3littlepeas

Well, we are off to England tomorrow night.I am now thinking of what to bring/pack. We are dining at GR at Claridge's on our last evening. I know there is a dress code and I am just wondering if a jaket is mandatory for men. Is a dress shirt with nice pants enough? If I don't have to pack a jaket I will be very happy What about women? Do I need a skirt or are nice dress pants enough? See the problem is not the skirt per se but the shoes to go with it!!! Thanks a million!

Jufrpereira

Hi, hope this is in time. Dress code is "smart" - jacket recomended but not required, so you should be fine. No jeans, no tenis shoes, no t-shrits though. As for woman, nice dress pants will be fine.
Cheers, J.

marginal_margiela

I have had dinner at Gordon Ramsay. I would definitely wear a jacket and tie to dinner as this is one of the top restaurants in England.

This is just my opinion, but I think it is absolutely "tacky" to go to dinner in your shirtsleves. Lunch, OK, but not dinner (unless you are eating at Olive Garden or Chili's).

I don't see what is so hard about taking a jacket along. Wear it on the plane. Some business travelers go 30 years wearing suits whilst flying. It ain't that hard.

Just my two shillings.

thit_cho

I brought a jacket along on my trip to Pamplona to run with the bulls to wear during my lunch at Arzak in San Sebastian. It didn't take up that much room.

janisj

you are paying a king's ransom to eat and your husband wants to sit there in shirtsleeves??

A "jacket" doesn't have to mean a suit. A sports coat can be worn over jeans or casual slacks for sightseeing just as well as any other type of jacket. So you can take one and not be burdened by an "extra" or something he will never wear . . . .

PatrickLondon

I think you'll find the weather will tell him to wear a jacket anyway.

tripgirl

The place is fancy and you are in one of the top hotels in London.

Dress appropriately: jacket for men, skirt or elegant pantsuit for women. you will see why when you get there.

The food and setting are great; you will enjoy, but do dress right.

3littlepeas

Thanks for all your (quick) replies. I KNOW that this is a fancy restaurant, I was just trying to see if we would feel "out of place" with (or without) a jaket. I am always amazed, when we go on cruises that people go to formal dinners without a shirt, a tie and a jaket. So this is why I was asking, althought I know that Europeans do dress up more than us americains/canadians. I just didn't want DH to be the only one wearing a suit and a tie in the restaurant. I tend to find that people don't dress up anymore, and I like dressing up! So I will definetly pack the jaket, and the nice shoes to go with the nice skirt!

enroute

Hi, 3peas,

Funny you should ask. About 10 years ago, in August, we were meeting our (American) friends, a couple, for afternoon tea at Claridge's, in the main salon. My DH wore a jacket but our friends showed up, both in bermuda-like shorts and shirts. The man was politely asked to put on a house jacket, which was brick-red color, over his "bermuda" ensemble, and was seated right in the middle of the room, with us closer to the wall.

Must say, he was a great sport and stoically endured the looks from all around the room throughout the tea service. We still find it one of the most entertaining stories of all our travels....

You might guess, I wouldn't risk going to this hotel for any meal without a jacket.

PS. The woman was left alone wearing a very similar flowered shorts and shirt outfit.

-e

enroute

Sorry, I now have to take it all back in a vain attempt to restore my own credibility. My DH just corrected my memory. That tea was at the Savoy, not Claridge's. I do think though that the dress code is quite comparable.

-e

obxgirl

3littlepeas, I've had the great fortune to have dined at this restaurant a half dozen times in the last two years. The vast majority of men wear suits and I can't recall seeing anyone without a jacket. The food is extraordinary. Dress up and enjoy the experience.

FWIW, here's the dress code from the restaurant's website. It's understated at best:

"Dress code. Smart with jacket preferred for gentlemen, Jeans, T-shirts or sportswear not accepted."

Therese

Though not precisely "back corners," there are small dining rooms off to the side at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's where one might possibly be seated if relatively underdressed. We were seated in one for a late lunch several years ago, not (that I could tell) because we were underdressed (husband in jacket and tie) but so that they could tidy the main dining room without disturbing us. Service was unfailingly gracious and attentive.

As to the original question, yes, husband will fit right in in a jacket and tie, and you'll look great in either a dress or trousers so long as it's the same level of "dressy" as your husband's.

daph

We have only been to Claridge's for tea and I do remember seeing shorts. I fail to understand why some tourists dress for London as though it's a summer resort, even if they are wearing "designer" clothes. My husband, who in his youth was a rather informal California, tried the no jacket routine on our honeymoon in NYC. A few lunches while wearing colorful waiters' jackets soon cured him of that. These days he wears a nice sports jacket or blazer, not terrible expensive and usually blue, to nicer restaurants and for air travel. I think that this is the reason that we get more than our share of upgrades on our favorite airline!