What is a lady to wear on formal night?

[Meltiphil]

Okay you pro-cruisers, what is a lady to wear????? NO, I'm not made of money or born with a silver spoon in my mouth, so I need some cheap ideas of what to get to wear, what did you wear????????? Please share some ideas please. Thanks, :)

[crusinmama06]

Do you have any Ross's stores around you? I have found some GREAT (and cheap) cruisewear. :D

 

There is a Fashion board here at CC...so if your post gets zapped...look over there for ideas.

[amybear912]

I have a black skirt that's made of that slinky material... I think it has lycra in it...

 

I usually just take that and maybe a few dressy tops to match it with a little jewelry... jewelry can make just about anything look formal :)

 

The slinky material stuff packs really well and usually doesn't need to be ironed or pressed... I got mine at Kohl's for about $15 a few years back and each year I just get a new dressy top to go with it... they make pants in this material also and I've seen women wear that too!

[cb at sea]

You don't have to spend a fortune to dress formally! Many of your local department stores will have TONS of gowns and cocktail dresses on clearance! As long as they fit properly, they will be fine! Fit is the most important aspect of formalwear. A pair of strappy silver, gold, or black shoes will cover almost any style of dress--and you can get them in a self-serve shoe store--cheap!!!

Just get out there and start trying things on--you'll be surprised how affordable dressing up can be!

[Joedog]

The most important thing would be a smile.

 

Everything else after that is of minor concern to me. Of course my DW obviously thinks otherwise considering the huge amount of time she spends worrying "does this pocket book match this dress" and "are the shoes right" and "it's going to be cold in the Dining Room so I'm gonna need a shawl", etc.

[MilliesMom]

A floor length black skirt and nice blouse is always appropriate. I always checked Dillards (they have some great clearance sales -- sometimes as much as 75% off), also Stein Mart has some great prices. Coldwater Creek has many travel knit (slinky material) skirts & outfits that are great for packing. Ross, Marshalls have good sale items too. Don't forget to check the local Goodwill store or local thrift store. Many formal items are only worn once and donated.

 

I have also worn dressy black slacks and a sparkly top (back in the days when I could only wear tie shoes because of orthodics).

 

You will find many choices and all different prices ... you definitely don't need a designer gown to look and feel wonderful for the formal night on board ship.

[petel]

Okay you pro-cruisers, what is a lady to wear????? NO, I'm not made of money or born with a silver spoon in my mouth, so I need some cheap ideas of what to get to wear, what did you wear????????? Please share some ideas please. Thanks, :)

 

Anything that makes you feel dressed up and special will be fine........just don't miss the dinning room on formal night 'cause that's one of the special things about a cruise. It's not just about the food. Enjoy :)

[JanineM]

I will second the vote for Ross. I found a great formal night dress there last spring for $16.99.

 

A few other ideas:

- consignment stores ~ one of my best dressed friends has bought most of her clothing at consignment stores. She might invest $10 for a dress, plus another $10 for dry cleaning. You can also find jewellery, accessories and shoes in the same place!

- Sears, JC Penneys, Dillards, Macys and all of the major department stores are having seasonal clearances right now. They are bound to have lots of dresses marked way down (like 75% off).

- eBay ~ but if you go this route be sure to measure yourself and read the measurements on the clothing. Formal wear is often sized very small (a lesson I have learned!)

- Could you ask your friends if they have anything you can borrow? When I was young and very poor, we all borrowed each other's dress outfits. No point in all of us investing in something that was only going to be worn once or twice!

 

Finally, if you can't find anything that you like, put on a nice skirt and blouse, have fun doing your hair and makeup, and wear whatever sparkly things you have.

 

Don't fret. Make an effort to look your best and remember that it's not a fashion show. I have learned that anyone who would make a derogatory comment on my outfit is not worth knowing! :)

[Beth & Rob]

Salvation Army or Goodwill thrift stores. You'd be surprised what people throw out........especially when it comes to fancy clothes. If there is a "boutique" area in the store, that's where you will find things. And if you sew, hey, a big bonus.

 

We buy these fancy clothes, wear them once, maybe twice a year. Pack them in the far ends of the closet and don't wear again for ages. Then when it's time to pull them out, you just don't want to wear it, so it goes in the Goodwill pile.

 

I have found tons of beautiful, almost new stuff.......may have needed a bit of alterations, so you pay $5.00 for it, and then have it taken in.......

 

Try it.............then you don't feel so bad when you want to dump it.

[Happy ks]

I don't think I've spent more that $30 on a formal outfit in several years.

 

Although I've never had very good luck at the bottom level discount stores (Ross, TJ Maxx) major department stores almost always have a sale rack.

 

Now shoes, totally different story, I've spent almost 10 times the amount on a great pair of shoes than some of my formal outfits.

 

By all means, go to the Fashion Board here. There are so many women (and a few men!) who share pictures of what they are thinking of buying, many of them from Ebay. The vast majority of people over there are very nice.

 

It's kind of funny in a way, a lot of folks on these line specific board think of the fashion board as "fashionistas" or "divas" but it is quite the contrary. You and anyone else can be right at home there, the majority of women are asking the very same question as the OP here.

