Black is the “O-positive” of shoes; it can be worn with anything. The same could be said of khakis - they can be paired with just about anything. But I agree that the shoe and belt color should match. The last time I wore white shoes was when I retired from the Navy in dress whites - 16 years ago…
1 Like
Orvis makes an awesome product - for a price. Years back I had a pair of the lighter weight “traveler’s” khakis - the kind you can roll up in a ball and have an elephant sleep on for a week and then shake out a few times and they look like you just took them from your closet.
Do you frequently have elephants sleep on your clothes?
So this is really a “thing”, seriously? This east / west divide on dress codes?
OK, so I’m from Edinburgh, on the east coast of Scotland. And there is a certain rivalry between Edinburgh and Glasgow, east and west coasts. Nothing like the religious divide over on the west coast, but even so… it’s definitely a “thing”.
But a dress code divide… I assume it’s more of a west / east cultural issue, as in the west coast is more laid back, less formal?
I genuinely had no idea. Or are you just kidding?
1 Like
Yep. Several years ago, my previous company hosted an event with people from around the globe. The expectation was that people were to dress “business casual” for the event.
Folks from California came dressed in shorts and sandals. We Michiganders were flabbergasted. But apparently business casual there allows shorts and sandals!
But things are changing. My current company, when I was hired, had a dress code where men were to wear shirts with collars. Now, the dress code has been updated and T-shirts are allowed…even ones with graphics on them, as long as they aren’t offensive. I tried to show up to work ONCE with a shirt that didn’t have a collar, and I felt naked. Haven’t done it since. In the meantime, it bothers me to see a bunch of people coming to work dressed as if they are having a BBQ.
2 Likes
OMG! 
So where’s the divide? I must look at a map and mentally draw a line.
3 Likes
It’s totally a thing. Personally, I think there are three zones - East of the Mississippi is the most formal, the Midwest and mid-south including Texas is in the middle, and the Rockies and states west of there is the least formal. My husband thinks of business casual in NM as a collared polo shirt and nice khaki shorts. He’s learned that this is not ok in Washington DC!!
3 Likes
My mother-in-law is very conscious of social norms. She’s lived on Long Island and in California, and described it as “Bill Gates could come into your restaurant at any time in CA and he won’t be wearing a suit. Servers know this. They’ll get better tips if they ignore the east coast dress codes.”
2 Likes
These must be from your younger days - before you looked enough like Daniel Craig that it was easy to mix you two up.
2 Likes
If any of what follows sounds intemperate or aggressive, it certainly isn’t intended to be!
I’m balancing a number of things. Convenience, practicality, cost and the rules.
I did think about wearing black tie, i.e. a tuxedo with matching pants. I do own one. But mysteriously it has shrunk around the waist since I last wore it (some years ago).
So then I thought I’d wear my business suit, which cost me $1,000 from Saks Fifth Avenue, back when $1,000 was a lot of money to spend on a suit. Mysteriously, that’s shrunk around the waist, too.
At this point I panicked for a while, but then I remembered I had a blazer. Which still fit.
But what to wear with it?
In my regular life, I never dress formally any more. I’m over all that. When I was a student at Cambridge, I was forever in black tie, or a suit and gown. But now I’m a jeans and t-shirt guy. And I’m not going to buy a pair of trousers/pants just for this one meal. So I bought something smart enough to pair with a blazer (the blazer/chinos combo is a classic summer pairing in the UK) but also flexible enough that I’d wear it on other occasions. Chinos are perfect for this. And I get a discount at Orvis, so it’s all good. A great pair of chinos that will last forever and I’ll wear a lot in the winter.
Next up: shoes. I only have one pair of formal shoes: black brogues. Again, I’m not buying a new pair of shoes for this one meal. I don’t need another pair of formal shoes. I won’t ever wear them.
I discussed all this — and what you’d all said — with one of my students and he was “shocked” by the black shoes/blazer/chinos combo. He even offered to lend me a pair of his shoes.
But — honestly — I just don’t care about this stuff. If I get anything other than amazing service at V&A — which, as I said, I’m budgeting about $600 for — then you can be damn sure I’m stiffing them on the tip. From what I’ve read, I will get amazing service at V&A, despite the horror of wearing black shoes, because people who are really classy treat everyone equally and V&A is a classy place. Besides, I’m British and I may not look like Daniel Craig, but I talk like Roger Moore.
I’ve been upgraded on flights a few times, too. Not because of what I wore, but because I was a member of their frequent flyer programme and I was travelling solo.
Don’t get me wrong, I do get that sometimes it’s nice to dress up and occasions are more elegant when everyone makes an effort. And I think V&A is entitled to expect me to make an effort: it’s one of the top restaurants in the US and it’s a privilege to dine there.
