Is Velvet ok?

[LNOTcruisers]

My family and I are cruising for the first time on NOS over Thanksgiving. Is a black velvet skirt and fancy top ok for formal night? I wasn't sure if velvet would be ok since we will be in the tropics. Thanks for your input!

 

LNOTcruisers

[kyriecat]

I hope velvet is okay. Last year in October I wore a long, black velvet skirt with a mid-thigh split and a rhinestone beaded velvet top for a W. Caribbean cruise.

 

This past October I wore a long, maroon halter style jet-beaded dress in the Mediterranean.

 

I say wear whatever you would normally wear for a formal event on the cruise. The ships normally have really good air conditioning (translation - cold) so you won't get too warm. I usually wear a shawl because I get too cold.

 

For the casual nights, a tropical print dress or skirt is nice if you want to go with a Caribbean theme.

[TexasFyre]

Black velvet is beautiful regardless of where.

[Sassy Chassis]

I'm taking brown velvet...enjoy your cruise!

[caviargal]

I wear velvet only when the season and itinerary call for it. For me, that is not the Caribbean as I do not feel that velvet works in the warmer weather.

 

Same for the Med, I would wear velvet only in the winter months.

[LNOTcruisers]

Thanks everyone for your responses. The velvet skirt is going with me!

 

LNOTcruisers

[Rena921]

Velvet is perfectly accecptable. We went on Carnival Miracle in July...formal dress attire for women ranged from nice pants-suits to over-the-top formal prom style evening gowns. For men, most wore suits with a few in Tuxes and some with shirt and tie only. (I always wore a light sweater in the dining room on any given night because they generally keep them so cool.) On a 7 day cruise you usually have 2 formal nights and the second night is a lot less formal. You will feel like you are at the Academy Awards when you see everyone in their "fancy dress". :D

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Serena

[LNOTcruisers]

Wow, just talking about what to wear is making me excited for the cruise. I better get started on my packing! Only 10 days to go! :)

 

Lori

[Jane110]

Thanks everyone for your responses. The velvet skirt is going with me!

 

LNOTcruisers

 

LNOT,

 

Obviously, you're free to do what you like and the Fashion Police won't be on your cruise to "arrest" you for any transgressions. :) So ultimately, you should do what makes you comfortable.

 

That said, since you're new to this board and you did ask for opinions, I'll jump in with mine.

 

I completely agree with CaviarGirl and think that velvet, especially black velvet is out of place in a hot summer climate. I wouldn't wear it in July here in NY so I certainly wouldn't wear it in the tropics anytime since it's summer there 12 months a year. My feeling is that on a cruise we should wear what we would normally wear in July or August at home for a formal night.

 

I don't buy into "the dining room is airconditoned" theory. If I followed that line of thinking I'd be wearing white linen pants, sandals and tropical colored tank tops in the middle of winter instead of cashmere sweaters and boots - because all the restaurants here in NYC have plenty of heat.

 

Just another point of view.

 

Jane

[BlueHerons]

LNOT,

 

 

I don't buy into "the dining room is airconditoned" theory.

Jane

 

Here's a good rule of thumb, if the air conditioning is in use in the location you want to wear velvet, you probably shouldn't. If the heat is on, by all means go ahead.

[TexasFyre]

My Humble Opinion...:D Just a thought too. My wedding dress was velvet, cream colored, full length. Oh, I was married in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 28th. :D Velvet is fine for whatever time of the year.

 

**disclosure- this is just my thoughts and has no way wanting to cause hurt feelings or some such. just my humble opinion.

[crucero-amante]

Here is my opinion.:D

NO velvet in the Caribbean. :eek: Yikes it is a cold weather fabric.

I agree with Jane and the AC theory; if that were the case I would wear a cashmere dress in the summer because it might be cold. And since the heat is on in the winter I might as well wear a linen dress with thongs.

 

J.

[Rena921]

Well, since I tend to be cold in the dining rooms, I always wear a sweater. Even while dining out at home in the middle of summer, I will ALWAYS take a sweater /light jacket with me. I don't recall velvet ever being listed as a winter only fabric. In my humble opinion I think that velvet is a very elegant classic and rich material.

Oh- and are the cruise lines employing fashion police these days? Maybe we can track down an officer and have him arrest the always present old hairy guy in the speedo out by the pool.:eek:

[Rena921]

**disclosure- this is just my thoughts and has no way wanting to cause hurt feelings or some such. just my humble opinion.

 

LMAO @ disclosure. Isn't it funny how testy people can get on these boards! :p

[kyriecat]

Here is my opinion.:D

NO velvet in the Caribbean. :eek: Yikes it is a cold weather fabric.

