When attending plays and musical theatre in London, I just wear pants and a nice sweater, but I have not been to the Royal Opera House. Is it common to dress up more than that at the ROH? If you care about such things and have been to the ROH, what were your observations? Can you tell me what is considered appropriate level of dress there for both men and women? Edit: I already know that their website states that there is no specific dress code, but I'm asking what people have actually observed there.
Posted by
London, UK
356 posts
I would say it's definitely smarter than you would dress for a normal London theatre. I have only been three times. Each time I wore small casual (black skirt, plain blouse) as that was all I could afford and I definitely felt some people were looking me up and down. I would not go there again as I felt very uncomfortable as even the ushers were rude! I do have a working class London accent so a tourist may be better off as people can't place you so easily. I would say it does depend a bit on where you are sitting. I have sat in the gods and people were more casually dressed. I did once sit in the stalls and it was only a matinee, but men were wearing black tie!
Posted by
London, UK
356 posts
Typo: SMART casual!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
1068 posts
I've been, I dressed "smart casual," and I got LOOKS. Frigid, snooty looks. Looks like the ones I used to give to students in jeans at the Met in New York! :D But if you don't have space in your luggage for a gown and a tiara (I jest), you can easily just dress as you would for the theatre. The LOOKS aren't from everyone. In fact, they are fairly few and far between. I just felt... a little grubby, because there were so many really nicely dressed folks there. Next time I go I plan to wear a little black dress (like a knit wrap dress that I can squinch into a teensy space in my duffle), nice heels, and excellent jewelry. That oughta do - and it will be easy to pack and not take up extra space! Dress for men I can't comment on, because I way too busy being self conscious to notice what most of the men were wearing!