Formal Night Suit Colour

[holidaylover10]

Could anyone advise if a blue or dark grey suit is acceptable on formal night? My husband is happy to wear a suit but only owns suits in these colours and doesn't really want to buy a black one unless absolutely necessary.

[Pushpit]

Dark grey is within the dress code for Gala nights, but since you will be doing lots more Cunard trips then now is a good time to seek out a dinner jacket/tuxedo.

Edited January 13 by Pushpit

[rog747]

Yes, a dark suit is OK for Formal/Gala nights with shirt and tie.

It has to be said though that up to 99% of the Gentlemen will be mostly in ''Black Tie''.

I see that you live in the UK, may I suggest popping to M&S (one of the bigger stores) and they do some rather nice and inexpensive Dinner Suits, often in their Sales.

I just sold some Dinner Suits I had -- cough ahem --- I'm sure the sizes were all wrong LOL 😂

Otherwise he will be fine with what he has.
Enjoy your holiday.

Edited January 13 by rog747

[Victoria2]

7 hours ago, holidaylover10 said:

Could anyone advise if a blue or dark grey suit is acceptable on formal night? My husband is happy to wear a suit but only owns suits in these colours and doesn't really want to buy a black one unless absolutely necessary.

Yes. A dark suit will be perfectly acceptable. The majority of chaps will be gussied up in black tie but he will most certainly not be alone non black tie.

[Austcruiser84]

If you are sailing in Australia, a tee shirt, board shorts and rubber flip flops will suffice on gala night. Full review forthcoming! 😱 
 

If sailing out of anywhere else, do dress up as the rest of the world keeps it classy in my experience. 

[Mareblu]

11 minutes ago, Austcruiser84 said:

If you are sailing in Australia, a tee shirt, board shorts and rubber flip flops will suffice on gala night. Full review forthcoming! 😱 
 

If sailing out of anywhere else, do dress up as the rest of the world keeps it classy in my experience. 

As a well-travelled Australian, I can assure all that is incorrect.  Australian and the vast majority of passengers on our recent QE 3-week cruise around Australia and New Zealand dressed impeccably on gala evenings.  My DH always wears a dinner jacket, with a nod to the theme of the evening with a touch of colour in his pocket, and with a Venetian mask on masquerade evenings.  We were surrounded at dinner in QG by similarly attired gentlemen.

[maggielou362]

3 hours ago, rog747 said:

I just sold some Dinner Suits I had -- cough ahem --- I'm sure the sizes were all wrong LOL 😂
 

My cupboards/wardrobes alter the size of my clothes too! From what I am told, clothing is prone to shrinking on Cunard voyages of more than one week's duration. I will soon find out.

[Austcruiser84]

35 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

As a well-travelled Australian, I can assure all that is incorrect.  Australian and the vast majority of passengers on our recent QE 3-week cruise around Australia and New Zealand dressed impeccably on gala evenings.  My DH always wears a dinner jacket, with a nod to the theme of the evening with a touch of colour in his pocket, and with a Venetian mask on masquerade evenings.  We were surrounded at dinner in QG by similarly attired gentlemen.

I’m onboard presently and can only report what I see. A short cruise so perhaps it has attracted a different clientele. 

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, Austcruiser84 said:

I’m onboard presently and can only report what I see. A short cruise so perhaps it has attracted a different clientele. 

I must say when I was on a Med. cruise with 400 Australians, they were in no way conspicuous by failure to conform to the dress code.

[Austcruiser84]

2 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I must say when I was on a Med. cruise with 400 Australians, they were in no way conspicuous by failure to conform to the dress code.

I am ashamed of my country today. It’s truly horrendous. I shall leave the worst for my review in the coming days but I am surprised that the ship’s crew didn’t discreetly speak to some of the offending Australians! 

[Mareblu]

13 minutes ago, Austcruiser84 said:

I’m onboard presently and can only report what I see. A short cruise so perhaps it has attracted a different clientele. 

