Smart Attire for Men--Nice Jeans and Collared Pullover Sweater?

[Solent Richard]

12 hours ago, D&N said:

@rj1227

Just read your post in QM2 crossing review.

That adds a bit more context and It's a shame that the overall package was not your "cup of tea".

 

 

I was brought up about seven miles from where QE2 was built and have been aware most of my life what to expect from a Cunard crossing. On our first (once in a lifetime) B2B crossing in 2022 we dressed for six gala nights of fourteen as that was what was advertised when we booked. It was subsequently downgraded to four. But we felt like it wouldn't be a problem to dress like that every night and that's what we'll do in 2025 and each year until something stops us. We eat three light meals a day in the MDR and dance as much as we can in evenings and exercise (mainly gym) during the day.

QM2 and it's package is just ideal for us, but we can appreciate that won't be the case for everyone.

 

Well done you.

 

Fortunately in addition to cruising circles, my wife and I also move in social circles shore side where standards of dress and dress codes are adhered to.

 

 

******

 

 

It is such a shame that Cunard are now turning a blind eye to what their core support still cherish.

 

But hey ho, there are fortunately alternatives out there on the high seas.

[Victoria2]

24 minutes ago, john watson said:

 

I think it is synonymous with roll neck sweater.  The term "mock" seems a bit superflous as it would never be the genuine creature about one's neck.

 

Regards John

I'm sure our US contingent can help here but I'll jump in.

A roll neck is the same as a Turtle Neck. A mock T.N is similar to a T.N, but doesn't have the 'roll over' and is shorter in the neck, hence the term 'mock'.

[exlondoner]

19 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I'm sure our US contingent can help here but I'll jump in.

A roll neck is the same as a Turtle Neck. A mock T.N is similar to a T.N, but doesn't have the 'roll over' and is shorter in the neck, hence the term 'mock'.

Good gracious. How complicated. Thank you.

[D&N]

I imagined a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle standing laughing at folk.

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

Good gracious. How complicated. Thank you.

and complicated is a good word to use for all dress advisories. Men's Batik is a good example. A long sleeved batik shirt is classed as formal wear in many S.E.Asian countries. It's not the Western idea of formal though and although  Federal capital and main city residents will probably be au fait with Western Black Tie, that doesn't not mean it filters down to more localised areas.

So whilst most passengers will wish to dress in a mode which doesn't cause conflict, it's a good idea to bear in mind, as I have said many times before, different countries have different styles of dress and I'm not talking the ubiquitous jeans/day wear issue, it's not up to anyone to turn their noses up at anyone else, if styles are somewhat different.

 

 

Edited December 24, 2023 by Victoria2

[Victoria2]

4 minutes ago, D&N said:

I imagined a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle standing laughing at folk.

You and many others. Either that or a Lewis Carroll character. 😀

[john watson]

15 minutes ago, D&N said:

I imagined a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle standing laughing at folk.

 

Micealangelo did some absolutely brilliant works and is generally agreed, not just in Italy but throughout the world as the finest turtle.

 

Regards John

[NE John]

18 hours ago, D&N said:

I 

 

5 hours ago, exlondoner said:

This is a genuine question. What is a mock turtle. I thought it was a type of soup! I think I may be living in the wrong century, or possibly the wrong universe.

A real turtleneck sweater/shirt has a rolled collar. I guess you can categorize it as a collared shirt. 
A mock one has no roll, and as explained above, has a thicker and slightly stiffer neckline. A mock turtleneck is more dressy than a collared polo, IMO. Whether a mock turtleneck is a collared shirt is up for debate. I still believe wearing the combo of mock, sports jacket, and dress trousers should not make the wearer feel underdressed on SA nights. 

[exlondoner]

4 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

and complicated is a good word to use for all dress advisories. Men's Batik is a good example. A long sleeved batik shirt is classed as formal wear in many S.E.Asian countries. It's not the Western idea of formal though and although  Federal capital and main city residents will probably be au fait with Western Black Tie, that doesn't not mean it filters down to more localised areas.

So whilst most passengers will wish to dress in a mode which doesn't cause conflict, it's a good idea to bear in mind, as I have said many times before, different countries have different styles of dress and I'm not talking the ubiquitous jeans/day wear issue, it's not up to anyone to turn their noses up at anyone else, if styles are somewhat different.

 

 

And usually it seems to be men who suffer the complications. The worst women have to deal with is wondering if dressy trousers are OK, and then discovering that they are.

[D&N]

3 hours ago, exlondoner said:

And usually it seems to be men who suffer the complications. The worst women have to deal with is wondering if dressy trousers are OK, and then discovering that they are.

