Opera attire?

[desibear]

Originally Posted by CarolinaBredChicagoan

Anymore, in the states (even at the Met, Lyric, etc) these rules are a little more relaxed.

My go-to for events when I'm not sure of the attire is a dark suit (I've got a navy one and a black one with narrow pinstripes that do most of my heavy lifting) with a tie that I will remove at the first sign of being overdressed. For my money, the good suit/no tie combo is the way to go these days.

People are getting more casual. Chicago's a pretty casual city. I know very few people who wear a suit and tie to the office. Those are the breaks.

...and those breaks suck. Where will this all end? When we all just wear a mumu b/c everything else is dressing up? By the way, it's not about being over-dressed but being dressed right. When seeing good theater (off broadway, opera, etc..) of any sort, not wearing a suit with a tie at a non-opening night is just ignorance or laziness, imo.

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

Originally Posted by desibear

...and those breaks suck. Where will this all end? When we all just wear a mumu b/c everything else is dressing up? By the way, it's not about being over-dressed but being dressed right. When seeing good theater (off broadway, opera, etc..) of any sort, not wearing a suit with a tie at a non-opening night is just ignorance or laziness, imo.

Was. These things aren't set in stone. I posted about this more completely in your other thread.

[Lookout Kid]

I personally would wear a crisp dark wool suit to the Opera or Symphony. But there are people in jeans now--and this isn't just a Chicago thing. I've seen it in New York and Paris as well (though more at the Opera Bastille than the Opera Garnier). I think it stinks, but people are doing it. It's not a Chicago thing.

I used to work for a large international architecture firm, and the other offices always thought the Chicago office was the most "buttoned up" in terms of work attire. Now I'm at a smaller funkier shop and people wear jeans every day... It's a cultural thing depending on the workplace.

[nJohn]

Just got back from the opera. It exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed it immensely! I dug out a suit that I found in my closet - worked perfectly with a dress coat. The majority wore suits and women dressed appropriately while some wore casual clothes which was disappointing, but what can you do. At least I looked good.

Thanks for the advice. Helped a ton and saved me from embarrassement.

[aragx6]

I always figure it's better to be over dressed rather than under dressed anyway.