Formal wear for 15 year old son

[jerseybeachmom]

I am cruising for the first time with my 3 kids, one of whom is a 15 yr. old boy. My daughters have lots of dressess from Sweet 16 parties, but my son doesn't have anything. What is appropriate for a boy this age for formal nights?

[smoothsail327]

I am cruising for the first time with my 3 kids, one of whom is a 15 yr. old boy. My daughters have lots of dressess from Sweet 16 parties, but my son doesn't have anything. What is appropriate for a boy this age for formal nights?

 

Hey, not sure of the line you'll be on but I just got off Monarch of the Seas (RCCL) 4 night cruise. I am 21 and went with two female friends. For formal night, they wore cocktail dresses and I wore slacks, a button down shirt, and a tie. I was dressed up more than others in the dining room. So for a 15 yr old, slacks (or khakis) and a button down and maybe a tie would be perfectly fine. It just depends on the ship and line.

[klfrodo]

My son was a year or 2 younger that your son on our first cruise.

 

He and I ordered tuxes through the cruiseship. He was not happy. I understood him not being happy. I politely sat down with him and we discussed it. I gave him 2 choices. A) wear the tux for dinner, get your picture taken, make your mother very happy, then change clothes. B) Stay home with Grandma. Thankfully he didn't call my bluff.

 

On formal night, he was pleasently surprised as to how the young ladies reacted to a young man in a tux. Next cruise, he reminded me that we needed to get fitted for our tuxes.

[Niele da Kine]

Which cruise line will you be on? Some are more formal than others.

 

I'd think slacks and a jacket would be the minimum, but a tux would be great.

 

How about a middle choice of a three piece suit with a tie and pocket handkerchief to color coordinate with your group colors? If you have multiple formal nights, he could change his tie and handkerchief to match everyone else if they wear different dresses.

[sparky-elpaso]

Remind him that if he wears a jacket and tie he'll be a chick magnet.

 

If you have any nice resale shops nearby you may be able to find him a sport coat or suit for very little. We got the sport coat my DH wears at a 2nd hand store for $4. Add dress slacks, shirt and tie and he looks great.

[timeforadaiquiri]

What would he wear to a Homecoming dance? I would think that is appropriate.

[luvsun22]

Along the same lines, I have 16 and 18 year old daughters. They have quite a few homecoming and prom dresses both long and tea length. What should I advise them to bring, the long, the shorter (both are formal) or does it not really matter.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

A jacket, nice slacks, a tie, dress shirt and dress shoes and he will look great. You can get all of this at Kohl's or Penney's. If there are two formal nights, take an extra dress shirt and another tie.

 

He really doesn't need a tux. I wear one because well, I am over 60 and bought it for my daughter's wedding.

[chipmaster]

What is "appropriate" and what will be minimum.

 

If mom/dad and sisters are all in more formal stuff I find it hard to fathom he would be rejected from the dining room in nice khaki and polo or dress shirt with or without tie and even tennis shoes. Of course if he dresse to match to dad and mom and sisters makes for the best and great photo op. But it is hard to fathom the brain workings of teenage boys.... :mad:

 

We have been able to convince our boys even in these challenging years that a coat/tie and nice shoes is the way to go. I think 10 years from now when they look at a few of our formal night shots they will be happier they are in the outfits we suggest versus what they wanted to wear.

 

My daughter thats totally another story :eek:

 

I am cruising for the first time with my 3 kids, one of whom is a 15 yr. old boy. My daughters have lots of dressess from Sweet 16 parties, but my son doesn't have anything. What is appropriate for a boy this age for formal nights?

[Andee]

When my DS was a teenager, we bought him a suit for a cruise. If you don't want to pay department store prices, consignment shops can be a good option.

[timeforadaiquiri]

Along the same lines, I have 16 and 18 year old daughters. They have quite a few homecoming and prom dresses both long and tea length. What should I advise them to bring, the long, the shorter (both are formal) or does it not really matter.

It really doesn't matter. My daughter wore short and her friend wore long.

[jacque122]

We got my 15yo son a tux off Craigslist for 40.00 He recently go selected for Jazz band at school and will have to wear a tux for that so it is good. He is going to wear it with a black and white graphic tee he picked out and some gray and black converses that he picked out. I am not going to disagree he want to look like a kid not a grown up.

