Formal wear on board

On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 16:13:21 -0500, Karen Selwyn
wrote:

Todd Michel McComb wrote:

But what's the "special" part? I don't get it. It's a series of
dinners in the midst of an outdoor-oriented trip (Alaska), where
I'll be in boots and technical gear slogging through mud a few hours
before. I've eaten in some of the finest restaurants in the country,
and while most ask for jacket & tie, none have asked for more. Why
is eating on a cruise ship fancier than that? What's the point?


It isn't. And, as I'm sure you're aware since you've eaten in the finest
restaurants, dining at those places has gotten more casual, too. There
is one restaurant in Washington, DC that has a dress code requiring a
jacket for men, but that's the only such place with a dress code.
Interestingly, it's not considered the finest DC restaurant (and we can
define finest as most expensive or best food).

If you've seen the movie TITANIC, especially the scene in which the
Leonardo Dicaprio character has to borrow a tuxedo to fit in when
invited to the first-class dining room, you'll understand that current
practice of formal nights harkens back to that era of cruising. Some
people continue to enjoy that aspect of cruising; however, an
increasingly large percentage of cruisers don't.

Karen Selwyn


Been a while since I last watched it but I believe he was wearing full
formal..aka white tie and tails...back then "dressing for dinner" in
first class meant "Dressing For Dinner!" and no fooling around. ;0 A
high-society gentleman might change clothes three or even four times
during the day depending on activities and formality of the various
occasions. Women too went through some changes as the day progressed.

In that era, the tuxedo was sort of shockingly "anti-formal" if I
understand the cutoms of the time correctly and no genuine gnetleman
would come down to dinner in aught but white tie and vest.

If you can find a good copy of Emily Post from the 20's or 30's, read
up on dressing for dinner or what wardrobe to bring to a weekend as a
houseguest and sit back and marvel at what it took to be "proper" in
socially elite circles.

Jim P.