What you should & shouldn’t wear to the ballet…
Lately, I have been attending ballet performances, and I don’t know if it just California or it is happening all over… but while I am sitting in the audience, I am looking around and I am like WTF… The weird part is… that it isn’t the young crowd that is dressing inappropriately, it is the older crowd… I am talking about men and women 50+…. I remember when I was younger, I would go to the ballet and see women in beautiful dresses… And now, I go and see flip flops… Yes… but there wasn’t just one offender… There were hoodies, and shorts, and the list goes on and on… Bleh. So, what has happened to the audience?
Okay… here is for sure what shouldn’t wear to the ballet:
-men should not wear shorts, and women should not wear shorts, unless they are short shorts, and you are wearing stockings and a fur coat.
-flip flops, dirty shoes, sneakers, runners or sporting shoes….
-hoodies, sweats or athletic wear.
Here is what is acceptable at matinee performances:
-nice trendy jeans, with good shoes and blouses/shirts.
-day dresses, jersey maxis, and the occasional cocktail dress
-seperates
-trendy dresses.
-little girl dresses… everyone loves little girls in white dresses, or tutu inspired skirts.
Here is what should be worn to evening performances:
– Cocktail dresses
-Women’s tailor suits
-Full Suits for men ages 25+(blazer, pants, tie)
-Floor length dresses
-kids should be in children’s formalwear… but I mean if you are like under 11, you probably shouldn’t be at an evening performance…
Normally when I go to a ballet performance, it is always an evening performance… Unless it is to see a new cast… They are typically given matinee performances… I always wear a suit, and option the neckwear. I am typically accompanied by a female friend who is usually wearing a floor length dress or cocktail dress, extremely high heels and her hair is always up…. I dont request this, most of my friends and I all share the same age appropriate stye. It is actually pretty unhealthy, on any given night we all look the same and dress the same… If you dont believe me…
Okay, so we might have also all worked in fashion together…
So, when dressing for the ballet… bring back the glamour, bring back elegance, and bring back the style… A ballet performance isn’t like going to the movies… it is going to see art, something special… Be a part of that.
4 responses to “Where did the glamour go?”
Thank you for informing everyone. Because I was just at ABT and was like what in the world are people wearing, I felt like no bothered to get dressed and I stuck out like a sore thumb. best, Irene~
My dilemma. Often I have been sitting in the Met waiting room or outside in Lincoln Center all day before the show, having accompanied my young son who is a super in 4 ballets this summer. I have to crawl under the benches near the Met to charge my devices. I do try to wear nice jeans but already have to carry food for the day and whatever else we need from NJ on the train. It is hard to stuff it all under my seat at the show. We will begin this process today in about an hour. I wish I could dress up and feel embarrassed not to be.
I was at The Met this month to see ABT. My 17-year-old son asked, “Why are some people wearing shorts and flip-flops? I honestly didn’t have a good answer for him. What happened to dress codes, or more importantly, respect?
I agree. I went to the Met this month to see ABT. My 17-year-old son, who was dressed appropriately, asked me: “Why are some people wearing shorts and flip-flops?” I honestly didn’t have a good answer for him.