Velvet formal OK for Oct sailing?

[blambition]

I have the most beatiful outfit that is a long black velvet skirt that is tullip shaped and the jacket that goes with it is Elizabeth Arden designer short jacket with beautiful buttons and a velvet trim collar. Together they make a regal look but not flashy statement.

The scoop on this outfit is I have had it for many years as my Aunt gave it to me and I of course gained about severnty-five pounds and could never wear it for the last 16 years. Well I'm happy to say I have lost all of the weight and I can now fit into the outfit and I really want to wear it on the formal night. Do you think it would be inappropriate to wear this to a Bermuda cruise in Oct?

 

I have a black evening suit with a knee lenght skirt for the second formal night, I have worn this outfit to a wedding and it fit in very well.

 

It is starting to feel like I'm packing for a 3 week vacation rather than a one week one.

Vicki

[ciderapple]

I think the general consensus from this board will be that it is not appropriate.

 

Personally, I think it is your personal choice and if you are comfortable and happy wearing black velvet in October on your Bermuda cruise, then you GO GIRL! :)

[momofmeg]

I think the general consensus from this board will be that it is not appropriate.

 

Personally, I think it is your personal choice and if you are comfortable and happy wearing black velvet in October on your Bermuda cruise, then you GO GIRL! :)

 

Well that is said by many for the caribbean but then there is one poster who lives in Puerto Rico and disagrees and says they do wear velvet in the caribbean.

 

Others say velvet is just "holiday wear" from Thanksgiving until Valentines. I disagree with that. There is too much "casual" velvet out now that is NOT holiday wear. I feel it is fall to spring wear-as long as the days are mild and cool to cold.

 

I was in Bermuda in October as my cruise ws late Sept.-early October in 2002.

It It was pretty mild in temps and cooler then the caribbean-the highs for days were around 80 and the lows were 55-60 at night. So it is cooler in Bermuda then the caribbean.

 

Anyway like you-I think it is up to the OP and whether she will feel comfortable-will she be the only woman in velvet on ship?-I doubt it-is it "proper" who knows????? All those old rules are out the window now. I go by whether I am comfortable wearing something as in the temps.-and not by the old rules. And no I don't mean "the ship has air conditioning"-I mean if I decided to walk out on deck to look at the ocean-would I feel like I am roasting? Because I want to feel comfortable all evening so I can stay in my gown and not change after dinner.

 

So if the OP feels she will not be overheated in her gown and loves how it looks on her-well she may as well wear it as to wear something else that she doen't feel attractive in.

[derf5585]

STRIKING Black Taffeta & Velvet 1950's Cocktail Dress 38

from

http://www.vintageous.com/dressy.htm

[caviargal]

Personally, I would not wear velvet on a cruise to Bermuda in October. It is still warm weather which IMO precludes wearing velvet. JMHO.

[Jane110]

The average temperatures in Bermuda for October will be be between 78 - 90 degree's. Even in January, average temps are in the 70's - 80's.

 

Black velvet is never an appropriate choice for the year round tropical climate of Bermuda.

 

Congradulations on the weight loss! IMO, wear something else to celebrate it and save the vintage velvet jacket and skirt to wear in a cold climate.

 

Have a great cruise!

[heymom32000]

If you look/feel good in it then go for it. Some people, such as my mom, get cold easily and stay cold...she would not be ok wearing a typical formal dress even if it came with a wrap. If you will be comfortable in the dress then wear it. So many of our "rules" of clothing have gone out the window. I have a halter top that I just bought and the top 1/2 of it is dark green velvet. I plan on wearing it on my cruise one night.

[jdh]

If you love it...wear it! I live in central Florida and I see people in velvet in the fall and winter. The key is your comfort and your preference. I'm sure you will be stunning and there will be those who are secretly drooling because they wish they felt comfortable enough to wear black velvet. Lots of gals let the "fashion police" dictate what they wear. NOT!

[blambition]

Thank you all for your responses. I have decided to go ahead and wear the outfit since it is the fall and the nights are cooler in Bermuda than the Caribbean. Mostly like a lot of you pointed out is how the outfit makes me feel. A million dollars is hard to come by and I feel like that in this outfit so if it a little bit on the heavy side oh well I'll be comfortable. I'm never hot on the ship with the air conditioning and I'm sure if we decided to go into town I would change no matter what I was wearing.

