Black, black and more black!!!!

[CruzyMary]

Just returned from a T/A and one thing really stood out in the fashion world - the color black!!!! Yes - the most versatile color to mix and match but on formal night - the ship was a sea of black. One lady came off the elevator in a beautiful emerald green dress and the wow factor was amazing - primarily for the splash of color. I am totally rethinking my future cruise wear - leaving black at home!!!!!!!!!!

[Scrapnana]

Except in the Juniors section, it is hard to find many formals that are not black. Usually at least two out of three are black in my area stores. Luckily the internet is our friend in finding some formals in colors that WOW.

[Lois R]

Except in the Juniors section, it is hard to find many formals that are not black. Usually at least two out of three are black in my area stores. Luckily the internet is our friend in finding some formals in colors that WOW.

 

Really? What stores have you been shopping in?......I like Dillard's

and they always have dressy stuff in a variety of colors:D

[LittleJeanne]

I noticed the same thing about 8 years ago and have tried to purchase formal wear for my cruises with the idea of adding a pop of color to that sea of black.

 

Now, for my upcoming 16 day Hawaiian cruise I am rethinking the basic black issue just a bit. I have to fly out to LAX. Hubby has agreed that we can each pack one lg suitcase that meets the 50lb or under requirement and I'll have my carry on. But I know my biggest issue will be my evening wear and the shoes to go with it. So, at this point my plan is to plan most of my evening wear around 1 basic LBD. But I know that without color I'll go stark raving mad. So, I've been on the look for colorful lightweight jackets etc. That I can just layer over the dress.

 

So far I have a red poly satin peplum jacket, an lightweight apple green jacket that my bff says has a bit of safari feel to it, an ivory lace jacket, a gold damask fingertip length jacket, and a mixed metallic soustache trim jacket. All the jackets I've gotten so far are very lightweight and can be folded down to take up very little room.

 

I'm also looking for a couple lightweight skirts that I could layer over the dress.

 

I'm sure that by the time I get back from that cruise I'll be tired of that black dress and ready to go back to my normal colorful dresses.

 

It does get a bit difficult at times to find nice looking, reasonably priced, colorful formal wear that is age appropriate and doesn't look like a teenagers prom dress..

[cb at sea]

I try never to use black, if I can help it....you simply blend in with everyone else! My favorite dress/gown was a periwinkle blue, with sparkles woven into it.....spaghetti straps with a rhinestone detail where the strap meets the dress....fitted through the bodice, and flairs slightly from the hip. I got tons of compliments!!

[ducklite]

Over half of my wardrobe is black. I add color with scarves or a bright colored top. Black is very versatile and can easily be dressed up or down. It eliminates the need for extra shoes. I'm starting to look at my wardrobe for Tahiti next year, and even there I'll be in black. It looks good on me and I'm not going to buy clothes I wouldn't wear again.

 

 

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[susie8862]

This is the reason I never, ever wear black. It is what everyone wears for formal (or any other night for that matter).

 

 

[Jane2357]

I'm taking 4 formals for my next cruise (3 formal nights plus my 20th Anniv on Valentine's Day, mint green tulle over white lace, navy blue, red and yes a black one. I love color!

[cruisemom42]

Over half of my wardrobe is black. I add color with scarves or a bright colored top. Black is very versatile and can easily be dressed up or down. It eliminates the need for extra shoes. I'm starting to look at my wardrobe for Tahiti next year, and even there I'll be in black. It looks good on me and I'm not going to buy clothes I wouldn't wear again.

 

 

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I'm with you. Using black as a base makes it easy (one pair of shoes, one small bag). All my formal items are separates so I can mix and match -- one long black skirt and one pair of dressy crepe black pants plus jackets/tops of various colors.

 

(It's also what I wear at home, to work, and when traveling by land.)

[puppycanducruise]

I always like to wear a bit of colour, and resisted getting that LBD. A few months ago when shopping a friend, she spotted a LBD that she said would be great for me. Since it did look good on me, I bought it. Now, I'm wondering if I made a mistake. Oh well, I guess I'll just blend in on our next cruise.