Perhaps, but on all the cruises we have enjoyed over approx twenty-five years, I can in all honesty attest to only courtesy and smart dressing.  I’m seriously not being defensive;  I would be the first to call out slips, but I’m referring here to many lines:  Silversea, Seabourn, Oceania, etc.  Our only cruise in Australian Waters was Cunard’s QE this year.  I reiterate:  impeccably behaved guests.

 

[Mareblu]

14 minutes ago, Austcruiser84 said:

I am ashamed of my country today. It’s truly horrendous. I shall leave the worst for my review in the coming days but I am surprised that the ship’s crew didn’t discreetly speak to some of the offending Australians! 

Are you on P&O?😂

[Austcruiser84]

6 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

Perhaps, but on all the cruises we have enjoyed over approx twenty-five years, I can in all honesty attest to only courtesy and smart dressing.  I’m seriously not being defensive;  I would be the first to call out slips, but I’m referring here to many lines:  Silversea, Seabourn, Oceania, etc.  Our only cruise in Australian Waters was Cunard’s QE this year.  I reiterate:  impeccably behaved guests.

 

Don’t take it as defensive at all. I believe you. Convinced as this is a 3 night cruise it has attracted a large non Cunard type of passenger. Hawaiian shirts (not the worst) and all on gala night. It wouldn’t wash on a regular voyage!

[Mareblu]

15 minutes ago, Austcruiser84 said:

Don’t take it as defensive at all. I believe you. Convinced as this is a 3 night cruise it has attracted a large non Cunard type of passenger. Hawaiian shirts (not the worst) and all on gala night. It wouldn’t wash on a regular voyage!

That’s really sad.  Yes, 3 nights may be a magnet for the wannabes.  Every culture has them.

[Winifred 22]

3 hours ago, maggielou362 said:

My cupboards/wardrobes alter the size of my clothes too! From what I am told, clothing is prone to shrinking on Cunard voyages of more than one week's duration. I will soon find out.

Before I started cruising a worked with a lady who was an avid cruiser. She explained to me once when packing she had a week 1 and a week 2 wardrobe. I must admit at the time I didn’t really believe her. I can now see the wisdom of this. 

[rsquare]

15 hours ago, Pushpit said:

Dark grey is within the dress code for Gala nights, but since you will be doing lots more Cunard trips then now is a good time to seek out a dinner jacket/tuxedo.

Pushpit's comment raises a question that I have had for a while about dinner jackets.  I have seen gentlemen (almost invariably British when I have heard them speaking) on formal nights wearing a tuxedo jacket with ordinary black dress trousers (ie, no side stripe), a regular dress shirt (sometimes even with a button-down collar) worn with a black bowtie and no cummerbund or waistcoat.

 

Apparently, this passes muster with Britannia's maitre d'.  Is this a style of formalwear that is widely considered acceptable, or is it a hack to save packing space and sort of look like you are complying with the dress code?

[D&N]

18 minutes ago, rsquare said:

Pushpit's comment raises a question that I have had for a while about dinner jackets.  I have seen gentlemen (almost invariably British when I have heard them speaking) on formal nights wearing a tuxedo jacket with ordinary black dress trousers (ie, no side stripe), a regular dress shirt (sometimes even with a button-down collar) worn with a black bowtie and no cummerbund or waistcoat.

 

Apparently, this passes muster with Britannia's maitre d'.  Is this a style of formalwear that is widely considered acceptable, or is it a hack to save packing space and sort of look like you are complying with the dress code?

I'd normally wear formal trousers but I do have a couple of black suits, one of which I intend to take next time along with a few pairs of ordinary black dress trousers. My view is that I'd only wear them with a tux in an emergency but they would be passable.

I personally dislike cummerbunds and wouldn't wear one. I only have one waistcoat (from the other black suit), I don't object to wearing them but think the white shirt looks better without, with jacket buttoned most of the time.

I've not come across any suggestion before that either could be a requirement. Google tells me some military dress uniforms require cummerbunds and I can understand everyone dressing the same in that scenario.

