Wardrobe Question

I am not French, but do tend to dress up when I travel in Europe to fit in.

Some thoughts:
1. No white sneakers.
2. Do not look like you just arrived from the safari or the mountains.
3. For ladies and gents, a pair of black slacks with a decent top will do. Bring a light jacket too if weather demands it. I invested some good $ on wrinkle-free, lightweight slacks. They are well worth the $.
4. For tops, if you don't want to iron, choose wrinkle-free fabrics. If wrinkles cannot be avoided, then it's better to choose fabrics with patterns (instead of single colored), which hide wrinkles better.

I know that some folks will tell you there is nothing wrong with appearing like ugly Yankees. However, to my mind, dressing up reasonably is a show of respect for the home country.

I bought tickets to the Vienna state opera as a special treat for myself when I went to Vienna several years ago. I dressed like I do when I go to the opera and ballet at home — black blouse, black skirt, & colorful silk scarf. If you prefer black slacks, why not! Wear what you wear at home when you dress up for the evening. If you aren’t an ugly person whether American or not at home, you certainly won’t be ugly when you travel! 😊🌷

I travel with basic black slacks (often dark black jeans) and knit tops -- black t-shirts in warm weather, dark colored turtles in cool weather. And for opera or fancy dining, I have a lightweight jacket like thing that is somewhat dressy that I throw on over the top with scarf or necklace. The jacket is polyester which I don't wear otherwise and I could wad it up and it would still shake out and be unwrinkled. I also sometimes instead have a stripey sweaterish cape like thing that will act as a fancier top over the basics. My husband always takes a blazer. And at the opera you will see plenty of people in slacks and sweater, a fair number in sports jacket or for women a stylish jacket -- and rarely people dressed in cocktail dresses and nice suits.

Thanks for suggestions. Will the gentleman need a tie?

A man in a tie will be in the top 10% -- my husband usually wears one -- we love opera and he likes to dress for it -- but most don't.

As you seem to be concerned about your appearance you already know that it is best to avoid blue jeans and t-shirts for an opera performance.

All you have to do is follow the 4 points mentioned above by Barkinpark

There is no specific dress code, however correct clothing is required: dark pants and a shirt for the gentleman (even without a tie). And a dress for the lady will do the trick.

Unfortunately, at the opera in Paris, people wear anything. There are no rules, no expectations.

My husband and I love opera and try to go to performances whenever we travel, if the date work out. We'll be at the Opera Bastille in October. Like many others who have responded, my opera outfits are always black (as they are at the Met in NY), usually pants and a soft jacket (like Chico's Travelers line), sometimes black, sometimes red, with a black or white tank top and a colorful scarf. Minimal jewelry, since I don't bring anything really good when traveling. And I bring a nice pair of flats which sometimes also go out to dinner. My husband has one nice pair of slacks, a shirt, and a jacket--usually no tie. While we usually don't go to fancy restaurants, he could wear them to a nice dinner, too. So definitely multi-use. Everything packs well (we are carry-on only travelers) and always looks fine.

And I definitely agree with those who commented that you can see almost anything any kind of dress these days--we've seen lots of jeans and sneakers at the Met. It is too bad folks don't dress up even a little when going to an elegant place like an opera house, but that's the way it is.

Thank you all for suggestions. We will be sure to follow these helpful hints.