Dressing For The Opera In 2025

'Sophisticated glamour' is a term that perhaps best describes dressing for the opera in contemporary times, but that shouldn't come at the cost of comfort, because nobody wants to be sat for hours wishing away the time until the next interval! So perhaps give the body-con dresses a swerve and opt for a floatier style that you can perch comfortably in! Statuesque dress shapes - such as our Josephine style - create a vision of elegance and sophistication, while our Serena Circle dress in silk georgette has a more playful silhouette.

Besides dresses, the jumpsuit is also a very chic alternative. Slim fitting and elongating the figure, it brings a more masculine tailored shape to your ensemble and feels inherently modern and sharp. It's versatile too, able to be worn with our Le Smoking lounge blazers, as well as more flamboyant longer-line coats.

The coat is where one can let the reins loose somewhat, offering the opportunity to make a statement on arrival and at the bar. Once again, we would recommend opting for a long-line silhouette to create a tall and feminine figure to stand out from the crowd. Our silk velvet Whitehall coats do exactly that thanks to some vibrant colours and stunning embroidery details rising from the scalloped hem. The Long Swing coat in velvet provides a more conservative but no less attractive option, but to really make a statement, you'll want to go with the floral fancies that are our Carnaby coats this season.

For Gents

Gentleman attendees have typically always worn formalwear until the late 20th century when opera outfits began to more closely mirror the fashions of the day. Prior to that, tailcoats and black tie were the norm. The Royal Opera House's 'dress code' is very inclusive - their only demands are that you come fully clothed and wear shoes! Still, if you have been recently, you'll know that opera goers love to get dressed up and black tie is still very much the preferred option. Of course, black tie is quite a broad dress code these days, ranging from the classic black or midnight tuxedo to the velvet jacket. One can even lose the bow tie for a more casual look, albeit still extremely elegant. If you want to go 'full opera', we would suggest wearing our Tommy tuxedo which features a very contemporary wide-leg dress trouser and a single-breasted notch lapel dinner jacket with silk grosgrain lapels. Pair this with our frill shirt, party bow tie and velvet slippers - pull out all the stops!

For a more relaxed but nonetheless elegant look, our velvet artist jackets live up to the glamour and excitement of the opera. Crafted in a plush cotton velvet fabric, they feature a painterly floral design. Worn with a classic white dress shirt and black dress trousers, the two colour options are stunning ways to inject personality and playfulness into an otherwise formal setup.