But there is a limit. In part the fact that I’m travelling from the UK and I only want to have carry-on baggage. Luckily I’m travelling business class, so I get two carry-on bags. One will be a garment bag that will hold the jacket/pants/shirt and shoes. The other will hold a dozen t-shirts, and shorts, and all the rest of the gear for my trip.
As for the other restaurants I’m going to — Tiffins, Jiko and the like — well, I’m going to wear plain, simple shorts with plain simple t-shirts. I’m sorry but it’s Florida, it’s the summer, I’m staying off property, and I’m travelling light. I’m coming to your restaurants to appreciate your food. If that’s not enough for you, I’ll take my dollars elsewhere.
4 Likes
I think your attire will be fine. I’ve had a few friends go way above the dress code at V & A, but that’s because they had a pricey dress from another event that they wanted to use again.
We have a few signature dinners planned and my DD16 is the one setting the higher dress code for us. She didn’t feel that she was dressed appropriately at the California Grill on our last trip in 2016 even in a sundress and nice sandals. My concern for this trip is that our signature dinners are planned between 5-7 pm in late July and we plan to tour the parks after dinner. Trying to dress up for dinner in clothing that we will wear in the parks is making me question what kind of suffering I wish to inflict upon myself. I do feel that we could get a great photo at Splash Mountain in our evening attire!
1 Like
just treat every evening as an extension of Dapper Day. It’s all about mindset, at that point. 
1 Like
I think the outfit you described will work perfectly. I totally get the whole trying to pack and keeping it to a minimum. I was so glad when DCL changed their dress code to casual. Early cruises we were trying to pack for a combo WDW/DCL vacation and because of the need for dressier clothes in the dining rooms, it was difficult. Considering if you go in the dead of summer, you need multiple outfits just to get out of the sweaty disgustingness that happens. And I had to pack these additional clothes I would use for just a few hours a night.
I will always follow dress code because I think it’s not fair to anyone else who picked a venue due to the atmosphere (except for my sneakers - I will always wear sneakers due to my leg braces and I won’t actually apologize to anyone who doesn’t approve of my footwear!) but at the same time, if I decide to go above and beyond the dress code, good for me…but I shouldn’t expect it of anyone else.
I hope you have an amazing meal at V&A and I can’t wait to hear about it!
2 Likes
Ok silly mode tonight. So the panic in the title and had to share this…
3 Likes
Oh I think the chinos with the blazer and black shoes and a black belt will be perfect!
I’m in SoCal. I was born and raised here. 95% of the people I meet ask me if I’m from the east coast (I did live in DC for a year and I loved how people dress on the ‘hill)
But I’m ALWAYS overdressed. Even for disney. Even to clean my house and cook dinner.
I love that your chinos can withstand an elephant. I mean, that’s EPIC. I know they can too, My now 19-year old is going on his THIRD summer at camp with the one pair of them. They still look new. His expensive work pants do not (he works at in n out), and they are supposed to “withstand anything and wash out with bleach” (they don’t!!)
I cannot wait to hear your report from V&A! I’ve decided DH and I are going for our 10th anniversary in 2 years. I’m not even going to tell him, I’m just going to book it. Next year for 9? Dining in the Sky!
Savor the Savannah was pretty awesome this last trip though (for our one”biggie”)
2 Likes
I agree, dress code divide is definitely a thing. I’m from Seattle, and was surprised when I moved to South Carolina at what was expected. We moved to KY while my cousin was up in Chicago, we are now all back East again. We discovered that KY is East Coast-like, Chicago not as much so but more formal than the West Coast. I think it’s definitely a culture gradient due to geography and history. The pioneers moving west had to rough it! And then it’s almost become a point of pride for the west to dress more casual, sort of showing off the “pioneer spirit”. I think, anyway. All I know for sure is I’ve been in the East-culture for 15 years and I still struggle. I can tell my clothes aren’t right, and I know what is right, but I can’t quite buy it for myself! I’m torn between honor-my-roots and want-to-fit-in-and-respect-the-culture-I’m-in. I’ll just wear a Mickey shirt. That covers CA and FL!
1 Like
So long and thanks for all the fish.
2 Likes
I think the outfit you described will be just fine.
2 Likes
What you’ve described would be called ‘business casual’ here. I think you’ll be fine. While they’d probably like it if you wore a suit, they’ve said ties are optional. So that right there means proper business attire is not required. No one’s going to be checking the quality of your cut or the cotton in your pants. They want you to look presentable.
Here’s what the Disney site says:
You will have a jacket. You will have pants that are not jeans and your shoes aren’t tennis shoes.
Now, if you were going to the Queen’s Garden party, you might be under-dressed, but, for Victoria and Albert’s, I think you’ll be fine.
1 Like
Odd for Disney to use the term “dinner jacket”. When I was a kid a dinner jacket was a white tuxedo-looking jacket. My dad had one. Chinos and blazer should be fine. Ties are uncomfortable when chewing down.
1 Like