Opera attire? (Chicago: how much, house, theater)

[nJohn]

I'll be attending my first opera tomorrow night at the Civic Opera House and I need some advice on what to wear. I know some people dress to the nines but I don't have that kind of apparel. I was thinking a shirt and tie with a sweater accompanied with black dress pants and shoes. A little too under dressed?

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by nJohn

I'll be attending my first opera tomorrow night at the Civic Opera House and I need some advice on what to wear. I know some people dress to the nines but I don't have that kind of apparel. I was thinking a shirt and tie with a sweater accompanied with black dress pants and shoes. A little too under dressed?

I have done with far less than that. lol You should be fine.

[CarolinaBredChicagoan]

You'll be fine in that. I think it's just right. Tuxes are for opening nights. (You'd be overdressed in one most performances, I'd say.)

[Krimo]

Carolina, what are these "tuxes" you talk about ?

How much is the opera ticket in Chicago by the way ?

[j33]

You'll be fine.

Krimo - tickets range from about 45 for nosebleed seats to about 190 for box seats.

[Krimo]

I cannot believe how incredibely cheap these tickets are...I am not really knowledgeable about the prices in France, but I can tell it is much more expensive.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Krimo

Carolina, what are these "tuxes" you talk about ?

How much is the opera ticket in Chicago by the way ?

A "tux" is a tuxedo.

Anyway, you will be fine with dress pants and a tie. I personally think a jacket should be worn to the Opera or Symphony, but you will actually see people in jeans nowadays... Even in New York some people will wear jeans to the Met (though it's certainly not a large portion of the audience). I don't like it.

[desibear]

this might be too late, but here is the rule: Opening night = tux, any other night tux optional, dark suit preferred, minimum wool trousers + nice dress shirt + tie + sport coat, matinees = minimum attire as laid out above preferred, alternatively remove tie and sport coat. You should never wear jeans to good theater/opera, period.

[sawgrass29]

Make sure the sweater isn't too heavy. They keep it warm in that place.

[CarolinaBredChicagoan]

Originally Posted by desibear

this might be too late, but here is the rule: Opening night = tux, any other night tux optional, dark suit preferred, minimum wool trousers + nice dress shirt + tie + sport coat, matinees = minimum attire as laid out above preferred, alternatively remove tie and sport coat. You should never wear jeans to good theater/opera, period.

Anymore, in the states (even at the Met, Lyric, etc) these rules are a little more relaxed.

My go-to for events when I'm not sure of the attire is a dark suit (I've got a navy one and a black one with narrow pinstripes that do most of my heavy lifting) with a tie that I will remove at the first sign of being overdressed. For my money, the good suit/no tie combo is the way to go these days.

People are getting more casual. Chicago's a pretty casual city. I know very few people who wear a suit and tie to the office. Those are the breaks.