Dress Code

[SLSD]

We've always used the term khakis and chinos interchangeably. Yes the cotton ones are more casual, but can still be worn with a navy blazer. They are NOT considered formal at all---and most men would not wear them on formal night. There are chinos/khakis that are dress pant quality as well. They are not formal wear either. The cotton chinos/khakis are especially nice on hot summer days. All this talk about khakis/chinos has surprised me. They are a big step up from blue jeans and are a nice look (see photos above). The pants with extra pockets (from Gap or where ever) are NOT classic khakis/chinos to be worn with a blue blazer. Not the same style or same thing at all. I recognize that there may be different terms for these classic men's pants. We call them khakis, but some may call them chinos. They can be tailored just like any other men's pants. If you buy them at a men's store or department store that does tailoring, this is just not a problem.

 

 

If we were going to get into recommendations for purveyors of men's clothing, my husband prefers RobertTalbott.com

[jenidallas]

100% agree. Tailoring makes all the difference. Sadly I see guys who do not bother and walk around in ill fitting and/or wrinkled garb too often.

 

Mine tends to shop at Jos A Bank, Neiman’s, and Nordstrom. I am also fond of John L. Ashe over here in Fort Worth.

 

I truly miss the days of Harold Powell here in the south... such a good spot for proper garb for young men and women. I just sadly donated the last of my own Harold’s suits and dresses last summer.

[SLSD]

We loved Harold's as well Jenidallas. They did excellent tailoring for men! AND they had good shirts and suits. The Robert Talbott store in Highland Park Village is excellent though.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'm trying to remember if I've seen a man or woman who is sloppily dressed on any of the luxury cruises I've taken. I remember several who were modestly dressed, not glamorous, perhaps plainly dressed. But I don't remember a single person who I would say was sloppily dressed after 6 p.m. And hardly any before that, except perhaps by the pool.

[Catlover54]

suspaul, We had such a great time on our Seabourn cruise, I don't even remember in detail how people were dressed. We always try to adhere to the dress code, but, after all, we are Americans and Texans to boot---so what do we know? My husband usually wore his navy sport coat and a tie to dinner just because he looks great in it! And yes, he owns the dreaded khaki pants and sometimes wears them with the navy sport coat--or wore dressier gray slacks. I took along a number of classic dresses (mostly black) with a pretty skirt and knit top for other evenings. I varied my looks with different jewelry and scarves.

 

I did notice some unusual dress among the Brits--but unusual in that it was not what I am used to (brightly colored pants on men, etc). It amused me and I thought it was great fun! Many of the bright pants men had big personalities to go along with their pants! And yes, they were loud! You would have thought they were Americans, but I knew they were not---because of their pants. (This is all with me laughing.)

 

Please don't rule out a Seabourn cruise because of comments on this board! It's a lovely cruise line with some of the friendliest passengers.

 

 

1. About bright pants: I enjoy people-watching when I travel, which includes observation of outfits and speculation as to how on earth some people select them, so I am actually enjoying reading the comments on this thread. I noticed some Germans including men well over 70 wearing brightly colored pants on the Europa 2 and MS Europa, e.g., brilliant red on an orthopedist, bright green on a CEO, bright blue, even bright yellow, such as these linked below for the elegant casual venues and on excursions, (though khaki remained their favorite color during the day for most). Apparently it is the latest style for some well-off European men to wear bright pants. Maybe they will be all the rage on SB in a couple years, but if DH approaches them I will refer him for therapy!
   

https://www.just4men.de/produkte/268/268884.html

 

2. As for Texans, I think some Germans and perhaps other Europeans expect them to be wearing something like this ( available in sizes up to 7x, so there is a pair for every potential cruiser from the Lonestar state), and if Texans wear a suit, or a blue blazer with khakis, they will be incognito.

https://www.fc-moto.de/epages/fcm.sf/?ObjectPath=/Shops/10207048/Products/Brandit-US-Ranger/SubProducts/Brandit-US-Ranger-0090&Currency=EUR&Locale=de_DE

This is another option: :)

 

https://www.fansedge.com/g-iii-sports-by-carl-banks-texas-rangers-red-navy-mlb-patriotic-swim-trunks/p-2958027

[Toryhere]

At least nobody has yet suggested that a Scottish kilt would be appropriate attire!