You all really helped give me confidence to go for it.

I hope we get to Bermuda since not only do they have this hurricane but now there seems to be another one starting up. Please let the weather behave! We leave in two and half weeks for the east coast so I have to know where this ship is going. This week it sailed to the Bahamas.

Vicki

[Cptnkirky]

I was on a bermuda cruise about this time of year a few years back. It was a RCCL cruise, and I remember seeing a bunch of velvet. I myself love velvet and would wear it anytime on a fall/winter cruise. Don't let the comments about wearing velvet in the caribbean get to you. If you feel comfortable in it and would love to show it off, then GO FOR IT!! I know what it is like to fit back into old favs, and I can understand your reasoning for wanting to wear it. I hope you do and I am sure you will look fabulous!!! :)

[momofmeg]

I was on a bermuda cruise about this time of year a few years back. It was a RCCL cruise, and I remember seeing a bunch of velvet. I myself love velvet and would wear it anytime on a fall/winter cruise. Don't let the comments about wearing velvet in the caribbean get to you. If you feel comfortable in it and would love to show it off, then GO FOR IT!! I know what it is like to fit back into old favs, and I can understand your reasoning for wanting to wear it. I hope you do and I am sure you will look fabulous!!! :)

 

On my Bermuda trip it barely hit 80 days the evening like 55-60 and Bermuda is considered semi tropical- not tropical- I also checked the Bermuda temps for this week-today it is 82 and it is forecast 77 for tomorrow- in 2000 I was in St. Thomas, San Jaun and Barbadoes around the same time (late Sept.-early Oct-this cruise left from San Juan) and it was much much hotter-but there was still plenty of velvet on formal night.

 

Now I did think it looked stupid as hot as it was down in Barbadoes.( 94) but I also recognized that it being a Carnival cruise-that many were one time cruisers doing their lifetime "dream" cruise-so maybe they did not go out and buy a gown for the cruise but instead used their "Christmas party" gown. Also many on that cruise about one fourth- were from Europe (the announcements were actually done in English, Spanish and Italian) with close to a half being right from Puerto Rico. My guess is no more then a third of the PAX were from the US.

 

But you know what I found stranger then the velvet gowns on that cruise?? all the young teenage/ early twenties girls from Puerto Rico who wore hip hugger leather pants and halter tops to the lounges every evening. It was WAY too hot for leather!!!!!!!

 

On my Pacific Princess Bermuda cruise, I also saw plenty wearing velvet. I didn't-I was still in the midst of menopause- so no way-but many others did.

 

So to the OP- if you are going on a line like Royal Caribbean or Carnival-I would not worry about velvet-if you are going on a more upscale line-you may not see as much.

 

But do take in consderation-on how hot you feel wearing velvet-as I already said-you want to be confortable enough-you can go out on deck wearing your gown and not be burning up. Otherwise you will end up changing after dinner-and it is more fun to stay dressed all evening.

[SuzMate]

STRIKING Black Taffeta & Velvet 1950's Cocktail Dress 38

from

http://www.vintageous.com/dressy.htm

 

What a neat site! I had sisters that were in High School in the 50s. Some of the dresses remind me on ones they had. I could spend hours on this site.

[p.nutgirl]

I just had to post to thank derf5585, I clicked on the site and I started to drool!! How cool...

 

to the original poster....

 

Rules are out the window... The dining room will probably be cool and after all it is October. I am glad that you decided that you are going to wear what you want to wear. I'll never forget riping a hole in my favorite jeans and wearing them anyway... Think of the laugh I got when fellow students that asked me about them started wearing them a couple months later..

 

My take is this wear what makes YOU feel good, different people can pull off different outfits at different times of the year... Fashions ins and outs change constantly. A classic outfit that fits well is always in...Just my take

[blambition]

Thanks again everyone for your support. We are going on Celebrity ( Zenith) if the weather would like to improve. This week the ship sailed to Bahamas rather than Bermuda and there is another storm headed that way again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all will be well and Bermuda will be damage free after these high winds and rain.

