What to Wear to the Theater: Broadway, the West End & Beyond
Is there still a dress code for Broadway, the West End, or live theater?
Officially, no. Unofficially? Natalie has some very (very) strong thoughts.
As a personal stylist, lifelong theater lover, and Broadway co-producer/investor, she shares her take on what to wear, why she still believes dressing for the theater is part of the experience, and how to strike the balance between comfortable, polished, and authentically you.
Episode Notes & Resources:
Need help with smart casual options, see my denim and core’drobe shopping guides
Submit style questions you’d like answered in a future Wear Who You Are episode
Join BU Style Circle online membership for more of Natalie’s style resources, live Q&As, and more. Use code BUCIRCLE for one month off your subscription.
Read the full & Raw Episode transcript:
[00:00]
Hello, everybody, and welcome to another Wear Who You Are Wednesday. This is a Nat Chat episode where I answer questions from you. So let's get right into it.
This question is one that I am very excited about, and you'll know in about two seconds why.
It comes from Olivia in Atlanta. Olivia asked, "I was recently traveling to London and wanted to catch an impromptu show, but I didn't want to feel too casual. What's the dress code for Broadway or West End shows these days?"
[00:31]
So if you know anything about me, you know that I am a huge, huge, huge theater nerd, and I feel very, very passionately about this one. It's really the intersection of my work and a passion and all of these things coming together. So I am more than happy to answer this question.
So here's my hot take on it.
Theater dress codes have gotten generally more loose over the last... probably really since COVID, even before that. But I've seen people take this way too freaking far, and I lament about it every time I go to the theater.
[01:00]
Here's a case in point.
I was at this wonderful show. Actually, I've recently been investing and starting to produce on Broadway, but it was my very first show investment, Just in Time. Shameless plug. It's a Bobby Darin musical. It's absolutely wonderful if you are in New York or coming to New York.
Anyway, it's in a theater called Circle in the Square. So what they did for this show is they turned the entire theater into a nightclub. So you feel like you're in a nightclub.
[01:31]
In the bottom of it, there are cabaret tables. And these cabaret tables are a bigger price investment per ticket, and they really are front and center. They are part of the show. The actors interact with them. There's two stages in the show, so you're looking back and forth at each stage, and the spotlight's on. Truly, you're basically part of the show if you're sitting there.
Anyway, the last time I went, it was a Sunday matinee, and this guy was at the center cabaret table. He was in a hooded sports sweatshirt, a baseball cap, running sneakers, and kind of loose, casual jeans.
[02:06]
This is a hell no.
Quite frankly, this is a hell no in the theater. I'm sure this guy is not listening, but absolutely not.
So for the theater, I say generally, the middle point—smart casual—is acceptable for any musical, any play, Off-Broadway, on Broadway, West End, and even your community theater's local theater group.
Many of you have heard me talk about a story of my dad and me, and we used to go to the high school musicals every year.
[02:38]
Back then, he would always say, "Natalie, put your Sunday dress on because we're going to the theater."
This is what we do. We dress up. We respect all the work that the actors and actresses have done. So that really means nowadays, like smart casual, okay?
Unless the dress code explicitly says something different.
For example, there's a show called Masquerade on Broadway right now, and it's an interactive experience. Again, it's really wonderful, but they state very specifically when you buy the ticket that there is a dress code that's befitting of the occasion.
[03:09]
So it's black, white, or silver, and then you have to wear a masquerade mask. Otherwise, most shows will not tell you what to wear. And so smart casual is the key.
So what's always okay? I'm going to break this down.
What's always okay? I would say, in chillier seasons, you can do something like a nice dark jean and then maybe throw on a sweater or blouse instead of that sweatshirt. And then a sneaker's okay.
So even if you're touring, you're visiting a place, you're going to a museum, let's say you're walking around, you can be in comfortable sneakers, but wear a dark jean, wear a chino, wear, instead of a sweatshirt, wear a sweater, wear a T-shirt with a blazer over it.
[03:45]
Anything like that. You can be comfortable, but you'll still be fine in the theater no matter what time of day the show is, what day of the week the show is.
In the summer, you can do something like, for womenswear, an easy sundress, a linen pant and a top, even a tailored short—but not a cutoff. No cutoff shorts. For menswear, you could do trousers or cotton shorts and a polo or a summer button-down. Again, easy formulas that you generally can do every day and can tour comfortably in. And let's be frank, your pictures will be better if you are touring.
[04:20]
From there, if you want to get a little more nuanced, if you want to nerd out in a little bit of style theater nerd-out, think of the time of day of the show. Is it a matinee or an evening? Then think of the day of the week.
I consider a Saturday night show to feel slightly more elevated than, let's say, a Wednesday matinee. Why? Because the weekends are special. An evening on the weekend usually signals a little bit more of a special night for me, and generally those shows are later, so you may be able to catch dinner before. So you could have time to go home, change clothes, and maybe put on something that's giving you that switch that it's evening and we're doing something special.
[05:00]
But really, at the end of the day, smart casual—which is a dark jean, a chino, something like that—is the answer. No holes in your jeans. No sports sweatshirts. Really, remember to respect the space, respect what you're doing, and show up ready to attend the theater.
Because if you're at one of those cabaret tables and the light shines on you, you may be a little bit embarrassed.
For example, in this story, I did notice that this guy took off his baseball cap at intermission. So at least there was an awareness that, like, maybe I didn't hit it quite right.
[05:40]
Anyway, I hope that helps. I hope you get to see some art sometime soon and that you can go and have an enjoyable experience . . . and wear who you are.