Are winterish type dresses appropriate for a cruise?

[bdiddy]

I bought this beautiful charcoal gray dress years ago and would love to wear it on our upcoming cruise. It has spaghetti straps, a beaded top and the bottom is velvet (I think). It is definitely a more winter type dress and we are going in the winter but it's not exactly winter on the cruise, you know?

 

What do you think?

[Luv2Cruise525]

i always wear the same strapless, black, velvet cocktail dress. it does look more wintery, but it's comfortable and looks nice. if you like the dress and you feel comfortable, go for it!

[smoothdancer]

Many think velvet should not be worn on warm weather cruises(if you are heading to warm weather)

 

But I agree if you love the dress, feel comfortable in it, then sure. My opinion, it is more important that you feel wonderful in a dress than what fabric it is made of. You will not see too much velvet on cruises, but so be it. I own a few stretch velvet gowns myself and I actually find them quite lightweight.

[luckycruzer]

toppers, with beads, and patchwork (Spenser Alexis brand) evening jackets. I usually start wearing them in Oct cruze mode, thru, Feb. I get cold sitting in the big room, and at dinner..I've never looked, felt or been told I was over done with velvet. I just dont wear it in the summer..opt for lighter fabrics. I think your Gray gown will be stunning. I just bought a long silvery gray crushed velvet skirt for next month.

[mrsfreelunch]

The gray dress sounds beautiful... wear it!

[iheartbda]

Yes, the fashionistas.... not meaning that in a derogatory way only meaning they know the proper way of dressing,:) will say velvet should not be worn in the Caribbean, or any where it's warm.

 

However, you won't be out walking around the streets in velvet but you will be on the ship where some of the areas tend to be cool. I'd much rather see someone beautifully dressed, albeit out of season a bit, than see someone is jorts, tee shirt, baseball caps, rubber flip flops or any of the other bottom of the line casual clothes.

[Jane110]

I'm going to disagree with the rest here. I think that a charcoal grey dress with a black velvet skirt looks odd in the carribbean.

Your cruise is in March right? Even in a cold climate like NYC, velvet is just about finished by March.

 

I'd much rather see someone beautifully dressed, albeit out of season a bit, than see someone is jorts, tee shirt, baseball caps, rubber flip flops or any of the other bottom of the line casual clothes.

 

I didn't realize that it was an either/or situation. :D

[BlueHerons]

I'm going to disagree with the rest here. I think that a charcoal grey dress with a black velvet skirt looks odd in the carribbean.

Your cruise is in March right? Even in a cold climate like NYC, velvet is just about finished by March.

 

 

 

I didn't realize that it was an either/or situation. :D

 

Exactly!

[iheartbda]

I didn't realize that it was an either/or situation. :D

You're not understanding what I'm saying.;)

I didn't say it WAS an either or situation for the OP. I was merely saying that I would rather see a pretty dress, albeit not seasonally correct, as opposed to seeing people, in general, in frumpy clothes.

 

I would even rather see someone in the dead of summer in a lovely velvet dress than some of the "thoughtless" outfits I've seen on formal night...I'm assuming the OP IS talking about formal night here. :)

[Jane110]

You're not understanding what I'm saying.;)

I didn't say it WAS an either or situation for the OP. I was merely saying that I would rather see a pretty dress, albeit not seasonally correct, as opposed to seeing people, in general, in frumpy clothes.

 

I would even rather see someone in the dead of summer in a lovely velvet dress than some of the "thoughtless" outfits I've seen on formal night...I'm assuming the OP IS talking about formal night here. :)

 

I understand you. You're saying that one implies the other, and I disagree with that theory.

 

Saying you'd rather see someone in black velvet in the tropics as opposed to sloppily dressed in flip flops and tee's indicates that those are the only two choices. My point was that those are not her only choices. A does not imply B.

I'm certain that if the OP doesn't wear the charcoal/blk velvet outfit, she'll select something else that's very pretty and appropriate.

It's kind of like saying you'd rather eat pancakes than ride a bicycle. It's a disconnect, and again, A does not imply B. :)

[Happy ks]

My opinion is that not many people will be paying all that much attention to what fabric your dress is made of. I'd probably opt for a lighter weight fabric for the packing part of the deal, plus I always think of velvet as a holiday party fabric. But, I'd not look at a person on a cruise ship and think "oh my, she's wearing velvet :eek:"

[iheartbda]

I understand you. You're saying that one implies the other, and I disagree with that theory.

 

That's the implication you took but it's certainly not what I meant and I tried to clarify I was talking in general terms.

 

I'm not necessarily talking about the OP. I'm saying if ANYONEwears something not seasonal, velvet in in this case, I'd rather see that than slopppy clothes. Those people "underdressed" also have an in between choice to make and they don't.

 

Of course I know if the OP is not going to wear to wear the dress in question, she will pick something more appropriate. Even if she does decide to wear the dress in question, which sounds very pretty, no one is going to give it much pause except to think she looks lovely.:);)

[bdiddy]

Thank you for the replies! I'm not sure what to do. I bought it almost 10 yrs ago for a steal because it was such a gorgeous dress but haven't had a chance to wear it.

