rootbear

While we are near Monaco we would like to see a performance of the opera or the symphony. What would be considered the minimum appropriate dress for one of the performances so I can sort out my packing. Thanks for your help. Gerry in Canada

m_kingdom

If you don't know how to dress for opera I don't think you should be going.

ira

m_k does it again, with another really helpful and useful comment.

Grinisa

In the United States, people rarely get very dressed up for the opera anymore, unless it is opening night. In Europe, people tend to dress more formally anyway, especially for an event such as the opera. But I don't think you have to wear black tie attire. At a minimum, a man can get by in a nice pair of slacks, sport coat and tie and a woman in some dressy black pants and top, appropriately accessorized.

CarolA

My solution to this kind of event is all black with "dressy" accessories. I have a nice "fake" diamond necklace and earrings that I wear. (The necklace must be a good fake, I have been asked why I travel with such a valuable item several times!)

Also, I sometimes put my pashima scarf over my black outfit for a little color and warmth.

Shoes are always my problem.

(I assume M_K has appropriate outfits carried by her mythical porters and I would just ignore her except that I find her TOO funny. I just laugh out loud every time I read one of her posts. I think M_K stands for Magic Kingdom and she is in Fantasyland!)

ira

I think m_k knows that a proper gentleman wears full evening dress (white tie), a top hat and an opera cape;while his lady is properly attired in something silk by Worth or Liberty.

A tiara is worn only if the Royals will be there.

You must, of course, sit in a private box.

Margie

m_kingdom = Magic Kingdom = the mouse that snored

Scarlett

m_kingdom, the same answer could apply to you in a way-
If you don't know how to reply on Fodors, I don't think you should be posting. You are insufferably rude, most of the time. Why bother to post, is it therapy?

rootbear,
When we travel , I always take one outfit in black for the better restaurants, theater or if we are lucky, a ballet or Opera.
The minimum appropriate dress would be a skirt/trousers and top that is on the dressy side. Rarely is a tie neccessary..but a jacket is nice.
A lady can always find room for a pair of high heels in the luggage
Have a lovely time, it is always more special to go to these events when away~

m_kingdom

Scarlett is such a nice American, you've got the courtesy thing, insincere or rather indifferent in your case, down to a tee.

"it is always more special to go to these events when away" oh so sycophantic, please.

Scarlett

m_kingdom, how could I be fawning? Get your vocabulary book out and pick a better word.
Having lived in a large city, you might have heard of it , New York City..there is great opportunity for one to go to the Opera or ballet, etc.
When traveling, it is even more special because you get to see it from another aspect. Not a sycophant at all, dear, just telling it like it is.

Now run along and bother someone else..you are growing tiresome.

obxgirl

m_kingdom, Put the gin away, dear, and go to bed.

Christina

I would have replied but didn't because of the venue -- Monaco. I have been to the opera or symphony and many other places, but thought perhaps Monaco might be more formal. In general, opera is more dressy than simply a symphony performance in any city I have been in, including US. I think we all have our ideas of what "appropriate" would be, although that differs from being barred from entry. For example, some young college-age students wore worn blue jeans and casual shoes to a rather expensive performance at a top venue where I live. Things are pretty casual in the US today at concerts halls, etc., and just a simple pair of black slacks with a blouse wouldn't have looked that odd, but I do think those outfits were "unacceptable" and they really did stick out and look funny compared to 99 pct of everybody else.

I would not wear trousers to the opera myself (which means causal to me, for a female) and I think there are some very dressy pants suits that would be fine (ie, crepe or something) but I don't own one of those and wouldn't travel with it if I did. I might wear silk pants with a dressy top, though.

Depending on the weather and how I feel or what else I might be doing before/after, my dress for the symphony could vary. It also would really depend on the performance and venue.

I really don't know about Monaco, though. That is a ritzier area, isn't it? I don't think you can go in some of the casinos any way you want, for example (unlike Las Vegas).

OaktownTraveler

OKAY, m__kingdom FINALLY made me fall on the floor LMAO...

Whew!

Rootbear: Monaco is "all that" meaning you should dress your travel suitcase best.

Put something special in when you pack.
All that casual while formal is so offensive to the PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS.

Now, if they are performing outside then dress as you would for at outside wedding: nice suit or nice dress.

Not everyone is dressing inappropriately for the MOBS (museum, opera, ballet or symphony) in the US.

Whatever you decide to pack or buy have fun!

Oaktown Traveler

LaurenSKahn

Whatever you would wear in the US.

