Clothing question

[NightRN]

I would like some advice on how my mother-in-law should dress on formal nights. Obviously a ball gown wouldn't work in her wheelchair or scooter. How formal is the Summit? What type of clothing has worked for you guys. My mother-in-law has never had to dress up before in her life, except for her wedding.

 

Also, she usually likes to run around in shorts. Will this be allowed on the Summit?

[cjh]

She can wear shorts during the day on the ship.

 

Just because she is in a wheelchair doesn't mean she can't wear a formal dress. The picture is my 2 girls both in wheelchairs last February.

 

If she is more comfortable in a dressy pant suit that will work.

[Queenie2]

Oh CJH..I absolutely love the red dress!!

 

Night RN, shorts are OK, but not at dinner.

 

I guess it depends more on what your mother in law feels comfortable in, rather than the fact that she's in a wheelchair. Lots of wheelers get *very* dressed up.

 

I would say look for some loose dressy pants and maybe a lacey or sequin top. And shoes -- cool shoes! If she doesn't like "dresses" she doens't have to wear one, but certainly a very dressy pant set. Not just a blazer and pants, but something with a little sparkle, lace of chiffon. And jewelry. Accessorize!! And maybe a fancy rhinestone comb for her hair. Think glitter!

 

Candy

[NightRN]

Thanks you two, especially for the picture. Your girls are so cute.

 

 

 

I guess I just needed you two to come and expand my box that I was thinking in. I was thinking of a dress with lots of crinolin underneath to make it big and poofy. (Is poofy even a word?:D )

 

I think my mother-in-law might enjoy dressing up at least once. As I said previously, she never got to go out before.

 

I am still a little confused about the dress code. Is that only in the main dining room? If she is too tired to go through all the effort of getting ready, can we wear our day clothes to the buffet/other area of the ship or is our only choice room service in that case? Do you by chance know if there is anywhere on the ship that will do her hair? She has an appointment once a week to have it done, and she's worried about going for two weeks without her appointment.

[DesrtDrmr]

Hi NightRn,

Your mother in law will have no trouble getting her hair done in the salon. Just make your appointment soon after you board, as the appointments for formal nights go quickly. It costs more on the ship to get your hair done, but to me, who is terrible at doing her own hair, it's worth it. I think it was about $ 35.00 for a shampoo and style. The cool thing about ship beauty shops is that their sinks are ones that they bring to you, and you sit with your head UP. You don't have to lie back like you do in shops at home. It's much more comfortable. The stylists always want to sell you something, but I just tell them that my dermatologist makes me use RX stuff at home. :) End of sales pitch.............

I use a scooter and/or chair, and have a blast getting dressed up. Long skirts, pants, glitzy top, metallic sandals.........no stockings and I'm set. Just be sure your m.i.l brings a shawl (I take a pashmina...lightweight, can fold in my scooter basket) for the dining rooms and showrooms, which CAN be quite cool in the evenings.

Oh, and yes, you can wear your "street clothes" in the buffet in the evening, although you are encouraged to follow the dress code throughout the ship in the evenings. Some people do not dress up, and either go to the Buffet or have room service in the evening.

Here's hoping you have a super wonderful time! Cruising is a great vacation for someone with mobility problems, as long as they have wheels! :)

[PiperMcB]

This is what I am wearing on one of my formal nights (the top is in black, too and is made for the pants) I have to wear lace-up Ryka shoes because of an AFO. I don't feel comfortable in a formal dress and "tennis shoes and socks", so I wear very dressy pants. I am wearing grey fly-away pants with a liquid silver top on the other formal night. Since Rykas are the only kind of shoe I wear, I have them in many different colors and will wear black with one outfit and grey with the other.

 

I feel very "dressed up" in both of the outfits because of the style of the outfits and the materials used in them. (And they are comfortable to sit in.)

[Queenie2]

night rn:

 

I would advise against the crinolin. Pouffy and wcs don't mix (when you sit down the pouff factor increases and you look like a giant pouff ball, plus it's hard to keep the skirt down). Plus crinolin is very uncomfortable to sit on. I have two friends that got married last year and they spent most of their time trying to find non-crinolin gowns.

 

Think loose and flowy. The pants are a good idea. You can be very dressy in some pants. And if you want two outfits, you can just buy another blouse or jacket:) Oh yeah. get some dressy shoe clips for her shoes. It's a fast and easy way to dress things up a bit!