Nora won't have that dilemma next time. She has two jumpsuits and one pair of trousers that she would consider taking on QM2. We only think one of the jumpsuits is dressy enough (the green one she wore last time) for an evening outfit. But they've all been excluded for 2025. The jumpsuits are heavier than most other outfits so better taking a lighter dress or skirt and top anyway.

[techteach]

Standard dress for DH to wear to 8:15 church service. Mock turtleneck. No, that is not my DH, much too young. I think it’s a great look with a smart pair of pants and a jacket.

 

[exlondoner]

9 minutes ago, techteach said:

Standard dress for DH to wear to 8:15 church service. Mock turtleneck. No, that is not my DH, much too young. I think it’s a great look with a smart pair of pants and a jacket.

 

Looks horribly itchy.

[Victoria2]

techteach, I think with a jacket, for a non Gala evening on Cunard it beats some of the non jacketed chaps' wear I've seen but then I think I must be a scruff nut in many eyes 😄 so what do I know!!!😁

[NE John]

11 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

techteach, I think with a jacket, for a non Gala evening on Cunard it beats some of the non jacketed chaps' wear I've seen but then I think I must be a scruff nut in many eyes 😄 so what do I know!!!😁

Usually made of cotton. 

[Victoria2]

29 minutes ago, NE John said:

Usually made of cotton. 

Some may say my brain is full of cotton wool but not sure what else I can make of this reply to me!😄

 

[NE John]

31 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Some may say my brain is full of cotton wool but not sure what else I can make of this reply to me!😄

 

I was responding to @exlondonerabout the concern that these mock turtlenecks look itchy and clicked on the wrong name. I join you in the sometimes wooly brain category, especially this time of year! 

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

Looks horribly itchy.

 

I don't think it does. The neck comes up high enough to protect the neck from an itchy (wool) jacket collar.  As someone commented above, they're usually cotton. Sometimes a cotton/synthetic blend. I prefer them to true turtlenecks because they're less constricting around the neck. 

[Victoria2]

15 minutes ago, NE John said:

I was responding to @exlondonerabout the concern that these mock turtlenecks look itchy and clicked on the wrong name. I join you in the sometimes wooly brain category, especially this time of year! 

I know you did. I was being contrary...just for a change!! 😀

Good to know there's another occasional woolly brain out there though! 👍

[exlondoner]

19 minutes ago, NE John said:

I was responding to @exlondonerabout the concern that these mock turtlenecks look itchy and clicked on the wrong name. I join you in the sometimes wooly brain category, especially this time of year! 

It looks rather woolly to me, and just an inconvenient height and stiff enough to dig into the neck, if one moves it a little. I think what I would call a polo but may well technically be something else entirely (iguana, axolotl?) would be more forgiving. 🙂

[techteach]

DH does have a few in cotton, but would never wear them to church or as smart attire. His are wool, most from Brook Brothers, and he has never complained of itchiness.

[D&N]

I wouldn't imagine this would be scratchy. It's described as: "a blend of 70% ultra-fine merino wool and 30% silk yarn".

There are many online pictures of men wearing suits and sweaters similar to this and they do look quite smart. But they are not collared shirts, in my opinion they don't comply with the dress code.

 

It's not something I would like to wear.

 

I've posted before that I considered wearing open neck shirts with jacket or waistcoat before we travelled on QM2 and I thought my photos dressed like that looked scruffy. I wore a suit, collar and tie every night that I wasn't wearing a tux. I still looked scruffy in my daytime photos. Next time I'll be wearing a tie from no later than lunchtime.

 

[NE John]

The main problem with a mock turtleneck is  wearing one so not to look like John Travolta when he played John Gotti…

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 hours ago, D&N said:

 

I've posted before that I considered wearing open neck shirts with jacket or waistcoat before we travelled on QM2 and I thought my photos dressed like that looked scruffy. I wore a suit, collar and tie every night that I wasn't wearing a tux. I still looked scruffy in my daytime photos. Next time I'll be wearing a tie from no later than lunchtime.

 

 

DH felt the same way. A suit wasn't complete without a tie. 

[Victoria2]

My husband would be  in the same boat as it were. A suit needs an appropriate shirt and most definitely needs a tie.

 

As usual, this dress for chaps issue is a minefield and I think any newbie asking a question should be aware of the differing attitudes members have to this vexing issue. From the utterly conservative approach to the relaxed but compliant, the only true way of realising what chaps wear is to bite the bullet, pack differing articles of clothes and experience the Cunard way of life themselves because what is often stipulated as fact on this board does not necessarily, right or wrong,  translate to reality.

[exlondoner]

13 hours ago, techteach said:

DH does have a few in cotton, but would never wear them to church or as smart attire. His are wool, most from Brook Brothers, and he has never complained of itchiness.

This may be well into the realm of too much information, but I find myself more and more sensitive as time passes.