I agree with Jane and the AC theory; if that were the case I would wear a cashmere dress in the summer because it might be cold. And since the heat is on in the winter I might as well wear a linen dress with thongs.

 

J.

 

Been there, done that! I routinely wear sweaters and long skirts to my parents' church in the summer (about 100 miles east of Houston, TX) when it's in the upper 90s outside because the A/C is so cold. I would rather be comfortable for an extended period of time than worry about the short amount of time that I am outside moving from the building to the car.

 

I have also been known to wear velvet dresses to our formal Christmas parties for work despite it being in the 80s outside in Houston simply because I like the way the dress fits me. Today I wore a slightly above-knee cotton skirt with a short sleeve cotton blouse and sandals to work because it is in the upper 80s here. Other parts of the US have snow, we have even more heat!

[crucero-amante]

Been there, done that! I routinely wear sweaters and long skirts to my parents' church in the summer (about 100 miles east of Houston, TX) when it's in the upper 90s outside because the A/C is so cold. I would rather be comfortable for an extended period of time than worry about the short amount of time that I am outside moving from the building to the car.

 

I have also been known to wear velvet dresses to our formal Christmas parties for work despite it being in the 80s outside in Houston simply because I like the way the dress fits me. Today I wore a slightly above-knee cotton skirt with a short sleeve cotton blouse and sandals to work because it is in the upper 80s here. Other parts of the US have snow, we have even more heat!

 

Good for you!

[Rena921]

Here is my opinion.:D

NO velvet in the Caribbean. :eek: Yikes it is a cold weather fabric.

I agree with Jane and the AC theory; if that were the case I would wear a cashmere dress in the summer because it might be cold. And since the heat is on in the winter I might as well wear a linen dress with thongs.

 

J.

 

OK....The AC thing is not a theory for me, it's a fact. Yes, you could wear a cashmere dress in the middle of summer. I see it all the time, especially for an indoor event. And even in the winter there are days that get pretty warm, so you could wear a linnen dress and sandles. (Teens wear flip-flops any time of the year so that doesn't really count)

For what it's worth, wear what you want, be an individual don't not wear something because there is a "winter or summer" only lable on it. Wear what makes you comfortable. On cruises you see a wide variety of styles, so don't feel like you will be out of place wearing velvet on formal night. Take what you want to wear and have a wonderful cruise!

IMO: The OP came here for advice and she kinda got slammed. I would have felt bad if I asked a question and got a response like this and a couple of the others that were posted. (that's my honest and most humble opinion and i'm sorry if this offends anyone) :rolleyes:

[Coolmama_1]

Black velvet is beautiful regardless of where.

 

 

you are so right.

[kyriecat]

Rena,

 

Obviously we're not part of the fashionistas group!:D

 

I guess the Caribbean is the exception to all the "rules". You can wear a velvet dress in Houston in winter even if it's 80 degrees out but not in the Caribbean (or the Mediterranean apparently) where it's also 80 degrees out. You can't wear white after Labor Day (unless it's "winter white") except in the Caribbean. You can wear sandals in the Caribbean but not in Florida during winter. You can wear a linen sundress in the Caribbean in January but nowhere else no matter how hot it is.

 

I'm a fashion faux pas waiting to happen! I guess it's a good thing I work with a group of mostly men for an engineering group. The biggest fashion question for them is: If I wore the blue shirt yesterday but washed it last night, can I wear it again today or should I wait until tomorrow? :D Unless I showed up naked, they wouldn't know whether I was violating a fashion rule or not. Even then, they might have to call their wives to ask. ;)

[Jane110]

IMO: The OP came here for advice and she kinda got slammed. I would have felt bad if I asked a question and got a response like this and a couple of the others that were posted. (that's my honest and most humble opinion and i'm sorry if this offends anyone) :rolleyes:

 

Rena921,

 

Slammed? I have to disagree with you 100%.

 

She asked for an honest opinion and she got a few. Some here think it's an appropriate fabric for the tropics and some of us don't. I think these opinions were stated in a most respectful manner with just about all of us saying that ultimately the OP should do what she wants.

 

I don't see any posts that slammed, flamed or insulted her in anyway and really don't know see the source of your accusations. And I'm not offended by your opinion, I just don't agree with it, unless you think that disagreeing with a POV is slamming.

