like ties, these days I wear one at least 5 times a year. That should meet the code and I will be very comfortable. I hope to meet people who are friendly, humorous, entertaining and beyond that I really don’t care if they are wearing a green striped jacket with orange khakis and sea boots. (If they are, they probably have a great story to tell).

 

Please reassure me that 50% of the posts here are not real.

Are khakis really the national dress of the US? How amusing

Of course a lot of what we are saying here is extracting the urine a wee bit. But the pith is that men should try to look good, not just tick the boxes that mean they are meeting some code.

Looking smart is also complimenting your female companion who no doubt will go to a lot of trouble to dress well.

The outfit you described sounded excellent. I’d suggest a light blue or pink shirt, with a tie in the red spectrum. A fabric bouttonierre in the lapel or a plain kerchief in the top pocket of the jacket would top off the outfit really well, perhaps in a red matching one of the reds in the tie.

Thus by a few easy touches you have made the difference between dressing to the code and looking suave and distinguished.

Are khakis really the national dress of the US? How amusing

Goodness no... I’d defect if they were.

I’m the one who threw out the comment about “tacky khakis” so perhaps a bit of context for the non-Americans.

There is nothing wrong with the color “khaki” (beige or tan or light brown). What is awful is the “grab and wear” mentality of many khaki wearers who just run to The Gap, grap a 36x30 pair plus an XL button down shirt and toss them on straight from the bag. The mentality is “that’s my size, no need to try on” and “it’s advertised as wrinkle free do I’ll never have to iron again”.

There was a wave during the first dot.com boom when scores of companies switched to business casual dress codes to attract younger workers (business casual in those days meaning “nicer than jeans, with a collared shirt, tie optional” and the staples of the typical American wardrobe changed overnight.

For those of us who still liked to (or had to, for corporate dress codes) dress in more tailored clothing, it was awful. I’d walk into women’s wear shops looking for nice pants and only find the same androgynous choices as the guys had... polo shirts and flat-front or pleated cotton pants (khakis). Dresses were less common to see for many years with the racks giving way to pants and skirts and buttondown/knit shirts like the men wore.

Thankfully that dark time has passed. But some people still wear that style of “help desk chic” and in all my travels. I’ve only seen it on Americans. (And how do I know they are Americans? Because they are loud... and they tell everyone.)

Nice tan slacks and an ironed butondown, on the other hand, totally lovely look for casual. My own dear companion loves his. I won’t let him wear his “dad khakis or dad jeans” in public though... those are now relegated to around the house.

(And yes, I’m a born and raised US citizen, before anyone starts in on me culture bashing. I’m also fed up with people going out in public looking like slobs!)