Fashion Changes Over 46 Cruises

[Djptcp]

I am amazed at how our cruise clothes have changed over the past 24 years and 46 cruises. DH and I used to always dress up for formal nights - he in tuxes and me in cocktail dresses, panty hose, and heels. We stopped this about 10 years ago and now he wears tan or black khaki slacks with a silk tropical shirt and I wear good black slacks with a pretty top or linen slacks with a pretty top and low sandals. It has certainly cut down on our luggage amount!

[cb at sea]

The times, they are a'changin'!

[Shellbelle28]

20 hours ago, Djptcp said:

I am amazed at how our cruise clothes have changed over the past 24 years and 46 cruises. DH and I used to always dress up for formal nights - he in tuxes and me in cocktail dresses, panty hose, and heels. We stopped this about 10 years ago and now he wears tan or black khaki slacks with a silk tropical shirt and I wear good black slacks with a pretty top or linen slacks with a pretty top and low sandals. It has certainly cut down on our luggage amount!

 

I know there are loads of people who totally enjoy dressing in formal wear while on a cruise, but it was always a chore to me. Packing it took so much room, and squeezing into control tops or Spanx after a few days of indulgence, wearing shoes that felt OK to try on but became instruments of torture was the worst! 

I'm relieved to have a more relaxed experience now. DH wears  slacks with an aloha shirt, I Iike a pretty day length dress or slacks and top with low shoes. And in Alaska, we never changed out of sweaters and nice jeans! 

I don't judge those in their sparkles and heels, if they're judging me in my non-formal dress, oh well, it's worth it! 

[geocruiser]

I started to cruise in the mid 1970's.  Things back then were more formal.  I don't remember ever seeing a man with out a jacket at dinner.  I had to bring gowns with me to wear.  In general it was more formal.  Times have brought changes to cruising.

We still dress formal on formal nights.  DH wears his tux and me I wear something nice.  No gowns for me as of late.  We do a carry on and a small bag each.  I don't wear heels at all.  My feet would kill me if I did.  

Nights other than formal, my DH wear aloha shirts and dress pants.  I love the bright shirts that he has.  For me I dress as I would be going out to a nice restaurant for dinner.  We manly do Caribbean cruising.

 

I do want to make a nice long dress to wear on formal nights.  Lets see how long that takes me!!

[luvscruising2007]

We still dress somewhat for formal night.  I wear a cocktail dress, DH wears a dark suit or tux.  Not sure what he will wear on our up-coming cruise.  He is leaning toward his suit with a different tie and shirt for the 2 formal nights.

I wear low heels and have flats if my feet reject the heels.

[shipgeeks]

I have always loved the old (1930s, 40s) movies set on ocean liners, and the books on sailing to Hawaii, with all the glamor each radiated.  When we began cruising in the early 90s, I was inspired to wear some vintage day outfits, and beautiful cocktail or long dresses at night.  Oh!  I still do!  DH and I feel that a cruise would just not be a cruise if we only had casual wear.

(Disclaimer:  No, I don't wear a suit, hat, gloves, and fur stole to board.  But I do still enjoy making a cruise special, as we rarely do that at home.)

[cruisemom42]

I started cruising as a young kid in the 1970s. Dress codes were definitely enforced and most nights were either formal or semi-formal; very few nights were casual. I think men were supposed to wear a jacket (sports jacket) even on casual nights. Also there was no buffet -- MDR was the only option. I remember wearing long dresses and, for less dressy nights, a dress or a skirt. No pants. 

 

As times changed, I was happy to be able to dress somewhat less formally. I still always abide by the requested attire, but I don't take a ton of evening clothes and shoes and prefer simplicity (a black skirt or black silk pants with a nice top or jacket) to a lot of fuss and frou-frou. Given the choice I prefer lines with no formal evenings but I also prefer those where people tend to take their evening clothing up a notch from daytime wear (e.g., not shorts, not grubby sneakers, etc.)

 

 

 

[Scrapnana]

I am one of those who loves getting dressed up for formal nights.  I never get to dress up at home so I look forward to it on a cruise.  I usually take separates so that a few pieces can make many different outfits although I am going to take my three floor length dresses on my next cruise (they haven't been on a cruise since 2014😉).

[cruisegirl1]

We have been cruising since 1987 and seen lots of changes.  "Back in the day" you were told what to wear, and you didn't question it. But, passengers knew that up front and never  seemed bothered about it.  Many cruisers already had tuxedos.    You sat at the same dining room table for every meal.  And there was really no alternative dining.  There was a sandwich/salad buffet for lunch but if you didn't want dinner in the dining room, there was little else.  Cruise lines  catered to a certain clientele who were happy with the standards.  Prices were high, and a cruise in 1987 cost MORE than a cruise today without factoring in inflation.   There were few if any balcony cabins. Perhaps the funniest cruise item   was  back in the 80;s they issued a listing of all the passenger names and home addresses.  Can you imagine that today!

 

Often change is good - cruise lines  did not cater to mass market cruisers.  Now, many more people can enjoy the cruise experience. 

 

M

[mef_57]

My first cruise and solo travel was late '70s at age 19.  Numerous hand sewn day dresses and one formal chiffon gown self designed and sewn.  Copied from a 30's movie and perfect for a cruise. An upcoming cruise on Cunard with 3 formal nights, but I will confidently wear dressy trousers and pant suits instead of dresses for these.  I have the bling and chiffon capes to match the ball themes and don't think I will be out of place.

