QM2 Dress Code - Confliciting Advice

[Peaches99]

Hi everyone.

I will be travelling transatlantic on the QM2 for the first time, Southampton to New York.

Is it alright to wear an above-the-knee structured cocktail dress on formal night?

This isn’t one of the dresses I was going to bring, but imagine something similar.

http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-s...ktaildress.jpg

(You have to copy the above url and paste into another window or tab of your browser).

I have heard elsewhere on the internet that one absolutely must wear a long dress on formal night, and that you will be ostracised if you don’t. I find that odd as I have been to very dressy events – in New York and London – and women wore short dresses.

In my cruise documents, the photos all show women in dresses down to the floor – but they all seem to be 60-70+, so I wonder if the rule is for that age group only, for women who are at the age where they feel they really shouldn’t be showing their knees

I am in my early 40s and in good shape, and feel comfortable showing off my legs.

[lannp]

I find people tend to obsess too much about clothing. Not everybody wears long skirts or dresses. By all means wear it, I would suggest a shawl or coverup because some of the public areas can be really cool. I feel if you have made an effort of dressing up to show respect to your fellow passengers then whether it's long or short doesn't matter.

[SeaCrews]

Accessorize! I got a wonderful sequined jacket, very formal, for a reasonable price at a store selling both regular used clothing and wonderful period pieces. If you give them something dazzling to look at on top, you'll feel formal enough.

Which restaurant are you dining in? The passengers in the Grills do tend to be more traditionally formal.

Have a great trip,
Carol

[Peaches99]

Thank you. I did think that people obsess too much about clothes. I am more concerned about not beng allowed in places (the real dress code) than what a bunch of strangers think of me.

Thanks for the advice about the jacket or shawl to keep warm. I think I will forego the sequins though, as I wear a 30E bra and don't want to look like Dolly Parton.

As long as I know that I won't be kicked out of public places for showing my legs above the knee, I'm alright.

I will be dining in Britannia Club.

ETA: Not dress-code related, but what do you mean when you say it gets cold on deck? I live in Northern England, so I'm used to going sleeveless and bare-legged in 68 degree F weather.

[flora]

On a transatlantic it gets cold outside We did two of them in June and July and on both crossings you couldnt go out without a jacket
As to the formal nights I wore sparkly tops with a long black skirt
We had a 24 night cruise so we had about 12 formal nites People came in stuff I wouldnt wear to the mall and Im not a fancy person at all Short dresses or skirts though are absolutely fine You will find a wide range of clothing Just dress for yourself and you will be fine Everyone, actually is looking at themselves anyway !! (smile)

[Peaches99]

Thanks. I just bought another dress and subsequently realised that it's a bit revealing on top, so I'll definitely need a jacket at least for the restaurant.