I have been the usual shopping routine and am ready to sail with the scariest purchase of all the BATHING SUIT. I literally have not worn a bathing suit in at least 16 years. After what is a total of about 75 pounds weight lost, legs are not a pretty sight! Clothes can be a wonderful thing and hide lots of flaws and I was not able to find a bathing suit that went down to my knees.LOL I'm going to be brave and have fun on my vacation and go in the surf if the occasion arises. BTW I did find a really pretty one piece suit on sale at Macy's for half price about a month ago. I also bought a cute cover-up and I'm also taking my friends wrap-skirt.

Vicki

[momofmeg]

Thanks again everyone for your support. We are going on Celebrity ( Zenith) if the weather would like to improve. This week the ship sailed to Bahamas rather than Bermuda and there is another storm headed that way again. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all will be well and Bermuda will be damage free after these high winds and rain.

I have been the usual shopping routine and am ready to sail with the scariest purchase of all the BATHING SUIT. I literally have not worn a bathing suit in at least 16 years. After what is a total of about 75 pounds weight lost, legs are not a pretty sight! Clothes can be a wonderful thing and hide lots of flaws and I was not able to find a bathing suit that went down to my knees.LOL I'm going to be brave and have fun on my vacation and go in the surf if the occasion arises. BTW I did find a really pretty one piece suit on sale at Macy's for half price about a month ago. I also bought a cute cover-up and I'm also taking my friends wrap-skirt.

Vicki

 

I was on the Zenith back in the winter-Grand Cayman and keywest and the homeport was Miami.

 

People dressed much nicer on the Zenith then they did on Mariner of the Seas. You may want to take that in consideration-even though Celebrity is a mainstream line-it is the upper end of mainstream-so you may not see much velvet there.

[BlueHerons]

Clothes can be a wonderful thing and hide lots of flaws and I was not able to find a bathing suit that went down to my knees.LOL I'm going to be brave and have fun on my vacation and go in the surf if the occasion arises. BTW I did find a really pretty one piece suit on sale at Macy's for half price about a month ago. I also bought a cute cover-up and I'm also taking my friends wrap-skirt.

Vicki

 

Vicki, if it makes you feel any better, many women, no matter what the size, are horrified to be in a bathing suit.

 

The girl sitting by the pool who you'd give anything to be built like in all probability went through the same bathing suit anxieties you did.

 

I guess my point is to be proud of your weight loss for your health and tell yourself how wonderful you look and feel. Good luck!

 

PS. Put me in the 'no' column for the velvet.

[blambition]

Hi all,

I'm thinking I may have miss led you into thinking my outfit was not that dressy but in fact it is a very timeless and elegant black velvet outfit that I would wear to a black tie event. The skirt is made of velvet( and lined) fitted all the way down to almost the ankle with a slight flair at the bottom while the jacket is not velvet with only a small hint of velvet on part of the collar. The lapels are not even velvet and the buttons are very dressy in black. I will be wearing heals with rhinestones across the foot. I was more concerned about it being the begining of Oct. and Bermuda than how dressy the outfit was. I really appreciate the input and see that most of you feel that it is late enough in the year to start wearing the outfit. I think if the cruise had been in July I would have had to go shopping for a more summer looking dress.

Vicki

[FinelyRetired]

I'm quite unsure about velvet in October in Bermuda.

 

But, it sounds as though you really love this vintage dress and will feel comfortable and confident in it.

 

That's probably the most important in carrying it off.

 

Have a lovely cruise!

[blambition]

Sun Catcher,

Thank you I know I will have a great time and I'm looking forward to being with my DH in his Tux.

Vicki

[momofmeg]

I'm quite unsure about velvet in October in Bermuda.

 

But, it sounds as though you really love this vintage dress and will feel comfortable and confident in it.

 

That's probably the most important in carrying it off.

 

Have a lovely cruise!

 

Yep that is what it boils down to-if she loves the dress that much-wear it anyway.

 

to the OP-since it has a jacket-you can just take that off if you go out on deck to enjoy the sunset.

[Sassy Chassis]

I didn't know the "velvet" rule until I came here...love you gals :) However, on my first cruise I already had 2 really cute cocktail dresses so I took them for formal night. One was all stretchy black velvet with sparkles all over it, sleeveless and very short, and the other was black crepe with a velvet bodice, also short, and had little straps. Of course my cruise was in December and we were on the Mexican Riviera side, so that part is different. I was a bit chilly in the DR with my shoulders uncovered (I'm ALWAYS cold) and walking out on deck a couple of nights it was quite windy and not very warm. My last cruise (Caribbean) was much warmer at night and I'm suspecting this year's to be even warmer.