[ducklite]

Frankly if the dress looks fantastic on you, it doesn't matter what the color, it still looks fantastic. If you need a bright color to be a standout, then maybe you need to re-evaluate the style itself.

 

 

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[Sherlock43031]

Frankly if the dress looks fantastic on you, it doesn't matter what the color, it still looks fantastic. If you need a bright color to be a standout, then maybe you need to re-evaluate the style itself.

 

 

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correct.. there are lots of women wearing black that blend in because they don't know how to wear black.. then their are the few that wear black and do know how to wear black and have that WOW factor and certainly don't blend in.

[luvscruising2007]

I have a lot of black. Actually, I am wearing black pants and a black & white t-shirt right now. I have 2 black dresses, 1 I bought specifically for formal night, a cocktail dress, and the other is a LBD suitable for most occasions that I didn't buy for cruising. I can dress it up or down and love it for that reason.

Ironically, I love color too and most of my tops, whether summer or winter, are bright colors. I think we all wear what we are comfortable wearing and that is a good thing.

[Scrapnana]

I always like to wear a bit of colour, and resisted getting that LBD. A few months ago when shopping a friend, she spotted a LBD that she said would be great for me. Since it did look good on me, I bought it. Now, I'm wondering if I made a mistake. Oh well, I guess I'll just blend in on our next cruise.

 

I resisted a LBD for years but now that I have one I don't know what I did before. It is so versatile. Scarves, shawls, jackets, and jewelry make it look different everytime I wear it.

[susie8862]

I resisted a LBD for years but now that I have one I don't know what I did before. It is so versatile. Scarves, shawls, jackets, and jewelry make it look different everytime I wear it.

Sorry to change the subject......Scrapnana, I just noticed you are going on the World Tour in a couple of weeks. Will you be giving a review? My husband and I are very interested in this within the next couple of years. Would love to know your point of view. :o

[puppycanducruise]

I resisted a LBD for years but now that I have one I don't know what I did before. It is so versatile. Scarves, shawls, jackets, and jewelry make it look different everytime I wear it.

 

I'm looking forward to buying more accessories!

[Ehpride]

I rarely wear black because I love color in general. That goes for cruises too. Plus, I love dresses do I don't typically bring seperates or stick to a color palette. I bring the dresses that I love. That's how I dress at home and I'm not going to change it for travel.

 

I think we all just need to dress in the colors and styles that we love. For me, that's bright colors.

[slidergirl]

I'm with you. Using black as a base makes it easy (one pair of shoes, one small bag). All my formal items are separates so I can mix and match -- one long black skirt and one pair of dressy crepe black pants plus jackets/tops of various colors.

 

(It's also what I wear at home, to work, and when traveling by land.)

 

Yep. Again, with you and Ducklite. I have one LBTD (Little Black Travel Dress) that I can make casual or as formal as I want to go with the use of a few accessories. Oh, I do have one formal black velvet tank dress with a matching short dinner jacket that I bought at Nordstrom years ago for a formal, black tie Titanic re-creation dinner party. But, it never comes out of the close - I wouldn't take it on vacation because it just takes up too much space for something I'd only wear once on the trip.

 

My opinion/view on formals in color: On cruises where there is a formal night, I have rarely seen an older woman in a formal dress that doesn't look like a prom dress borrowed from their daughter (have you seen what they wear lately???) or a MOB dress that is meant to have the MOB stand out at the wedding. Those satin numbers where you an see all the seaming just bug the crap out of me. And, many of the women squeeze into a dress that their body type USED to be good in. I've seen a few of those posted on line here… Quiet sophistication is my way, not "look at me" standout style. Black, spiffed up with a nice silver or crystal-studded belt, a simple necklace with crystal embellishments, and a pair of crystal earrings and I'm good to go… Since I make a lot of my own jewelry, it's pretty easy to whip up a special color combo for my necklace and earrings. But, Swarovski aurora borealis is my favorite. I have some antique ruby red that a bead shop owner that I frequent had uncovered in a warehouse in NYC that make a special "pop" to a necklace.

[Porthopper101]

I resisted a LBD for years but now that I have one I don't know what I did before. It is so versatile. Scarves, shawls, jackets, and jewelry make it look different everytime I wear it.

