Where is the color on formal nights?

[mrsred]

This past cruise I was shocked to see very little color being worn by the ladies. The majority of the dresses were black, which blended in with all of the suits/tuxes the men were wearing.

 

Has anyone else noticed this? I've never seen such a lack of color during a formal evening on land.

 

Just thought I'd toss it out there!

 

~e

[Xev]

I'll be wearing red on our first formal night and purple on the second. ;)

 

Since this is my first cruise I can't share any personal experiences, but I look forward to reading other responses.

[caviargal]

Actually, I have always felt that black was the standard for formal. All of my long dresses are black, except for one.

[Lois R]

Hi:) I would guess black is just easy to wear...makes us look thinner;) and it is formal.

Then again, I have worn red on formal evenings too.

 

And I have a blue dress for my upcoming cruise! I finally found shoes to match so I am happy:D.

 

I enjoy color and some of my other outfits are full of different colors! I have a new long purple dress, a pretty one with some tropical colors in it, a beautiful coral silk top with a new skirt too~the skirt does have a black background but has greens and corals in the print.

 

I do enjoy seeing colors on formal nights...since that was your original question:)

 

Hi Kim!

[Andee]

I've noticed it at formal events on land as well. In fact, I remember an event where black was so prevalent that even my husband, who doesn't have any interest in fashion, commented.

[Keksie]

I look terrible in black or brown so I save the black for funerals and never wear brown. I have worn silver, white, or pink for formal night. There is a lot of black on cruises though.

[marco]

Wear what ever color you feel is most flattering. But I know what you mean, we went to a black tie affair a couple of weeks ago, about 200 people, of all the women, I think 3 or 4 had a "colored" dress, everyone else was in black. It seemed particularly unusual as we were at a resort on the shore, in July. I expected to see a lot more "summery" colors.

[familycruzer]

For me black is slimming and classic. Plus its very easy to put separates together to make an outfit so there less packing involved.

[CDRMark]

One of the reasons for the standardization of gentlemens formal wear is to allow the ladies to "show off" and colorize the evening. C'mon ladies!:) There is too little color at formal events, I agree. Let's make a pact to change that!

 

Cheers!

MarkB

[lszu]

I think I've seen a pretty fair split between black and color on formal nights. I used to bring one black and one color. This year I'll be wearing one taupe and one mint green formal.

[luvjftffc]

I'll be wearing a bright pink formal gown on the first night and a light blue beaded gown on the second...i agree...most women wear black, thats why its nice to stand out and get noticed (hence the bright dresses).

[luckylady1]

I have one pink and one black. The black only because my DH loves black and wanted me to have one. I do have a killer necklace to wear with the black one though. If you want to look at it go to the QVC website and look at J06435. The picture does not do it justice!:eek:

[Sassy Chassis]

I'm guilty of wearing black!! Both dresses I brought were LBDs :( This time I'm going to break out my lovely-but-never-worn brownish-burgundy (sounds weird but I love the color) dress. I'm also going to scout out for a new dress that is NOT black!! Of course this may lead to more shoe packing... ;)

[happysinglemom]

There was plenty of color on our cruise - I really did not notice a lack of color on formal night.

[ryansmemom]

We enjoy longer cruises with more than two formal nights. If I were to only wear black, I would go mad. I usually bring one black gown with me. If you look at my avitar, that is a picture of my husband and I on one of the four formal evenings on our last cruise. I am wearing my current favorite blue gown.

 

The other gowns I brought with me were, taupe and ivory chiffon. I did wear black on the fourth night as this included a Black and White Officer's Ball.

 

While I agree that many women wear black, in my experience, women are wearing other colors onboard ships. I enjoy the variety of many colors and although black can be very elegant if everyone is wearing it, the atmosphere seems dull and everyone blends into everyone else, regardless of how they accessorize their outfit.

 

I for one don't want to blend in. I want to stand out and be noticed in a positive way, mind you. I enjoy wearing elegant gowns along with my best jewelry and accessories. I feel just like a queen when I walk about the ship on the arm of my tuxedoed husband.

 

I have read the royalty never dress in dark colors, except at funerals. They want to be seen and noticed. They feel it is expected of them to be so dressed and not be drab and fade into the crowd. :)

 

For my next cruise I am going to look into something in red or perhaps yellow. ;)

 

Linda

[LandLockedInAZ]

I have noticed the predominance of black, also. This may be because, I, myself, do not own a black formal. I even started to question my judgment and think I was in the wrong for wearing color, especially pastels (maybe this isn't right for evening? Although I certainly see the beauties on the red carpet for the Oscars wearing pastels- think Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger), so I decided not to stress over it and enjoy my color. :)

I think most wear it because it is easier- if you're wearing black both nights (or more) you only have to pack one pair of shoes. Me? I have been known to pack as many pairs of shoes as there are days on the cruise! But I like color and feel it complements my skin tone better than black, so I'll keep wearing it.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I feel better in dark colors for some reason even in mid summer, so my favorite cruise formal attire tends to be black, dark blue, wine red or deep grape.