[WeTakeBreks]

For our first family cruise my son was about 13 and he wore a dark suit that he had gotten for the Bat/Bar Mitzvah party circuit. To be honest Greg learned early that formal clothes were a chick magnet. He had a blazer in first grade and would wear it at any excuse-the teachers would fawn over him and the girls loved it. When we cruised he was just young enough and cute enough and aware enough that all the ladies young and old thought he was great. And the formal portraits are priceless!!:)

[conchead]

It would help a great deal to know which cruise line.;)

[seasy going]

I am cruising for the first time with my 3 kids, one of whom is a 15 yr. old boy. My daughters have lots of dressess from Sweet 16 parties, but my son doesn't have anything. What is appropriate for a boy this age for formal nights?

 

Hiya jersey.

 

I can't disagree with anything that any of the other posters have said. This is the one thing that worried us most when my wife and I took our first cruise.

 

Please.....don't let this bother or worry you. I now do as one poster suggested. I wear slacks, shirt, tie and sport jacket. Or, I wear a suit and tie. I take a different tie/socks if more than one formal night. Some folks do dress up more than others, tux for example, but usually it's because they enjoy doing so. Personally, I can't wait to get back into my shirt and shorts :D. I've seen a mix on every cruise we've been on and it always works out fine.

 

Best wishes for a fantastic cruise!

 

Steve

[satxdiver]

Hiya jersey.

 

I can't disagree with anything that any of the other posters have said. This is the one thing that worried us most when my wife and I took our first cruise.

 

Please.....don't let this bother or worry you. I now do as one poster suggested. I wear slacks, shirt, tie and sport jacket. Or, I wear a suit and tie. I take a different tie/socks if more than one formal night. Some folks do dress up more than others, tux for example, but usually it's because they enjoy doing so. Personally, I can't wait to get back into my shirt and shorts :D. I've seen a mix on every cruise we've been on and it always works out fine.

 

Best wishes for a fantastic cruise!

 

Steve

 

Well put. I wear khaki pants, dress shirt, blazer and leather sandals on formal nights. I don't own a suit and refuse to dress up like a penguin. I also don't wear ties anymore since I retired. I wear the same thing both formal nights. Other than dinner in the MDR I can be found wearing tevas, shorts and tshirt with a big smile.

[jcm996]

When we cruise I will wear dress slacks and a nice button down shirt, no coat not tie. Usually nice brown hiking boots, because there is no reason "for me" to take a pair of shoes I will only wear for 4 hours in 7 days. I am on vacation, when I am packing it gets to be scuba gear or suit, suit looses every time.

 

So don't worry to much, besides once he finds the other teenagers on board you will have to force him to go to dinner if you can find him. Only reason to bring nice clothes would be for family pictures.

[cccole]

I also don't disagree with any of the responses. When I took three teens, including a 15 yr old boy, on a cruise a couple of years ago I bought a tux for him. He wore it on the cruise, to weddings, prom, etc. Then a year later when it was too small he gave it to one of his friends who now wears it to proms, etc., and we bought a new one for him. We live in an area where we can get pretty nice tuxes at a decent price and it is less expensive than renting tuxes for other special events. I actually think a tux is easier than a suit or sport coat look. Tuxes also can be worn with regular shirts and ties, I really like the look. So...that's what we did. Cherie

[griffy116]

After a number of cruises, our teen guys were dark suit, purchased from sales at various dept. stores and the teen girls wear that formal/cocktail dress they thought they would only get to wear once.

[xcomet]

If you are on RCCL, and depending on the itinerary, you will find a wide variety of what people consider formal night attire. My son always wears dress pants, a button down shirt,and a tie. We usually use the same pants, and bring another shirt , or another tie, since its really only on for an hour before he is off to meet his friends at the kids club. (he is 13).

My 17 and 15 yr old daughters, wear short cocktail dresses,as has been said, ones which they have worn to sweet sixteens. The majority of the friends they have met, wear short dresses too. But if you only have long, dont go buy something!

As far as shoes go, well , the girls bring tons ! :eek:

My son always wears his vans or even sandals. No one should be noticing feet!:D