 

Your next cruise and my next cruise are way too long to bring a few black dresses. Also, it would be so boring. I cannot see myself wearing black for 96 days on the ship.

 

Are you packed? FedEx is picking up 6 of our luggage on the 2rd. We are taking four with us on the 9rd. I am very excited :).

 

Have a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic cruise :).

 

Marie

[ducklite]

 

 

My opinion/view on formals in color: On cruises where there is a formal night, I have rarely seen an older woman in a formal dress that doesn't look like a prom dress borrowed from their daughter (have you seen what they wear lately???) or a MOB dress that is meant to have the MOB stand out at the wedding. Those satin numbers where you an see all the seaming just bug the crap out of me. And, many of the women squeeze into a dress that their body type USED to be good in. I've seen a few of those posted on line here… Quiet sophistication is my way, not "look at me" standout style. Black, spiffed up with a nice silver or crystal-studded belt, a simple necklace with crystal embellishments, and a pair of crystal earrings and I'm good to go… Since I make a lot of my own jewelry, it's pretty easy to whip up a special color combo for my necklace and earrings. But, Swarovski aurora borealis is my favorite. I have some antique ruby red that a bead shop owner that I frequent had uncovered in a warehouse in NYC that make a special "pop" to a necklace.

 

 

Not sure I agree with quite everything you've said. I've seen some gorgeous, age appropriate formals on more mature passengers.

 

I do agree that too many women wear dresses that are too young or ill fitting. Also, it's a formal night, not a red carpet.

 

I wear the same size that I did 30 years ago, but that doesn't mean I'm going to wear a dress I would have worn back then--although thinking about the fashions then with the butt bows and such--ew... ;)

 

Speaking of size, it doesn't matter how amazing the dress is, if you look like 10 pounds of potatoes stuffed into a five pound sack or conversely the dress is hanging on you with the shape of a sack, either get it tailored or leave it home. Nothing ruins a look as quickly as a bad fit. And for God's sake, wear a bra! I've see way too many beautiful dresses ruined by saggy girls that would have looked amazing if the wearer had bothered to take a critical eye to a mirror before stepping out.

 

Take a page from CoCo Chanel and keep it simple, elegant, perfectly tailored, and you'll look smashing.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[Porthopper101]

Yep. Again, with you and Ducklite. I have one LBTD (Little Black Travel Dress) that I can make casual or as formal as I want to go with the use of a few accessories. Oh, I do have one formal black velvet tank dress with a matching short dinner jacket that I bought at Nordstrom years ago for a formal, black tie Titanic re-creation dinner party. But, it never comes out of the close - I wouldn't take it on vacation because it just takes up too much space for something I'd only wear once on the trip.

 

My opinion/view on formals in color: On cruises where there is a formal night, I have rarely seen an older woman in a formal dress that doesn't look like a prom dress borrowed from their daughter (have you seen what they wear lately???) or a MOB dress that is meant to have the MOB stand out at the wedding. Those satin numbers where you an see all the seaming just bug the crap out of me. And, many of the women squeeze into a dress that their body type USED to be good in. I've seen a few of those posted on line here… Quiet sophistication is my way, not "look at me" standout style. Black, spiffed up with a nice silver or crystal-studded belt, a simple necklace with crystal embellishments, and a pair of crystal earrings and I'm good to go… Since I make a lot of my own jewelry, it's pretty easy to whip up a special color combo for my necklace and earrings. But, Swarovski aurora borealis is my favorite. I have some antique ruby red that a bead shop owner that I frequent had uncovered in a warehouse in NYC that make a special "pop" to a necklace.

 

Wow! You know the fashions. Would you mind posting a few pictures of you in "look at me" standout style. Perhaps I might learn somthing from you :).

[slidergirl]

Wow! You know the fashions. Would you mind posting a few pictures of you in "look at me" standout style. Perhaps I might learn somthing from you :).