[momofmeg]

I didn't know the "velvet" rule until I came here...love you gals :) However, on my first cruise I already had 2 really cute cocktail dresses so I took them for formal night. One was all stretchy black velvet with sparkles all over it, sleeveless and very short, and the other was black crepe with a velvet bodice, also short, and had little straps. Of course my cruise was in December and we were on the Mexican Riviera side, so that part is different. I was a bit chilly in the DR with my shoulders uncovered (I'm ALWAYS cold) and walking out on deck a couple of nights it was quite windy and not very warm. My last cruise (Caribbean) was much warmer at night and I'm suspecting this year's to be even warmer.

 

Every time I watch a fashion show on like "E" they keep saying those old fashion rules are out the door. It is only at this board that I read that they still apply. That is why I say I go by comfort and not the calender.

 

I remember when I was a child, Blackberry Winter always seemed to happen at Easter. We would be dressed in our spring best for church and have a winter coat over it! Pretty silly looking too! It would have been much more sensible to be dressed for the weather and not the calender huh? Velvet would have been much more sensible then organza!

 

Now back to your cruise; If you felt chilled in your dresses then obviously they did not over heat you and you were dressed appropriately.

 

I found it very interesting that there was an actress who wore a velvet gown to the Emmy's last month in AUGUST. I was sure someone would comment about it here. Now unless it was unseasonably cool that night- or the Emmy ceremony was held somehwere like Maine, to me, THAT was stupid.

[BlueHerons]

Every time I watch a fashion show on like "E" they keep saying those old fashion rules are out the door. It is only at this board that I read that they still apply. That is why I say I go by comfort and not the calender.

 

.

 

Consider the source. E! Television is not an arbiter of taste and fashion. Joan Rivers, who has left for greener pastures, originally was the one who gave them fashion cred and say what you want about her, she is a stickler for protocol and has an eye far superior to anyone else E! may have.

 

Don't forget, at one time E! had Kathy Griffin and Star Jones as their Red Carpet 'experts'.

 

Bleech!

[desperatehousewife]

Consider the source. E! Television is not an arbiter of taste and fashion. Joan Rivers, who has left for greener pastures, originally was the one who gave them fashion cred and say what you want about her, she is a stickler for protocol and has an eye far superior to anyone else E! may have.

 

Don't forget, at one time E! had Kathy Griffin and Star Jones as their Red Carpet 'experts'.

 

Bleech!

 

LOL!!

Exactly....

This subject just seems to amaze me, really.

 

Every time I watch a fashion show on like "E" they keep saying those old fashion rules are out the door

 

I think there is confusion here as to this being a "rule"... it is not a rule but common sense, c'mon!:rolleyes: Since when is good form and common sense a "fashion rule"

 

First of all are you going to see other people doing it?

Yes!

Does that mean it is correct? No! Not unless you are looking for validation.

I see people wearing baggy jeans with thier A_ _ _ _ hanging out too, but that does not mean it is in good taste or right for me to follow.

Now, I realize it is an extreme example, but the principal is the same.

 

I could easily don a neon green,mid-section bearing tube top and daisy dukes into the dining room and unfortunately and probably find at least one other poor soul doing something similar..

I could easily reassure myself that " I was NOT the only one", but it still doesn't make it goofy!

 

Yes, it may be chilly, no.. that does not mean that it does not look out of place.That is what beautiful wraps.. pashmina and others, are for.

 

Perfect example, I believe Jane made some months ago, if I may... was if you were going to a restaurant in the middle of JULY and you knew it would have strong A/C... would you wear a velvet garment? :eek:

Goodness, I hope not.

 

If you wear it will people scoff and laugh? I would hope not, that would be bad taste too.

Will you be carried away by the Fashion Police?

No, they do not exist... even here!

 

 

I am sorry, but this just plain silly....

I do not care what month it is... you dress for the destination... not what month. Good LURD!!!:rolleyes:

 

Now, carry on and flame away... it will still be true...;)

[caviargal]

 

I do not care what month it is... you dress for the destination... not what month. Good LURD!!!:rolleyes:

 

Now, carry on and flame away... it will still be true...;)

 

I totally agree! If I were off to Tahiti (dream cruise) in December I would not consider velvet for my trip. And for the tropics in any month, same goes.