I'm afraid I'll need to be a rebel in this case. 🙂

[Victoria2]

 

Having attended countless black tie events over the past many decades, whilst the purists might advocate cummerbund or even a waistcoat and look down on those who, with the changes in fashion over the decades, eschew such accessories, it is not necessary or a requirement to wear such additional details although I will admit, a cummerbund can be rather useful for the more portly gentleman.

A satin stripe traditionally matches the lapel of the dinner jacket.

 

My husband has the stripes, but not the satin lapel.

 

What would the Fashion Police make of that!

 

For heavens sake, let's be pleased when most chaps wear a dinner suit, be it a charity shop buy, M&S or a Saville Row Made to Measure. To be that picky as to accessories and stripes is enough to make me see stars with said stripes. 🥴

Edited January 13 by Victoria2

[rmsEtruria]

9 minutes ago, D&N said:

I'd normally wear formal trousers but I do have a couple of black suits, one of which I intend to take next time along with a few pairs of ordinary black dress trousers. My view is that I'd only wear them with a tux in an emergency but they would be passable.

I personally dislike cummerbunds and wouldn't wear one. I only have one waistcoat (from the other black suit), I don't object to wearing them but think the white shirt looks better without, with jacket buttoned most of the time.

I've not come across any suggestion before that either could be a requirement. Google tells me some military dress uniforms require cummerbunds and I can understand everyone dressing the same in that scenario.

I'm afraid I'll need to be a rebel in this case. 🙂

No matter what some will say, cummerbunds are not de rigueur with a tux. Bond never wears one, and neither do I.

[exlondoner]

I am pretty myopic and getting close enough to men’s legs to notice whether they are striped or not might require a degree of closeness I would otherwise avoid.

[Victoria2]

1 minute ago, rmsEtruria said:

No matter what some will say, cummerbunds are not de rigueur with a tux. Bond never wears one, and neither do I.

I was going to post a photo of Mr Bond a la Daniel Craig but forgot in my eagerness to post. He wears a dinner jacket, magnificently!

[Victoria2]

4 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I am pretty myopic and getting close enough to men’s legs to notice whether they are striped or not might require a degree of closeness I would otherwise avoid.

I will lend you a pair of mini binoculars if we ever meet so you can discreetly give male legs the once over!

 

edit

 

and if you don't get thrown off the ship, you can spill the beans!😃

Edited January 13 by Victoria2

[exlondoner]

7 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I will lend you a pair of mini binoculars if we ever meet so you can discreetly give male legs the once over!

 

edit

 

and if you don't get thrown off the ship, you can spill the beans!😃

Hmm. A kind thought, but I think minibinos might get me into more trouble than peering from closer quarters than usual. 

[Victoria2]

4 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Hmm. A kind thought, but I think minibinos might get me into more trouble than peering from closer quarters than usual. 

Depends how discreet you are. I guess practise could make perfect...if undiscovered.

 

If discovered, you could claim broken specs or a diagnosed but hidden eyesight  issue which demanded full use of the binocular lenses and the fact they were aimed at chaps' legs, was a muscular problem which meant your gaze was lowered on occasions.

 

 

[Pushpit]

You need the cummerbund to catch all the crumbs (unless one has put it on the wrong way up).

 

But yes, UK Dinner Jackets and matching trousers don't always have the (satin) side stripe, that's a long convention, I used to think it was an American affection to be avoided, but I think that less so now. If we look at formal rugby and boxing events in the UK, the minima would be dinner jacket, matching and belonging trousers (so they come up the waist more but may not have the satin), bow tie, cummerbund and correct double cuffed dress shirt. Waistcoats came back in vogue courtesy of Messrs Southgate and Allardyce, to switch codes.  Cufflinks, at least in rugby circles, are important, mine are from the White Star Line naturally, but you can get all sorts of rugby cufflinks.

 

My opinion (not Cunard's) is that DJ, bow tie and trousers that look to match is good enough, and takes the wearer out of the "dark suit" halfway house brigade, and deep into acceptable dress code. Cummerbund, dress shirt, dress trousers are better, waistcoats if you can pull it off without looking like an advert for French tyres = all good. Much easier for the men than the ladies all told.