 

Jane

[Rena921]

Rena,

I'm a fashion faux pas waiting to happen! I guess it's a good thing I work with a group of mostly men for an engineering group. The biggest fashion question for them is: If I wore the blue shirt yesterday but washed it last night, can I wear it again today or should I wait until tomorrow? :D Unless I showed up naked, they wouldn't know whether I was violating a fashion rule or not. Even then, they might have to call their wives to ask. ;)

 

 

Kyriecat:

LMAO so true...:p

 

On a cruise on formal nights, I would much rather see someone beautifully dressed in velvet than some of the glittery, sequined, see through, trashy concoctions where you can see their belly dresses that I saw last July! One girl (20's) had like a satin tank top looking top in a coral color that ended right below her boobs with a matching long extremly low rise (glad she waxed) skirt. The color was gorgeous with her tan and her belly button ring mached, but it was WAAAAYYYY too much skin for formal dining. :eek: I do believe that they had to bring in oxygen tanks for some of the ilder gents in the dining room!

You may consider me slightly conservative, but I must admit that my tastes in clothing lean way away from the Paris Hilton/Brittney Spears collections.

(in my humble opinion:cool:)

[Jane110]

LMAO @ disclosure. Isn't it funny how testy people can get on these boards! :p

 

 

Rena921,

 

I agree with you.

 

This is an opinion board. If someone posts and asks for an opinion about something, no one should need to tip toe around and apologize about giving one.

 

Obviously, it has to be done respectfully and no one should be attacked for their personal style.......or even lack of it. <g>

 

It's really fine to say "I disagree with you" or "I don't think that's a good choice for......". It's not fine to say "You're a walking fashion faux pas for wearing that get-up"! :) And I think that most people understand the difference.

 

Jane

[Rena921]

Rena921,

 

Slammed? I have to disagree with you 100%.

 

She asked for an honest opinion and she got a few. Some here think it's an appropriate fabric for the tropics and some of us don't. I think these opinions were stated in a most respectful manner with just about all of us saying that ultimately the OP should do what she wants.

 

I don't see any posts that slammed, flamed or insulted her in anyway and really don't know see the source of your accusations. And I'm not offended by your opinion, I just don't agree with it, unless you think that disagreeing with a POV is slamming.

 

Jane

 

Jane,

 

You are very correct, everyone is entitled to their opinions...even me (go figure). In my opinion some of the responses came through as harsh. The one that I specifically responded to was in my opinion coming across as a smart-alec comment intended to make the OP and others that were pro-velvet feel fashion challenged:

I agree with Jane and the AC theory; if that were the case I would wear a cashmere dress in the summer because it might be cold. And since the heat is on in the winter I might as well wear a linen dress with thongs.

 

And yes, I do object to the "A/C therory"...I happen to get cold in places where the A/C is running and will and almost always take some kind of cover-up along with me. I have been known to wear a long sleved sweater in the heat of summer to an indoor event where I know the A/C will be on high.:eek: (mybad)

 

Now, that being said, in my opinion these boards should be fun. I don't take most posts seriously and find the majority comical. I think viewing things through other peoples eyes is a very interesting look at the differenceces in all of us in the human race. I find it very fascinating that people feel they can say what they want and how they to say it with no regard of how the recepient of those words might take it and feel. In fact one of my earlier posts to this thread was to state the fact that some of the posters out there get so testy. Maybe defensive would have been a better choice of words.

Most of my responses are to lighten up the mood in the room and yes, I will admit to express my own personal oppinion. I do not and will not ever slam/comdem/treat anyone with little to no respect for having a difference of opinion. This world would be a boring place if everybody felt the same and had the same beliefs.

 

I like to see individulaity and if a person chooses to wear flippers and a fur coat let 'em. It's not for us to judge.;) (we can giggle behind their backs though)

 

Life is way to short to be serious all of the time. Lighten up and take time to smell the roses and enjoy what time we have on this crazy planet we call home.

 

*IMHO

 

 

 

[LandLockedInAZ]

I am of the opinion that the OP should wear what she feels beautiful in and everybody else will get over it. I humbly admit now that I wore a long-sleeved velvet dress the evening before we reached Hilo, Hawaii a couple of years ago. Yes, it was probably too warm outside to warrant it, but it was Christmas Day and it seemed appropriate to me at the time.

 

One thing that I wonder about, though, is that whenever I'm shopping in the department stores around this time of year, I see dresses designed for New Year's Eve and they are lightweight strapless (or spaghetti strap) numbers that would not provide any warmth whatsoever! Can someone explain this to me?

[LandLockedInAZ]

I am of the opinion that the OP should wear what she feels beautiful in and everybody else will get over it. I humbly admit now that I wore a long-sleeved velvet dress the evening before we reached Hilo, Hawaii a couple of years ago. Yes, it was probably too warm outside to warrant it, but it was Christmas Day and it seemed appropriate to me at the time.

 

One thing that I wonder about, though, is that whenever I'm shopping in the department stores around this time of year, I see dresses designed for New Year's Eve and they are lightweight strapless (or spaghetti strap) numbers that would not provide any warmth whatsoever! Can someone explain this to me?