 

As for khaki (and other) men formal wear that fit, someone was asking where to buy - we suggest ctshirts.com

Charles Tyrhitt. Jermyn Street. You don’t get much better than that.

[Toryhere]

As the poster who originally declared khaki a sartorial mistake, I was not talking about an item of clothing, but a colour, that I have seen many Americans wear, a cross between olive green and eau de nil. I was not referring to cotton or canvas trousers that some call “chinos”.

These latter, would not normally be regarded as “formal”. But if you have a good pair in black you might be able to get away wearing them with a jacket and tie, and passing as being formal enough.

[Toryhere]

suspaul, We had such a great time on our Seabourn cruise, I don't even remember in detail how people were dressed. We always try to adhere to the dress code, but, after all, we are Americans and Texans to boot---so what do we know? My husband usually wore his navy sport coat and a tie to dinner just because he looks great in it! And yes, he owns the dreaded khaki pants and sometimes wears them with the navy sport coat--or wore dressier gray slacks. I took along a number of classic dresses (mostly black) with a pretty skirt and knit top for other evenings. I varied my looks with different jewelry and scarves.

 

I did notice some unusual dress among the Brits--but unusual in that it was not what I am used to (brightly colored pants on men, etc). It amused me and I thought it was great fun! Many of the bright pants men had big personalities to go along with their pants! And yes, they were loud! You would have thought they were Americans, but I knew they were not---because of their pants. (This is all with me laughing.)

 

Please don't rule out a Seabourn cruise because of comments on this board! It's a lovely cruise line with some of the friendliest passengers.

 

Red trousers in Britain are a badge of upper middle class sartorial elegance

[Toryhere]

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!)

Well said.

 

One can get away with the polo shirt and flat front side pocket jeans look as long as both parts of the ensemble are well cut and fit well. My experience of help desk chic is that it is that the trousers flap around the legs and the shirts are tight in all the wrong places. Often those wearing such clobber will tuck the shirt into their trousers and wear a belt. :eek:

[lincslady]

Has anyone else got a little tired about reading about khaki, chinos, etc. etc.? Time to call it a day, I think.:)

[JPH814]

Has anyone else got a little tired about reading about khaki, chinos, etc. etc.? Time to call it a day, I think.:)

 

 

 

Did I miss the part of this website that requires you to read this thread?

 

 

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[wripro]

Has anyone else got a little tired about reading about khaki, chinos, etc. etc.? Time to call it a day, I think.:)

 

Trouble is when you call it a day that leads to night which leads to the dress code again!

 

If anyone is that hung up on the attire certain Brits wear to their clubs I suggest they spend their holiday at that club instead of on Seabourn where it's none their goddamn business what others wear.

[lynn-in-nc]

This thread reflects why I have been anxious about cruising on Seabourn. My husband and I are well heeled but casual Americans, and the idea that our fellow cruisers will be judging our attire and tailoring makes me cringe. On the other hand I have been on plenty of NCL and RC cruises where I have been the judgmental one so perhaps this is my karma coming back to me.

 

Spouse doesn’t own a tux and I don’t see the point to rent one for a cruise. He has a perfectly nice suit and a couple of sport coats. I am typically dressed in leggings but can scrounge up a dress or two for the occasion. Hopefully that will be sufficient to satisfy the people in this thread who are concerned about where their fellow passengers shop!

[SLSD]

Lynn-in-nc, Please don't let a thread like this one discourage you from taking a SB cruise. This thread got a little over the top--all the talk about khakis (who knew they were actually green?), wrinkled clothes, non-tailored clothes, etc. etc. This is so FAR from the reality I actually observed on our cruise last September. Most of the people were quite casually dressed during the day and I didn't see anything even approaching a fashion show in the evenings! And, most everyone was quite friendly!