 

Candy

[NightRN]

Pouffy and wcs don't mix (when you sit down the pouff factor increases and you look like a giant pouff ball, plus it's hard to keep the skirt down). Plus crinolin is very uncomfortable to sit on.

 

This is why I was worried about dressing her up. When they said formal, I was thinking of "Cinderella-type" dresses. Then I had the image in my mind of my mother-in-law, sitting in her wheelchair, and all you could see was crinolin and two legs sticking out. (I know, my imagination is waaaaay too active.:D )

 

Now that you guys have steered me in the right direction, I know what to look for. Thanks for all the pictures. That has really helped since I'm a very visual person.

 

My sister-in-law will be coming in to town for the holidays. I think we'll all go out shopping then.

[Betsy's Mom]

HI,

I have bought two pair of silk pants from this company on their web site. They are light silk (washable) with elastic waist. Very, very comfortable. They come in five colors and look good. Easy to pack etc. Use them on cruises all the time. Also reasonable price, about $50,

softsurroundings.com

B.

[EileenN]

I would also recommend a product called "cityknits" from QVC.com. The make elastic waisted loose black flowing pants that can be dressed up with short sleeve tops or jackets to match. Other dressy tops can be found at Burlington Coat Factory stores if you have one near you. Good Luck and let us know how you make out.

[Splinter]

My mother (wheelchair user) prefers skirts, so she has a black chiffon A-line skirt that she wears with a variety of sequined and dressy tops. We try to find them in a knit fabric to make getting them on/off easier. Combined with some nice jewelry, and black shoes (she just wears black TED hose) she looks great. Check out some websites like Draper's and Damon's http://www.drapers.com/ for some nice tops that will be dressy and appropriate for older ladies (check the sale sections). Also, if you are going after Christmas, check out the after Christmas sales in your local department stores for some real bargins.

 

I am not in a chair, but I HATE wearing dresses, so I have both a pair of slinky knit black slacks and a pair of velveteen slacks that I also wear with a variety of dressy tops and some bling. This also saves on packing space. I take two dressy outfits. For a long cruise with more than 2 formal nights, I repeat the outfits. Guaranteed...no one other than you will every remember what you wore last week.

 

You will see people in dressy, Oscar type gowns, but this is not necessary. I would DEFINATELY not recommend full skirts or anything too wild. Most people dress fairly conservatively. We think dressing up is fun, and it is great for taking more formal photos of the family (we do our own instead of the expensive ship's photos).

 

Shorts are not allowed in the dining room in the evening even on casual nights, so you may want to invest in some casual slack outfits she can wear for these occasions as well.

[Queenie2]

Night RN:

So after this lenghty ("girlie" as my husband would call it) clothing discussion, I do hope you post a photo of you guys all dressed up on your cruise!! I like seeing photos of other folks!! I hope you have a great cruise!

 

Candy

[kitty9]

Night RN, you don't have to wear a dress to look formal. I cannot wear fancy shoes because my feet are deformed from polio, so I wear long evening pants, made from a nice floaty fabric and pair that with a sequined top, or even a beaded twinset. She could wear something called Flyaway Pants. Those are pants that have sheer fabric panels over them to make it look like a skirt. Again you pair that with a dressy top and you're all set for formal night.

 

The Summit is a dressy ship, and even though you can dine casually, if you want to go to any of the evening shows or lounges after dinner, you should be in the code of the evening. It states in the daily newsletter that you should be in the code of the evening anytime after 6pm, if you're going to be in any of the public rooms.

[daju22]

I would also recommend a product called "cityknits" from QVC.com. The make elastic waisted loose black flowing pants that can be dressed up with short sleeve tops or jackets to match. Other dressy tops can be found at Burlington Coat Factory stores if you have one near you. Good Luck and let us know how you make out.

 

Alfred Dunner makes some "slinky" type pants and long skirt in black. I bought one of each and will wear them with different tops and jackets for formal nights. This fabric is wonderful and stretches to accomodate any change in waist size that occurs on the cruise:eek: . Most department stores carry Alfred Dunner and you can get them on sale for reasonable prices. Mirasol also makes clothes in this fabric.

[CaptData]

I wear black velvet pants with wide legs like in above pics and a sparkly top. It is comfortable and easy for me to deal with which is also important.

[Splinter]

Here are my parents with one of my mother's dressy outfits (on the Statendam):