I have seen everything at the opera (on both sides of the Atlantic) from white tie and tails to students in jeans.

The Fashion Police have been disbanded in Europe. They attempt to throw their weight around on internet message boards.

StCirq

I have been to Monaco a few times. I never stayed long, as I didn't like the traffic or the scenery (except looking straight out over the Med), but it's no joke that people there dress to the nines to do everything, including simple errands. I would expect, therefore, that going to the opera means fancy dress. Whether or not the fictitious fashion police are out or not, I would feel very out of place and uncomfortable at the opéra in a place like Monaco without at least something simple and elegant. It's easy to pack something light like a black silk skirt and nice blouse or black crèpe pantsuit or just a black cocktail dress with a nice jacket. Doesn't take up room in the suitcase, and if you go for the skirt or pantsuit, can be worn with other less dressy items for other occasions on the trip.
Whether or not other people wear jeans to the opera in Monaco, the USA, or elsewhere is irrelevant to me. Maybe others don't mind showing up in public in inappropriate dress and don't care what others think of them, but I personally wouldn't want to be that Monaco madame's memory of the atrociously dressed American. And I would not feel comfortable in the crowd if I stood out by being singularly underdressed. Blend in whenever possible has always been my mantra. I think I learned this when as a very young woman I worked for the House International Relations Committee and got to go on a variety of international junkets. I was 21 at the time, and everyone I traveled with had loads of money and fancy wardrobes, and I had no money for good clothes. I was so embarrassed at embassy and NATO functions and the like! I vowed when I grew up and had a "real" job I would always dress appropriately. And let's face it, it's not that hard, even on a strict budget.
Sorry to get so far off the original track, rootbear. I'm sure you'll pack something lovely for the opera. Have a great time.

Underhill

Whether or not the Fashion Police have been disbanded in Europe, I would show respect for a major musical event by dressing up. Of course, it might depend on where you're sitting; orchestra and grand tier/box seats generally mean evening dress, while in other parts of the house you could wear something dressy but less formal.

Is there something wrong about suggesting that casual wear isn't appropriate for absolutely eveything?

LaurenSKahn

I don't know about Monaco, but you see people in jeans all over Europe now in every sort of place.

I am not saying I would wear jeans to the opera, but I would not criticize anyone who did. Better they should be at the opera in jeans than not go at all.

StCirq

Actually, I'd say just the opposite. Better they not be at the opera if they can't appreciate the occasion and can't dress appropriately. There are myriad places people with jeans can find enterntainment. The opera isn't one of them.Even when I was a starving student and got to go to Europe on expenses-paid trips that involved things like evenings at the opera I knew better than to wear jeans. JEANS? Sorry, that's just TOO déclassée! Particularly in Monaco, which I have fled several times because it is just SUCH a over-the-top place in terms of fashion and chic. I don't like being in a place where I feel as though I need to have on designer clothes to buy frites at a beach-side stand.

mcgeezer

LaurenSKahn,
I'm not a member of the fashion police but I disagree with "better that they wear jeans than not go at all".
The last person that sat near me at the opera wearing not jeans but a ball cap, albeit it had some gaudy sequins so I'm sure she thought she was dressed, hooted during the performance as though she were at a baseball game.
Jeans are passable at a matinee for a college student. But for an evening performance a nice dress or slacks should be the minimum appropriate dress.
If someone wants to wear jeans, let them buy a cd and stay home.

Andrea_expat

I agree with the majority to dress as nicely as you can reasonably pack (i.e. no full ball gown required).

We typically plan some excursions to opera, ballet, etc. while in Europe, but have toned down our dress a bit and my husband no longer packs his tux, after several experiences.

Once, we were thrilled to be going to the Bolshoi in Moscow, husband in his tux, me in a VERY, VERY simple floor length black dress. Less than 10% of the other attendees were similarly dressed. Some elderly Russian ladies approached us during intermission and said that it was nice to see people dressing up for the opera.

That said, however, husband soon stopped packing his tux, and I make do with an outfit similar to those described by other posters. Monaco may be an exception to the other European capitals we've visited (I was really surprized to find that dress in Paris much less formal than I'd expected), but I wouldn't worry. If you WANT to dress up to show respect and make it a fun evening, I do think you would really enjoy it, however, if you want to wear something nice but not formal as described in the above posts, I don't think you would be out of place.

(Don't forget to bring your passports with you if you decide to stop in the casino - I don't think you can get in without it!)