dress code

For the theater, if the kids want to wear jeans, make sure they are nice, dark ones, and I'd say a blazer or suit coat for the men. Of course, you'll see all kinds of dress, same as the States. But I think it's a nice touch dress up a bit for the theater or dinner, and I most definitely wouldn't wear sneakers.

Sight-seeing -- pretty much anything goes but again I would want to look respectable. You didn't mention what time of year you are going. I certainly wouldn't wear shorts to a church or city, unless I was going to the beach.

When we’ve attended a performance, the most I’ve ever dressed up was dockers, either a sweater or polo type shirt, and walking shoes.

Unless you are having tea at Claridges or Browns or visiting royalty Jeans are fine.

Sneakers ( called trainers in the UK) are also fine. No one is going to frown.

Use Google and type in London Tourists. Look at the various images.

Years ago people dressed up but in all honesty the American Levi started appearing more and more and more everywhere on the globe in the late 80’s early 90’s....and no one looked back

Think of Calvin Klein and the Brooke Shields ad.

We usually don’t have the time or don’t want to spend the time going back to our hotel to change for the evening so we usually go to the theater and have dinner in whatever we were wearing for the day. If I was to have a special dinner at a Michelin star restaurant then I would definitely change but otherwise casual clothing is accepted. By the way, people pay alot of money for tattered and torn jeans these days!

In general touring, jeans and sneakers are fine. As far as I know churches in England don’t have dress codes, unlike in Italy where shoulders and knees must be covered. I prefer jeans and either “trendy” sneakers (not ugly huge running shoes) or sandals/boots depending on the weather. If it’s hot then a sundress rather than shorts. But that’s preference and no one cares within a very broad area of reason.

For a theater performance Id go nicer. Very neat jeans could be ok, but shoes other than sneakers. A shirt with a collar for men, a nicer blouse for women.

For all the events you mentioned make sure your feet are comfortable. Your adult children will wear what they want obviously. If you like tennis shoes then wear those. I have a pair of sketchers and a ankle boot that I take on my travels that are both suitable for everything we do. Do you dress up for the theater or Dinner at home? Just wear what your comfortable in. We like to get a bit more dressed up for a night out even at home, as in husband wears a button up shirt with his jeans and I do my hair and makeup with jewelry with my jeans. We both have nice coats we wear also. I never feel overdressed or underdressed and I always feel like me. Oh another thing, we take public transport and walk a lot so that also dictates what we are wearing.

I wouldn't overthink how to dress. You'll almost never encounter strict dress codes. In fact, the main dress codes your 22 and 18 year old might have to deal with is if they are going to trendy nightclubs.

For my own preference, I bring comfortable shoes for walking but not sneakers. That dresses up my outfits a bit. I also bring colored denim, which also dresses things up a bit over the 'blue jeans' look. I tend to avoid hoodies and T shirts with college or American sports teams logos, even though I wear thick hoodies of all the Chicago sports teams back home all the time. In London, I tend to wear either a light sweater, button down shirt, or polo shirt depending on weather. I'll also wear a solid color T shirt should the weather be warm enough. That keeps things a bit on the dressy side and tends to work well without screaming, 'tourist!' all over the place.

I've never brought a sports coat. Even though I do check a bag, unless I was sure I'd need it, I think one would be way too bulky. Of course, some men like the sports coat, button down shirt, and slacks look, so that's fine if you're sure the jacket will be getting lots of wear. I did meet coworkers one time in London for a social outing and I wore a company polo shirt, khakis, and my comfortable for walking, but also nice looking, Diesel shoes, and that was quite fine.

We always wear leather hiking shoes for our entire trip. I've been to at least 10 shows in London over the years. Have never dressed up, and never felt out of place or uncomfortable. I'm surprised at the 2 responses saying a collared shirt for men. We always wear whatever we have been wearing all day sight seeing. You will see a few people dressed up, but they are the minority.

While I understand there are a wide variety of dress styles across the USA, I'd hardly consider a shirt with a collar to be dressing up. Button down shirts or polo shirts are extremely common here in Chicago. I do also enjoy wearing lighter cotton sweaters and those don't have a collar, but are dressy enough for a show.

Sorry Dale - I didn't mean to offend:). I could have worded my response better. What I was trying to say is that I wouldn't "recommend" a button down shirt. It would obviously be very acceptable and some might be more comfortable, but really anything goes. OP should feel comfortable wearing anything "within reason";)

I would add to the "don't wear jeans to" list is the Ritz. Could not meet friends for a drink there because I was in jeans.

We dressed up a bit for the London theater. I had a sport coat, which I wore with a long-sleeve shirt and dark jeans (I was boiling hot, by the way), and my wife wore a nice-looking skirt and blouse. Many people near us were wearing shorts, some in t-shirts, while some people were dressed to the proverbial nines -- evening dresses, suits, even tuxes. In short, people wore whatever they felt appropriate and/or comfortable, which totally ran the gamut. I wouldn't make a point to pack serious "dress-up" clothes, but I'd prefer to look neat and at least "dressy casual" rather than shorts and sandals.

Opt for business casual clothing and you all will be fine, rj.