Stop dressing like crap! — Page 2

This is New York. There is zero correlation between cost of clothing and its "acceptability" to someone like the idiot who wrote that article.

Here is a $3000+ outfit including a pair of SLP jeans that are $850 at Barneys. Would this be acceptable to her? no.

Why would anyone go to the theatre and judge someone on the way they dress. You're supposed to be in a darkened theatre enjoying a show, not examining your fellow audience member's style. Believe me, you wouldn't want someone judging your appearance so why do it to others?

Actually, if someone isn't going to point and laugh (and we all know most people aren't going to do that), I don't mind someone judging my outfit. I know it's going to happen, so why not bother to look more than halfway decent? Which is why I think before I dress. There's no shame in being presentable.

Besides, there's entering the theatre, intermission, and exiting the theatre. It's not entirely dark.

Since a lot of people here presumably see shows at the last minute, at least occasionally, via rush or lotto- do people have differing opinions on that? Should people be expected to dress up every time they attempt rush or lotto for a show?

I'm with those who say it really doesn't matter, as long as you're not dressed like a complete slob.

Updated On: 7/28/15 at 10:47 PM

Generally I assume the more casual dressers are the ones who ran up to TKTS at the last minute or won lotto. Which is why there should be some leeway.

I've always found the dress code thing interesting, because where I live (which is Houston) I can't think of a time, save Disney or kids shows, where I went to see a musical or ballet or whatever and most of the people there weren't dressed up. (And even at the Disney shows, apart from Disney Princess costumes, a lot of parents had clearly dressed their kids up for the occasion.) However, the few times I've been to New York, seeing shows has always been a sort of mixed bag when it comes to dress code, because half the audience will be wearing dresses and slacks/suits, and the other half will be dressed in regular old street clothes. I'm not necessarily saying either one is good or bad (I mostly dress up for the theatre because I think it's fun), but it's just something interesting that I've noticed and wondered whether it carries on to other more minor cities where shows tend to play and stop at.

I've mainly gone to evening shows in other cities, and a combination of matinees and evenings here -- but since tourism in NYC is unlike anywhere else, with people walking around all day or whatnot and not able to get back to their hotel and change, things seem a little more casual here more often (depending on the show, of course).

Not much of a surprise here, but the most formally dressed crowd I've ever seen for a mainstream musical was for the Les Miz tour in Salt Lake City. People definitely don't dress as casually for shows in London, either, which is also touristy but with more forgiving weather.

I personally come from work most of the time when I go and see a show, and in theatrical offices, a large number of us wear jeans and nicer tops (I usually rock the blouse/cardigan combo). Since I get off work a 6, it is impossible to run home and change for a 7:00 curtain (or sometimes even an 8 if the MTA is feeling particularly helpful). Yet, the fact that I am wearing appropriate attire for work seems to be lost on a few patrons now and then when I sit next to them in the orchestra and they are wearing the dresses and spanks.

However, when I go home and see a show with my parents (I too am from Houston), or even if I go back to the Chicago/Indy area where I did my undergrad, you can bet your butt I dress up a little more (usually I swap the jeans for slacks and the cardigan for a blazer - very rarely do a wear a dress).

For some people, Broadway is their first theatre experience because "it's the thing to do" and they just might not realize that it ISN'T like a movie theater.

Echoing what has been said. This is article is classist. Plain and simple. When I'm in the city, I'm in from out of town. Frequently, I've just gotten off an airplane and a 2.5 hour flight. On a plane, I want to be as comfy possible, so that means I'm in jeans and sneakers. As others have said, I'm not trying to impress anyone. My clothes are clean, I'm clean, and honestly, I don't give a fig if someone on stage thinks I should have on heels instead of converse.

But I imagine that most performers want theater to be accessible and seen as acceptable. Most have a very "come as you are attitude." That means you don't need to wear 3 piece suit to a Wednesday night show.

It's gotten to the point where we're more likely to ridicule those attending shows dressed like they're going to a semi-formal dance. I see this a lot with out-of-town high schoolers on group trips making a point to dress their best. It may not be often they get to catch a show. I applaud their efforts to make it a memorable night of theater.

When I went to the King and I a few weeks back I noticed people were much more dressy. Is this a Lincoln Center thing?

I had only been to one show there previously--war horse--and I seem to recall it being fairly dressy as well.

adam, I think the regions dress up more than people here do and i think LCT is more of a regional theatre than most. But we are also talking about two separate things-New yorkers and tourists. That pic with the article is of tourists, which is kinda funny since they have even less chance of seeing what she writes than newyorkers and not many people read the post theatre coverage to begin with. New Yorkers who go to the theatre don't wear cargo shorts and don't wear sports gear. But they do wear shorts and tshirts (with or without rips). I'll take the typical crowd in the lobby of the Public any day and i would also note that it is making better theatre day in and day out than anyone else.

People definitely tend to be a bit more dressed up for evening shows in general.

And it's true that people get really dressed up for regional theatre. Heck, even the students at my university typically dress a little nicer when they see the productions on our campus. (And I've had people visit my campus and tell me to my face that the majority of the students on campus "look like crap all the time" during any given campus day)

However, I feel that looking presentable in public is just something one should strive for regardless. I see it more as a sign of respect to yourself and to others that you want to look your best for the event because it's important to you. That doesn't necessarily mean dressing to the nines for every show you attend. As long as you don't look like you just crawled out of bed or something, it's fine.