My husband & I will be in NYC for a week in late August and need to pack as lightly as possible. Is a jacket/dress slacks set necessary in NYC these days for men? Do some restaurants still require jacket & tie? I see from other posts that theatre dress seems to vary from casual to dressy.

Do I need a dress or dresses? Are shorts and capris "acceptable" during the day?

I lived in the NY suburbs long long ago but have not spent any time in the city in at least 25 years, so I need an update on how things are.

We'd like to dress comfortably but appropriately.

It depends on where you are going. SOme of the top restaurants required jacket. I didn't notice any that seemed to require ties. Shorts and capris seemed very acceptable during the day.

Almost anything goes. Just dress comfortable. Casual is acceptable in the theater and in most restaurants (although I wouldn't wear shorts to dinner, unless very low key place, or theater but people do). You would only need a dress/jacket if you plan on going to a very fancy restaurant.

Hi Patsy
I am pretty sure your husband will be fine with khakis. Shouldn't be a need to pack dress slacks. But bring a jacket in case you two do decide to eat at a fancy/ upscale restaurant. For you, shorts and capris would be just perfect. If you want, just bring along 1 dress. That should suffice.

For you--there are a lot of places I wouldn't wear shorts--definitely not to the theatre, definitely not to museums, definitely not to a nice department store. Pretty much not at all in midtown. Ok to go to the Statue of Liberty, or on a bus tour, or to walk around the Village or East Village.

To be cool--I suggest a loose linen dres from somebody like Flax or Cut Loose, and any kind of sandals with thick rubber soles (for cool & foot protection).

I just had dinner at Tabla, which is quite expensive, and no man had on a jacket, but they did have on nice shirts. Jackets probabably are required in midtown fancy places (as midtown is the business district, along with the financial center downtown), probably not in downtown fancy places. (Tabla is downtown.)

Quite a bit of New York is an elegant international city, where people are dressed up. Then some of it isn't.

For you--there are a lot of places I wouldn't wear shorts--definitely not to the theatre, definitely not to museums, definitely not to a nice department store. Pretty much not at all in midtown. Ok to go to the Statue of Liberty, or on a bus tour, or to walk around the Village or East Village.

To be cool--I suggest a loose linen dres from somebody like Flax or Cut Loose, and any kind of sandals with thick rubber soles (for cool & foot protection).

I just had dinner at Tabla, which is quite expensive, and no man had on a jacket, but they did have on nice shirts. Jackets probabably are required in midtown fancy places (as midtown is the business district, along with the financial center downtown), probably not in downtown fancy places. (Tabla is downtown.)

Quite a bit of New York is an elegant international city, where people are dressed up. Then some of it isn't.

In general--I would say yes, bring a dress with you.

Shorts and capri's will be fine for daytime. Bring khakis etc for dinner. You will feel more comfortable. Besides, you never know when you're going to get a cold snap.

In many of the really upscale/destination restaurants, a jacket is expected and in some a tie is also require/appropriate. Best bet is to check in advance with the places you're most interested in. I had my birthday dinner at Danube and wore a suit and tie - I would have felt underessed wearing anythign else but it is a very formal restaurant. That was in the winter - perhaps some places are a bit more relaxed in summer due ti high temps? Not sure but perhaps someone who dines in the "nicer" places more often than I do can shed some light. There are also those folks who wear what they choose and don't seem concerned about whetehr it's appropriate but in nicer restaurants they seem to be in the minority.

I wouldn't recommend wearing shorts. Most New Yorkers are dressed for business. Those in shorts are generally tourists. No matter how hot it is outdoors, though, many places (theaters included) have their AC set to frigid and you'll be uncomfortable in shorts. There are a few restaurants which require jacket and tie, but reservations well ahead are necessary, so you can inquire when you call to reserve.

Shorts are inappropriate and tourists are the only ones who wear them. You are much better off in a lightweight sundress. Leave the shorts and blue jeans at home.

hmmm, donna and bea, isn't patsy a tourist? then why would shorts be inappropriate since "only tourists wear them?"

i see a lot of people in new york wear jeans, both tourists and locals alike. what's wrong with jeans? she wants to be comfortable, as she said, and i don't think that she will be dressing out of line. she seems to have more snap than that.

Patsy: ignore the last poster. You will see plenty of people (tourists and NY'ers alike) in shorts and jeans during the day. A dress will be fine if you're eating/visiting nicer places.

Bottom line: As long as you look nice, please wear whatever you are comfortable in!

I will not and cannot be ignored

I just got back from NYC and people were dressed very casually in most locations. Only if you're there on business or dining at a nice restaurant would you dress up. If you're going to be a tourist and doing lots of walking then shorts are almost mandatory on a hot, humid summer day. You can pretty much wear what you want at a museum.

I live in NYC and right now it's about 90 degrees outside (going to be hotter). I'll be wearing shorts again today. Mind you, they are cute khaki shorts with a nice top and pretty sandals, but they are shorts! It's hot here in the summer and if you don't have to work in an office why dress like you are?!

I'm going to go over to Madison to stop in at Zitmer to pick up something and I'll do it in my *gasp* shorts. And why wouldn't you wear them in a museum? I don't think I have ever made a point of dressing up for a museum. I might bring a sweater because the A/C can be chilly, but most of the museums are filled with tourists anyway and I don't think they will judge you on what you wear.

On of the reasons I like living here is that people never look at you twice on the street--you have to be doing some pretty outrageous stuff to get looked at! Wear what YOU are comfortable in and be happy. It's not like there are gossipy neighbors checking in on you.

Dress up for the nice restuarants and theatre (I do hate the casual trend there), but during the day be happy in yourself.

Hey, it's New York, and just about anything goes. I agree that you should just wear what feels good to you. If there is a particular restaurant that you want to go to you might want to see if they require jackets for men (very few upscale restaurants might). The one thing I'd probably skip is shorts in the evening, although if the weather is anything like today (mid 90s and HUMID) I might amend that. Have a great time, there are tons of things going on in the city this summer.

Actualy most New Yorkers wear FUBU jeans, some ECCO gear and TIM's.. just dress as you feel.. If you wanted too dress like the true New yorker you'd either dress like Jay-z, Michail bolten, or Sindy loper