[suspaul]

We saw a gentleman on a cruise last year who wore brightly colored and patterned pants nightly, he was dressed very well with shirt, tie and jacket but the odd array of pants? He even went to far as to wear mismatched shoes, both the same style but different colors on each foot to compliment his ‘look’. He sat at the first table inside the door of the main dining room at a table for 8, sometimes with one other gentleman, other times alone, another odd situation if you ask me, why would you not want a table for 2 or share such a large table. Whatever, he was confident in his clothing and seating arrangements so that’s all that mattered.

 

 

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[lynn-in-nc]

@SLSD Thank you for your kind reply!

[SLSD]

lynn-in-nc---I hope you meet you on a future Seabourn cruise. I think you would love the cruise line!

[Nashna]

If you are thinking about taking a SB cruise and this post has you concerned. Please don’t be. We met lovely people who were interesting and welcoming. Yes, there were one or two folks who were a bit too impressed with themselves.

 

 

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[Toryhere]

This thread reflects why I have been anxious about cruising on Seabourn. My husband and I are well heeled but casual Americans, and the idea that our fellow cruisers will be judging our attire and tailoring makes me cringe. On the other hand I have been on plenty of NCL and RC cruises where I have been the judgmental one so perhaps this is my karma coming back to me.

 

Spouse doesn’t own a tux and I don’t see the point to rent one for a cruise. He has a perfectly nice suit and a couple of sport coats. I am typically dressed in leggings but can scrounge up a dress or two for the occasion. Hopefully that will be sufficient to satisfy the people in this thread who are concerned about where their fellow passengers shop!

I confess 'twas me who who led this thread off into it's wilder excesses. But my point still stands: the whole idea is to look good, not to obey the dress code.

As I said in the beginning, dressing to match the dress code without caring if you actually look good is like taking a course at university and ''studying for the test'' instead of learning for the sake of learning.

[T&C Fulham]

not to obey the dress code.

 

Why do Seabourn have one then?

 

Tony

[lincslady]

not to obey the dress code.

 

Why do Seabourn have one then?

 

Tony

 

 

Exactly. The point of this thread is to help people new to Seabourn to find out what the dress code for evenings, particularly 'formal optional' is - some want to know the minimum required, others wish to find out if they would feel overdressed in their dj, etc.

 

Trying to act as a fashion police of taste is not what this thread should be about, and it would be sad if it put anyone off trying Seabourn.

[wripro]

lynn in nc,

 

Do not worry. There are always posters on these boards who are new to Seabourn and Cruise Critic and post for awhile before gratefully disappearing. Don't let their prejudices deter you. The vast majority of people who's sail on Seabourn have never heard of Cruise Critic and could care less what you wear.

[lynn-in-nc]

Thanks everybody. We’re booked on the March 3 sailing and looking forward to it. :)

[marazul]

Thanks everybody. We’re booked on the March 3 sailing and looking forward to it. :)

Fellow tarheel,

You will love SB. A nice suit or sports jacket for your DH. For you, a pair of black silk pants and some silk tops will do very nicely and not take up any room in the suitcase. If you prefer to scrounge up a couple of dresses that is fine too, but they take up more room generally.

[T&C Fulham]

I am sad when this thread gets angry. "I wear what I want" "I am not going to be dictated to as to what to wear" and so on.

 

For anyone withing striking distance of the Victoria and Albert Museum I'd urge a visit to the current exhibition on Ocean Liners. There they remind you of the glamour and the fun and don't forget in the early days most of the journeys were a way of getting from A to B and less a recreation which is what we are talking about.

 

Fun is becoming more and more thin on the ground in this era of terror and security risk. . Glamour an almost rare commodity.

 

Let's not knock the likes of Seabourn for their attempts to bring both commodities back - and at a price affordable to far more people than in the Golden Age of Ocean Liners. There are far too many places of entertainment where such attempts are pushed aside by the bean counters and the quest for profits.

 

Tony

London UK