 

Somehow I think you meant :roll eyes: instead of :). But no worries. I'm definitely NOT into knowing fashions. I just know what I like and I've stuck with it. Sorry - no pictures of me, even in "look at me" standout style. When you travel solo, it's hard to take a picture of yourself :D

 

Remember the post you did of your LBD with the black boots and the skull scarf? One of my favorite outfits! I REALLY wanted that scarf! Take that LBD, and you can dress it up with accessories to make it shine on formal night as a cocktail-length outfit. My "night out in Rome" outfit looked just like that, but my boots were different (a little higher engineer-style). I have a thin silver belt that I added to that outfit. It's not a photo of me, but if you go to http://www.garnethill.com and click on the Eileen Fisher Washable Wool Scoop-neck Dress, the two photos there are exactly how I've worn my dress in winter (with the black leggings and tall boots) and summer (with the engineer boots). Just add accessories...

As for the "Look at me" standout - some posters here said they explicitly wear bright color to stand out. I honestly don't care to standout, I'd rather blend. If you look at some of the "post a picture of yourself in your formal" postings, you'll see a good number of photos in the "what not to wear" category ;) I'd repost the posting #s, but I don't want to blatantly call out any individuals...;)

Edited December 22, 2013 by slidergirl

[Ehpride]

Somehow I think you meant :roll eyes: instead of :). But no worries. I'm definitely NOT into knowing fashions. I just know what I like and I've stuck with it. Sorry - no pictures of me, even in "look at me" standout style. When you travel solo, it's hard to take a picture of yourself :D

 

Remember the post you did of your LBD with the black boots and the skull scarf? One of my favorite outfits! I REALLY wanted that scarf! Take that LBD, and you can dress it up with accessories to make it shine on formal night as a cocktail-length outfit. My "night out in Rome" outfit looked just like that, but my boots were different (a little higher engineer-style). I have a thin silver belt that I added to that outfit. It's not a photo of me, but if you go to http://www.garnethill.com and click on the Eileen Fisher Washable Wool Scoop-neck Dress, the two photos there are exactly how I've worn my dress in winter (with the black leggings and tall boots) and summer (with the engineer boots). Just add accessories...

As for the "Look at me" standout - some posters here said they explicitly wear bright color to stand out. I honestly don't care to standout, I'd rather blend. If you look at some of the "post a picture of yourself in your formal" postings, you'll see a good number of photos in the "what not to wear" category ;) I'd repost the posting #s, but I don't want to blatantly call out any individuals...;)

 

I certainly don't wear color to stand out. I love wearing color and I love having pictures taken on a cruise. For me, having distinct and colorful outfits on a cruise is part of the fun. I honestly don't care if anybody else on the ship notices what I'm wearing as long as I'm happy and feel good.

[Scrapnana]

Your next cruise and my next cruise are way too long to bring a few black dresses. Also, it would be so boring. I cannot see myself wearing black for 96 days on the ship.

 

Are you packed? FedEx is picking up 6 of our luggage on the 2rd. We are taking four with us on the 9rd. I am very excited :).

 

Have a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic cruise :).

 

Marie

 

Hi, Marie!

 

Believe it or not, I have not even started packing! I have finished my Christmas shopping but still have a couple things coming in the mail. Once they are here and wrapped, all the Christmas things will go back to the shed and the suitcases will come in. All my clothes are in my cruise closet and all the other stuff is in various piles around any flat surface I can find!:eek: I am hoping the actual packing will not be too much of a pain.

 

As to the black clothes, I tried to not buy much black for evening as I already had a number of them from previous cruises. When I wear black I always try to have a pop of color in jewelry, purse, and/or shawl.

 

Happy holidays to you, as well. Hope you have a wonderful time and I want to hear about it when you get home. It is an itinerary I would love to do if/when Cunard offers it again.

 

Smooth sailing,

 

Kathi

[Scrapnana]

Sorry to change the subject......Scrapnana, I just noticed you are going on the World Tour in a couple of weeks. Will you be giving a review? My husband and I are very interested in this within the next couple of years. Would love to know your point of view. :o

 

I will do a review afterwards. I am also writing a blog and with the help of others on the roll call, going to do a "Live" account on the Cunard forum.

 

A World Voyage has been a dream of mine for many years and I can't believe it is less than three weeks away!