 

Maybe I'll try it on and if I look stunning (LOL :)) then I'll wear it and if not I'll pass. I do have quite a few other options - I've just been itching to wear it.

 

I think some of you are right if I do wear it....people may not really notice or not even care. And it's not like someone is going to come up to me and say "velvet is a no-no"...they'll just quietly think it and that be the end of it and I'll never know the difference!

[the_dylaness]

I tend to agree with the previous poster who said velvet is a bit "out of place" in the Caribbean (at any time of year, really.) That being said, I ALSO agree with the poster who said they'd rather see velvet than flip flops (and I don't mean to imply that you would wear flip flops if you didn't wear the dress, I only mean that if I were presented with those two choices I'd choose the velvet dress.)

 

Perhaps you could "lighten" it just a little bit with a brightly colored (royal blue?) wrap and lots of silvertone jewelry (I'm seeing an armful of thin bangles) to give it a slightly more Caribbean feel. That would be really pretty! Ooh, and silver strappy sandals would lighten the look, too.

[GORDONCHICK]

IMO, the spaghetti straps may balance out the velvet. You didn't say whether it was a long or short dress. If it is long, I don't think the straps would offset all that velvet, but if it's short it possibly could (hard to know without a photo of the dress). If you do decide to take it, definitely throw in some bright color like a red or fuschia, or yellow.

[SHIPMEOUT]

I bought this beautiful charcoal gray dress years ago and would love to wear it on our upcoming cruise. It has spaghetti straps, a beaded top and the bottom is velvet (I think). It is definitely a more winter type dress and we are going in the winter but it's not exactly winter on the cruise, you know?

 

What do you think?

 

I say go for it, your dress sounds beautiful!

 

WHO cares what the material is? I've seen women wearing anything and everything on formal nights. It's the total image of the woman in her dress that matters, for goodness sake, not what the material is. :rolleyes:

 

First of all, no MEN are going to say "how come that woman is wearing velvet" on a cruise, and if WOMEN are going to make a comment like that about another woman on a cruise, then in my opinion they are just insecure.:p

 

Cindy

[Jane110]

I say go for it, your dress sounds beautiful!

 

WHO cares what the material is? I've seen women wearing anything and everything on formal nights. It's the total image of the woman in her dress that matters, for goodness sake, not what the material is. :rolleyes:

 

First of all, no MEN are going to say "how come that woman is wearing velvet" on a cruise, and if WOMEN are going to make a comment like that about another woman on a cruise, then in my opinion they are just insecure.:p

 

Cindy

 

The OP, bdiddy, cares.

If she didn't care she wouldn't have taken time to ask.

 

She got differing opinions, and has read through them and will make her choice.

 

This is a fashion forum and she came on to ask a fashion question because she obviously had concerns. A response of "Who Cares?" isn't helpful or supportive.

[SHIPMEOUT]

The OP, bdiddy, cares.

If she didn't care she wouldn't have taken time to ask.

 

She got differing opinions, and has read through them and will make her choice.

 

This is a fashion forum and she came on to ask a fashion question because she obviously had concerns. A response of "Who Cares?" isn't helpful or supportive.

 

I was trying to support the OP, bdiddy, to wear the beautiful dress that she described (like I did say to her in my post), and my "who cares" was NOT in any way directed at her.

 

My "who cares" was just my opinion of what I don't think other men & women on her cruise will (or should) comment on (the material) when they see her in her lovely dress.

 

It was meant to encourage her to wear what she liked, because as I said, I think other people seeing her will see the beautiful image of her, they will not (and should not) care about what the material of the dress is.

 

If I came on strong in my opinion, it's because I cared. If my words were misinterpreted, or if I offended you in any way, bdiddy, I'm sorry.:o

 

Cindy

[Gathina]

I agree with you on this one.

 

I live in Palm Beach and Miami, FL. When it drops to 70 here, which is cold for us, it is very common to see locals in boots, heavier clothes, tights and even nylons with business clothes. 70 to us might feel like 30 does to people used to living in a northern climate. It is not uncommon in the fall to see winter clothes sold here (for people who travel to the north). A few weeks ago it dipped to barely 70 and I wore a black, long sleeve dress I bought here. I wore the first pair of hose I'd worn in maybe 5 years with the dress as it looked odd not to. Guess what, at church I wasn't the only one.

 

All of my west indian friends that live here (they are originally from Jamaica, Trinidad, St. Lucia) will wear hose no matter how hot it is here, with sandles even (God forbid a woman in the USA do that). When I spent a week with my extended family in Jamaica at their home in Oct (they are Jamaican), no matter how hot it was (and it got very humid as we were in the country..and no AC most places) they wore hose with lightweight dresses, open toed sandles, and hose! Many women worse skirt suits with HOSE and sandles to church, and that had no AC. I was the only one who wore a lighter dress and no hose. I made a constant effort to notice what people wore as I was curious. I asked several women why they wore hose when it was so hot as we dont do that too much in the USA (or in S.America where I am from). They said, "It just doesn't look right and it doesn't look so dressy)

 

My point: If you like this dress, wear it. If you feel beautiful in it, wear it. If it looks good with hose and you like the look, wear it.

