Cocktail dress in fleece?

[ksmdcruisin]

If my friend had a choice, then fleece it would be:) .

 

I´m on the Mariner in January with a friend and my parents, all first time cruisers. Too bad dh can´t come. Stick him in one his nice suits and off we go to formal night. My friend though is proving to be a tough nut to crack and if formal attire was made out of fleece, she might consider it.

 

Since it´s not, my thought was a long black skirt, simple black dressy shirt and (guess the color) a blazer (short close cut kind..). Add a nice necklace and voilá...ready for formal night??? I´m a newbie to the cruise biz and hope that combo would be appropriate. I think she would go for it but I don´t want to suggest it, if it´s not appropriate.

 

Would appreciate any thoughts! Or do you think I should convince her to get a bright red dress with huge puffy sleeves that we saw the other day:D ?

Thanks in advance,

karen

[linda_22003]

Or do you think I should convince her to get a bright red dress with huge puffy sleeves that we saw the other day:D ?

 

If she's more than eleven years old, "huge puffy sleeves" are never a good idea. :p

[heyitsmejudy]

If she's more than eleven years old, "huge puffy sleeves" are never a good idea. :p

 

And unless she's a sheep, there's no excuse to wear fleece:eek:

[klct39lg]

 

Looks pretty dressy to me...

[klct39lg]

[frogfuzz]

I may be slammed and in the minority here , but rather than what she wears I would just enjoy having a good time. Explain to her that If she doesnt care people will be dressed up with sparkly clothes & she wouldnt feel out of place, then let her dress down. Just say warning you in advance I am wearing this and others will be dressed the same way.

 

I think if she would go for a nice pair of black slacks and a black or white shirt and some fancy cheap jewelery, she could pass just fine. You can get some great cheap necklaces at Dillards and Penneys I wouldnt even push for a blazer.

 

Have fun !

[Solo Cruiser]

I'm practically the queen of cotton knitwear and elastic waists (don't you all dare call Stacy and Clinton I'm not giving these up LOL). Formal nights frightened me until I realized I could still wear both of my favorites. Chicos has a line called Travelers which is a knit with spandex. The same concept is available in varying degrees of less expensive from Target, QVC, Steinmart, Hamricks and even K-mart. They don't wrinkle. They are figure forgiving if you buy the right size. They are easy to launder even in the sink of a hotel or ship). And you can dress them up beautifully.

 

Normally I take a pair of black pants and a long black skirt in this fabric. I also have a loose-fitting black cardigan and a slightly snugger tank. I have worn the skirt and tank with a spangly bolero and felt completely in tune with the crowd on formal night. The pants and a black tunic top with strappy black, heeled sandals and a drop dead diamond (or looks like one) necklace would also be appropriate.

 

Tell her that for just 2 nights, she can endure something almost as comfortable as fleece in order to be the belle of the ball. She will get tons of compliments.

[emd1]

I think she'll be fine in a long nice black skirt or pants and nice top, esp. if she can dress it up a bit w/accessories (or you can help her do so). Just get her to wear some nice shoes too and not athletic shoes that she'd wear w/her fleece. As long as she is comfortable, feels ok, and is willing to make the leap from fleece to the black skirt and top, she'll be fine and you'll feel comfortable being w/her too. If she likes pants, those black panel pants (and they often have elastic waists) are an option too, w/a dressy but comfortable top.

 

You did not ask for options, but if she wanted to get away from all black but still have something very comfortable and inexpensive, how about something like these (and they come in large sizes too if that helps): http://www.casuallivingusa.com/default.aspx?page=product&sender=search&uid=581388S

 

or

 

http://www.casuallivingusa.com/default.aspx?page=product&sender=search&uid=660797S

 

For someone who really wants comfort and doesn't want to pay a lot (and some people will use that as an excuse for not wanting to dress up), Casual Living has comfortable (elastic waists, dressy knits, comfy fit) and inexpensive options, and their sale items are a deal. It isn't top couture, but it is less intimidating for someone whose top priority is comfort.

 

It doesn't sound like she'd enjoy wearing the bright red puffy sleeved dress anyway if she's a comfort fleece lover at heart. So why force the issue.

[ksmdcruisin]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I´ll be visiting my friend this coming weekend and we´ve planned a big shopping trip:o .

 

You have all been terrific and I´m sure we´ll find something appropriate. Most importantly is that we find something for her that she´ll feel comfortable wearing! Wish us luck!

 

Will let you know what she ended up getting!

 

karen