 

It does seem that the prevailing color of gowns is black. But I have seen crimson red, pinks, pale blues, all spectrums actually. It doesn't seem to me that pastels or even medium shades would be out of place.

[Jane110]

Almost of my eveningwear tends to be black. I have such pale white skin, and eveningwear is usually, strapless, sleeveless and bares a lot more in the chest and shoulder area so I need the contrast.

 

Whenever I try on a pale pink, pale green or ivory formal, I look like I died last week. Red is not a great color on me, neither is blue or purple. I do have an olive/bronze gown from the Carmen Marc Valvo couture line that is absolutely gorgeous, but too hard to pack. I've looked for more, but it's hard to find because most people can't wear it. So, I'm left with my black gowns and my pewter gown. I'd wear a hot pink one if I ever found one I liked, but haven't yet.

 

Jane

[joelmarj]

I too am fair skinned and don't look good in most colors like red or blue. I look washed out. I also find the that elegant cuts of gowns tend to be the black ones. I like classic, simple, elegant gowns. I don't go for the glittery, but love when they have a little something extra. My favorite is a tailored form fitted dress with very low cut backs. Usually in other colors these look a little more "prom-ish", but elegant in black.

 

That being said, I think some colors look great on women and they should wear it!

[nosnobunny]

A few years ago I was planning my cruise wardrobe. There was no need for new formal wear because I had lots of gowns. Then I opened my closet and realized most, if not all of them were black. Enough!! she said to herself. :D How many black gowns does one woman need? So off I went in search of the perfect non-black gown. It was out there, I just knew it. All I had to do was find it. As it turned out, not an easy task. After months of looking, I found the perfect formal gown - bright cherry red with beading on the bodice. I loved it. I didn't have the energy or time to find a second outfit so the second formal night it was going to be the infamous black.

Fast forward to this year......... I was shopping at a small trendy village near my home and came across my second outfit. Cream pants with a cream and dusty pink print beaded twin-set. It was meant to be. And it was mine! :D So I'm all set for my next cruise. But hold on. I just booked a longer cruise for next April and it has three formal nights. :eek: ........to be continued.

Beth

[mrsraggy]

Hi everybody,

 

I wear red and white polka dots, pink, purple, pale green etc.. If only so my husband can find me in a crowded room!

 

Black is very elegant, but color turns heads.:rolleyes:

 

mrsraggy

[mrsred]

This is all very interesting.

 

I do enjoy black...one can never go wrong there, but I was curious as to what others thought. It just seems strange to me that there was such a sea of darkness while out in the Caribbean.

 

I wonder if color/style of gowns in a regional thing. When I lived back east there was far more black, but in the south and west coast there seemed to be an even amount of black and color at formal events.

 

And Lois R...you go girl with your silver shoes ;)

 

~e

[nitnyleo]

the color is in your beautiful eyes.........

[Kay and Hal]

I for one don't want to blend in. I want to stand out and be noticed in a positive way, mind you. I enjoy wearing elegant gowns along with my best jewelry and accessories. I feel just like a queen when I walk about the ship on the arm of my tuxedoed husband.

 

Black is very elegant, but color turns heads.:rolleyes:

 

OK, you've convinced me! Most of my formal wear is black, but I have tried on colorful gowns often. I'm not sure what stopped me from buying them, except that maybe I was actually afraid of standing out?!?

 

I love colors and end up wishing I'd bought the red or blue or tropical gown, so next time I won't even look at black ones!

[mrsred]

OK, you've convinced me! Most of my formal wear is black, but I have tried on colorful gowns often. I'm not sure what stopped me from buying them, except that maybe I was actually afraid of standing out?!?

 

I love colors and end up wishing I'd bought the red or blue or tropical gown, so next time I won't even look at black ones!

 

I actually received several compliments when I wore my peach and flower print dress and mettalic gold heels. There were about 3 of us that evening in our section of the dinning room who were not wearing black...although I wore black on the first formal night.

 

Yes...color can be quite eye catching when you wear the proper shade for your skin/hair, especially when most men are dressed in black or dark suits.

 

Give it a whirl! You just might like it ;)

 

~e