 

Oh yes..and guess what..one of the cousins in my extended family wore velvet to church when we were in Jamaica and it was at least 80 that day!!

 

Yes, the fashionistas.... not meaning that in a derogatory way only meaning they know the proper way of dressing,:) will say velvet should not be worn in the Caribbean, or any where it's warm.

 

However, you won't be out walking around the streets in velvet but you will be on the ship where some of the areas tend to be cool. I'd much rather see someone beautifully dressed, albeit out of season a bit, than see someone is jorts, tee shirt, baseball caps, rubber flip flops or any of the other bottom of the line casual clothes.

[NickyLouise]

The OP, bdiddy, cares.

If she didn't care she wouldn't have taken time to ask.

 

She got differing opinions, and has read through them and will make her choice.

 

This is a fashion forum and she came on to ask a fashion question because she obviously had concerns. A response of "Who Cares?" isn't helpful or supportive.

 

 

Wow, are you serious?!? Perhaps you should double read people's post as she was clearly trying to be supportive.

 

 

 

For bdiddy, if you feel comfortable in the dress I think you should wear it.

[Jane110]

I was trying to support the OP, bdiddy, to wear the beautiful dress that she described (like I did say to her in my post), and my "who cares" was NOT in any way directed at her.

 

My "who cares" was just my opinion of what I don't think other men & women on her cruise will (or should) comment on (the material) when they see her in her lovely dress.

 

It was meant to encourage her to wear what she liked, because as I said, I think other people seeing her will see the beautiful image of her, they will not (and should not) care about what the material of the dress is.

 

If I came on strong in my opinion, it's because I cared. If my words were misinterpreted, or if I offended you in any way, bdiddy, I'm sorry.:o

 

Cindy

 

Ok, then I misunderstood your post.

 

It happens occasionally that someone comes on and askes a question about what they should wear, and there is someone who will pop in with a "who cares?" answer. The person asking obviously DOES care, or they wouldn't have asked.

 

And it has nothing to do with others on their cruise making comments to them. Personally, if I saw a person wearing black velvet on a carribbean cruise, of course I wouldn't say anything! That would be downright rude! If I chatted with them, I might even find that they could become a new friend, or someone I enjoy spending time with throughout the cruise. However, I would also think they weren't really "with it" or sophisticated fashion-wise. If we went shopping together, I probably wouldn't seek their fashion opinion. That's not a negative judgement on their character, nor would it prevent me from thinking that they're one of the nicest people I've ever met. But....and to the point in your post that it's an overall image....it does say something about their overall image. In the same way that wearing a denim skirt on formal night instead of something silky. Fabric choices do make a difference and say something about someone's overall image. Whether we like it or not, our clothing/fabric choices speak about us and people will form opinions about us based on overall image - clothes, hair, grooming, etc.

 

I'm on a wine forum, and sometimes people will ask what wine to serve with a particular meal, and no one would ever say something like, "who cares? your guests will drink whatever you pour." That is a true statement, however, the person who poses the question has the desire to take it up a notch and is asking for helpful tips that will show off their wine pairing skills.

It's the same thing here. Bdiddy knows she can wear her dress - there's no fashion police on board. :) However, she obviously has doubts and so she asked opinions. Obviously, she'll read them and make her own decision.

 

The OP likes how the dress looks on her, yet is well aware that it's quite wintery looking, therefore she has doubts about how it would look in the carribbean....about how it would affect her overall image....which as you say, is important. (and I agree with you)

 

So again, I'm sorry if I misread that you were trying to be supportive. I understand now that you were. :)

[whirledpeas]

Why don't you take the dress with you, along with a backup (you can' t bring too many clothes IMHO...until you hit overweight charges with the luggage...) and you can decide when the time comes? Also, the spaghetti straps/bareness offset the velvet, I would think. You'll see the gamut of clothing choices, anyway, from cocktail dresses, prom-style dresses, floral prints, et al....It's just a chance for us women to get DRESSED UP, baby! (smile)

[Gathina]

:)No more comments from me on the dress..just to post and say your screename cracks me up!

 

Why don't you take the dress with you, along with a backup (you can' t bring too many clothes IMHO...until you hit overweight charges with the luggage...) and you can decide when the time comes? Also, the spaghetti straps/bareness offset the velvet, I would think. You'll see the gamut of clothing choices, anyway, from cocktail dresses, prom-style dresses, floral prints, et al....It's just a chance for us women to get DRESSED UP, baby! (smile)

[whirledpeas]

so glad i could make someone happy! that's also my ebay seller name, whirledpeasclothing. stole it off a 70's bumper sticker!

[Gathina]

LOL..I thought maybe it had to do something with baby food..

 

About the dress again..another thought..you aren't really wearing the dress in the Caribbean..you are actually wearing the dress on a ship that is in the middle of the sea, and essentially is a floating hotel with freezing air conditioning. So the fashionista's rules about not wearing velvet or something heavier in the Carirbbean don't really apply anyway.

 

 

so glad i could make someone happy! that's also my ebay seller name, whirledpeasclothing. stole it off a 70's bumper sticker!