 

From time to time, people write negative remarks there about the discussion of fashion (:confused: :rolleyes: ) and they get a little bit offended when the ladies defend their topic. Just like when someone goes onto one of the line specific boards and trashes the ship they just sailed on ;) , you have to expect a fairly cool reception. Or, they get their feelings hurt if they read an opinion that is not their own, but it's a public forum and you won't always agree with others anywhere on a public forum such as this. Ya gotta read it all for what it is, anonymous writing by a wide variety of people.

[frudutx]

I have a black pair of palazzo pants with a chiffon overlay that I think I picked up on sale at Foleys (now Macys) for about $40. Elastic waist. Every time I see a top I like that fits my budget I get it so that over the years my formal wardrobe has grown. I also have a black skirt with the same chiffon overlay. I also shop Coldwater Creek sales I love their travel knits and add pieces to my outfits from there too. The nice thing about the Coldwater Creek stuff is that you could roll it in a ball in your luggage and then hang it in the closet and it won't show any wrinkles.

 

 

d

[csteinhauser]

Definitely check out the clearance racks after prom season! LOTS and LOTS of great formalwear, really cheap. I got two of my formal gowns at Sears on clearance. One I got at a consignment store. This year, I'm just going with a simple black cocktail dress I found at Kohls for $35!

[abridalmaven]

Sale racks are great, but I favor Ebay. After I closed my bridal shop I sold many brand new gowns there, and know of many bridal shops that still do. But be sure to have someone take you measurements ( you bra size is NOT your bust size) and you should have NO problems.

[Nancyquilts]

And when you have an outfit you really like, you can wear the same one at all the formal nights.

[aqhacruiser]

The most important thing would be a smile.

 

This is the best sentence I've ever read on a fashion thread! You said it all right there! :)

[caviargal]

Do you have a Stein Mart nearby? Great evening separates which are perfect for cruises. I have a pair of matte jersey evening trousers with a fringed front that makes them look like a skirt. I wear them with a variety of tops.

 

I also have luck on ebay but only buy what I know.

[suezyq50]

I bought a royal blue long formal at Ross for $29. I got a tea length, black, hankerchief hem line for $19. I also got "carwash" pants for $15. Look at Catherines for clearance items.

[gerif]

I'm a big fan of palazzo pants - have two pair in a lightweight crepe fabric, one black, one ivory, from QVC for $24.99 each. They roll up into little balls and will not wrinkle. I'm wearing the ivory ones next weekend to a formal banquet with a gold lurex top from Marshall's ($12.99), strappy gold sandals with rhinestones from TJ Maxx ($39.99 - big splurge, but so comfy) and a gold chain belt that I've had forever. The black ones can be paired with tons of different tops.

[focat]

Salvation Army or Goodwill thrift stores. You'd be surprised what people throw out........especially when it comes to fancy clothes. If there is a "boutique" area in the store, that's where you will find things. And if you sew, hey, a big bonus.

 

We buy these fancy clothes, wear them once, maybe twice a year. Pack them in the far ends of the closet and don't wear again for ages. Then when it's time to pull them out, you just don't want to wear it, so it goes in the Goodwill pile.

 

I have found tons of beautiful, almost new stuff.......may have needed a bit of alterations, so you pay $5.00 for it, and then have it taken in.......

 

Try it.............then you don't feel so bad when you want to dump it.

Beth--I'll second this. The advantage over eBay is that you get to try the items on. I've seen tons of brand-new dresses with tags still on them on sale at Goodwill or S.A. for less than $10.

 

Haven't found a formal there, but did pick up a bright turquoise sundress (new with tags) for $3.

 

Also, if you have a Macy's nearby, there's a wonderful clearance on dresses going on. I tried on a lovely formal that started at $170 and was marked down to $43.50. If someone else hadn't split the seam trying it on, I would have bought it (no, I don't sew).

[Mrsg324]

I have about 15 formals. Reason being, I don't like wearing them more than once, I find them on clearance. I have 2 that I really really wanted one I paid 70 for, the other I paid 120. Other than that the rest were under 60, most ranging around 15-25.

Check Ross as someone stated (I haven't found any there but there are a few around 20.00, never my size though) David's Bridal has a clearance rack. Found a couple there for 40. Macey's usually the clearance ones around 20-25.

I also found 2 one Ebay for a total of 26 with shipping.

[jimbug]

I second Ross. I found a beautiful emerald green vintage Chanel-knockoff there last year for $11.99. It's beautiful, and I got so many compliments when I wore it on our last cruise. Come to think of it, I have two more dresses I got at Ross (definitely under $20 each) that I have worn on cruise formal nights, though I also wear them to weddings or dressier church events (they are not formal, but can be dressed up with the right shoes and jewelry).

 

This year, I am hoping to shrink down a bit before the cruise, and will hopefully be able to wear some of those bridesmaid dresses hanging in the back of my closet from the past few years (don't worry...they really were from within the past 5 years...they're not from the 80s or 90s!).

[Ligayskin]

I agree with everyone else. Ross is great as well as Goodwill.I am alwasy looking out for black skirts and pants that I can dress up with shirts. I am planning on taking one formal skirt with two different blouses for each formal nite. Easy on you and helps on packing.