Opera Attire That is Both Stylish & Elegant

Stylish Opera Attire

From what I observed and discovered, there is not a set opera dress code. The main rule to follow is to dress how you feel comfortable. I love to dress up and if an event comes up where I can dress fancier than I do day-to-day, you bet I’m going to rise to the occasion.When we received the invitation from a family member, we of course said yes, and I immediately thought of stylish opera attire. What dresses, shoes, and accessories would I wear? What items I would need to buy versus what I already owned?If you have the opportunity to attend the amazing Ring Cycle and do like opera, I would highly recommend it! We tied this experience with travel. It was our first time in Washington, D.C. so during the day we explored the city and visited various museums.

Opera Dress Code

I own several fancy dresses but I wanted to put together some special opera outfits for this occasion, so I partnered with Rent the Runway for my opera attire.Based on Norse mythology, the story line is not so terribly different from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and involves mortals, dwarves, and mythical creatures, as well as…a ring. Given that this cycle took place in the U.S., the characterizations had been made more contemporary, feeling more like Gatsby’s Roaring ’20s than ancient times.This series of four separate evenings spans a total of fifteen hours! (So make sure you are comfortable sitting in your outfit for long periods of time!) It’s a rare occurrence in the U.S., given its length and the cost of 4 tickets, not to mention taking up almost a week’s worth of evenings!Rent the Runway rents out designer clothing and accessories. Instead of going out and spending thousands of dollars on clothing you might not wear again, you can opt for a short-term rental. You’ll look gorgeous for your special occasion without having to spend what you would have if you purchased the items. This is a wonderful solution for occasions such as these.For the second night of the opera, I wore this incredibly gorgeous Monique Lhuillier dress, Ella Carter statement earrings, and strappy heels that I already owned from Sole Society.

My Opera Outfit

I wanted my opera attire to look elegant and stylish but still have youthful elements to it. I loved this opera dress because of the crisscross back, high neckline, beaded waistline, and full skirt. The A-line shape of the dress accentuates my waist and the cut of the top half helps broaden my shoulders, which helps balance the wider bottom half.[show_shopthepost_widget id=”1656088″]
Share via:Overall, I found that it’s more cocktail attire than gala event. But do your research before deciding what to wear.This was my first time going to the opera, much like Coachella, and it was initiation by fire. All or nothing! I’m excited and happy to say that I very much enjoyed the entire experience. I wasn’t sure what to expect and went in with an open mind.This year Peter and I had the pleasure of attending The Ring opera cycle at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Ring Cycle

Stay Stylish,
-VI didn’t wear much in the way of accessories because the dress already had some glamorous elements to it, so a pair of statement earrings and dainty watch completed this outfit.There are bound to be a few occasions that come up in your life where you’ll need special clothing that you might not already own. This was one of those moments. You’ll read more about it below, but The Ring cycle is an opera that takes place over four days! So I didn’t just need to put together one opera outfit but four!Shoes from Sole Society // Monique Lhuillier Dress from Rent the Runway // Ella Carter Earrings from Rent the RunwayGerman composer Richard Wagner’s The Ring cycle consists of The Rhinegold, The Valkyrie, Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods. The most famous portion—and the music you might be most familiar with—is “The Ride of the Valkyries.”In addition to the opera, the city in which it takes place also has a lot to do with the dress code. We attended this cycle in Washington, D.C., so we assumed it would be a little fancier. This turned out to be somewhat true. The opera attire varied wildly from denim jeans to full-on gowns and fur wraps.

Shop the Look

This opera series was also a little special because it was a four-night affair. The first day of The Ring cycle is not as fancy as the second or third. For example: Peter wore a suit for the first day but wore a tuxedo for the second and third day. The last day was also a little more casual (albeit glamorous).

Before getting my attire for the opera, I researched proper opera dress code. What I discovered is that there is not a dress code per se, but more a “suggested” opera attire.