Q – I’m going to my first Opera; but I have no idea what to wear. I’ve done some googling to find out what to wear to the opera and it seems like there aren’t any rules anymore. Some people say wear what feels comfortable, even if it means wearing sweats or jeans. Other people say dress ‘business casual’. Can you give me some ideas of what to wear and what not to wear to the opera? (An MFW created question)
Re: What to wear: Can you wear booty shorts to the Opera?
A – So you’re going to your first opera. Should we say congratulations? To say congratulations makes it seem as if going to the opera is something special and an achievement to celebrate. We’ve never been to the opera ourselves. We’ve always gotten the impression that the opera is for rich people only and that it’s an event where they get all dressed up in fancy clothes; but it seems as if the opera is not quite so exclusive to the wealthy and not quite so restrictive when it comes to dress code.
Since we’ve never been to the opera we had to turn to Google to see what people who frequent the opera have to say about what to wear to the opera. And based on our research here’s what we’d suggest:.
Don’t wear booty shorts to the opera
When they say wear whatever feels comfortable, they figure you’re asking if it’s okay to wear something nice and casual instead of having to dress like you’re attending the MET Gala. They don’t expect you to interpret that to mean that if your favorite most comfortable outfit is your red denim booty shorts worn with your red plaid shirt and some knee high boots then you should wear that outfit to the opera.
Keep your butt cheeks covered
If it flashes your butt cheeks it’s too short and therefore, in our opinion, not appropriate to be worn to an upscale event. Even while it appears the opera is not as stuffy as it used to be where attire is concerned, you’ll probably still offend the senses of many if you walk around with your butt cheeks hanging out from the hem of your shorts or skirt. People might think you’re a street walker (high on something no less) come looking for prospects at the Opera. And you might get thrown out (maybe?). So save your sexy white booty shorts for your man-hunting summer days day next year. (Yikes. It is incredibly embarrassing to know that we wrote this. This is highly offensive to imply that short shorts are worn by street walkers or by man-hunting women. We apologize for have ever been as carelessly unenlightened as our remarks betray us to have been. We are no doubt still unenlightened in many ways. We are striving to broaden our scope and recognize and correct the ways in which our thinking remains outdated and inappropriate)
Don’t go braless while wearing a sheer blouse or sheer dress
We understand that there’s a movement to change attitudes towards women’s breasts. These movements have as their mission to eradicate society’s way of making women feel like their breasts are to be hidden away and covered up, brought out only to feed their babies and satisfy their men’s lust. Supporters of these movements think you should be able to wear a sheer blouse or sheer dress without a bra even if the entire world can see your breasts as clearly as if you weren’t wearing anything at all. But not everyone is on board with the idea just yet. So until it becomes so commonplace as to not bother anybody, you probably shouldn’t attend your first opera wearing a sheer blouse or a sheer dress with no bra underneath. Then again, the opera is probably the perfect place to challenge arbitrary social norms if your goal is to raise a few eyebrows and ruffle some feathers.
Our ‘what to wear’ opera outfit idea
A black tulle skirt like the one featured from RED Valentino worn with a lovely top like the Simone Rocha Flower Embroidered Tulle Top. Black leather pumps and a red clutch purse or red evening bag. Gold cuff bracelet and gold pendant necklace. Gold earrings. A luxurious coat.
What’s Your Opera IQ?
We challenged ourselves to see how many operas we could correctly name without turning to Google. We came up with Carmen and Madame Butterfly. We definitely need to brush up on our knowledge of famous operas.