[Lois R]

 I started cruising on a regular basis in 2003 and I remember a dress I wore way back then.....it was not a long gown but a red/sparkly/cocktail dress...….it is not a dress I would wear today.  Just not my style anymore.  I even remember the shoes and I wore hose.   Times have changed for sure.    I have not owned a pair of pantyhose in.....well, I bet since the year after that cruise LOL  I can still look nice and feel good......dressing appropriately (in my opinion anyway).

 

Now, I am trying to find a cruise for the beginning of the year....well, more likely for my birthday in March and I am looking at WINDSTAR......they have what is supposed to be awesome sailing ships and it is ALL Casual LOL......only about 300 guests..…..totally different than "the big ships"!

[simplelife]

My first cruise was about 20 years ago and a lot has changed. We went from DH bringing a tux or dark suit and me long gowns  for "Formal Night" to Dark Khakis, Dress Shirt and Tie for DH and me "nice" dresses or slacks with a fancy top for "Elegant Night".  I have gone from a nice dress most "regular" night to mostly capris and tops and DH from slacks to shorts. Also hose were once a "must" and now I never pack them. Much lighter packing and simpler.  No pressing or special packing for suits and formal wear.  I do enjoy dressing up, but prefer to do so when not traveling. 

[faerievert]

I've seen a big difference even in the last 10 years. My husband's formal wear took more than half a suitcase our first cruise (especially since we had no idea laundry was an option). This coming sailing he doesn't even plan to bring a jacket! I still look forward to being far more dressy than I am at home for vast the majority of the trip.

[islandgirlejfan]

With airfare being what it is, having luggage lost and never found again and stress over what to take for a time in my life that is suppose to be about R&R, I'm good with the fact that things have changed.  I can still dress formally in a little black dress or slacks and feel good.  To think, our first cruise in 1994 we had clothing pretty much everywhere and big cases of it!  We are now uber light packers and have gotten to the point of just moving our clothing around.  I don't feel that stress of having to buy this or that to fit in.  If the fashion police are watching, I just don't care.  I feel so much better when I come home now and I only have three loads of laundry to do.  Our next cruise is in March and more than likely will be even lighter than the last cruise!  

[CateW]

Flying has become such a chore that our last 5-6 cruises have left from NYC.   We did a 13 night cruise on Queen Mary2 in November and there were 4 formal nights (they don't call them that anymore) but most of the men in the dining room, including my husband were in tuxes (Queens Grill for the first time).  I wore either a long dress or cocktail dresses overnight and heels.   We just got back on Sunday from a 14 night on NCL Escape in the haven.  Although everyone dressed very nicely, no formal clothes, more what I would say country club casual (for us anyway and for a lot of people that we saw and several couples that we had dinner with).  At this point, I much prefer country club casual for packing as well as no heels!

[Lois R]

Hi Cate, I only wear a small wedge or flats...…..so no heels for me in many years.

[clickchick]

We are about to go on our 10th cruise and I just can't bear to not to wear a cocktail dress and heels. Maybe it's because I work from home and never get to play dress up? 🙂However, I am past the days of needing or wanting to buy a new dress (or dresses) for each cruise and now just recycle what I have. DH, on the other hand, hates formal night. I've told him that on our next cruise I'll "allow" just a dress shirt and khakis. 

[OCruisers]

Thing is dress has changed as time has gone by.  Best to just change with the times and realize we can't go back to "the way things were".  

[Lois R]

Hey Lulu, I will be in your neighborhood in April.…..going on a cruise out of NYC with stops in Bermuda and Charleston!  Looking forward to some GOOD EATS, casual dress

[shipgeeks]

We feel like we just witnessed a reversal in the casual trend.  Grandeur cruise in January; on the formal nights there were a number of tuxedos, and quite a few suits and ties, and not just in MDR, but all over the ship.  And some beautiful, sophisticated dresses and gowns! (Grecian goddess, and black-and-white swirls, I'm talking about you.)  On casual nights, we saw no shorts, tank tops, ballcaps.  It was so refreshing!

 

[Lois R]

23 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

We feel like we just witnessed a reversal in the casual trend.  Grandeur cruise in January; on the formal nights there were a number of tuxedos, and quite a few suits and ties, and not just in MDR, but all over the ship.  And some beautiful, sophisticated dresses and gowns! (Grecian goddess, and black-and-white swirls, I'm talking about you.)  On casual nights, we saw no shorts, tank tops, ballcaps.  It was so refreshing!

 

Interesting would be a good word...…..(refreshing, as you noted )….so shorts and ball caps are still happening in the dining rooms? Guess I have not sailed mainstream in a while. 

[shipgeeks]

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

Interesting would be a good word...…..(refreshing, as you noted )….so shorts and ball caps are still happening in the dining rooms? Guess I have not sailed mainstream in a while. 

Shorts and ballcaps were NOT in evidence in the dining room!

[Lois R]

1 hour ago, shipgeeks said:

Shorts and ballcaps were NOT in evidence in the dining room!

 

Hi again, I meant as opposed to them being there regularly...….I never understood a ballcap being appropriate in anyone's dining room so glad to see maybe that trend has changed?

[c-boy]

I've seen that it depends on the clientele.  There are other factors involved as mentioned above.  Last cruise  I was on more than half the diners @ early seating were dressed up. One gentleman seated behind me was wearing a expensive tux. I complemented him on it.  He said that he will get monies worth out of it,  and he will be put to rest wearing it. I wear a dinner jacket with a nice shirt and dress slacks. On a  cruise in the Caribbean 6 months earlier had a younger crowd and the formal night had less of a percentage making the attempt to dress up.