How to Dress for a Successful Evening at Segerstrom Hall

What’s a person to wear when a performance at the Performing Arts Center is on the calendar?

For any night, other than a special opening performance, Billur Wallerich, fashion director for Saks Fifth Avenue at South Coast Plaza, recommended a dinner suit, which she defined as “something a little bit more detailed, perhaps with beading or piping and a little bit more dressy than the usual suit.” She suggested as alternatives a silk dress or “the perfect little black dress.”

Annie Bower, fashion spokeswoman for Amen Wardy in Newport Beach, had similar suggestions: a theater suit, silk dress or special skirt and blouse for women. She added that men belong in a suit, or at the very least, a sport coat and tie for an evening performance.

“I would imagine that many people would be coming directly from work. If they’re dressed appropriately for work, they’ll be fine for the theater,” Bower said. “My feeling is that you shouldn’t overdo it, but you should have respect that it is a live performance. Blue jeans and sweaters are not appropriate.”

Openings are another story, however. “For an opening, if you like to wear black tie, great. If not, a suit and tie are a must. Women can wear long gowns or cocktail dresses. Opening night is always dressier,” Bower said.

Wallerich agreed: “That is when all the formal attire should come out.”

Matinees fall into the other extreme. While Bower gave more casual suggestions for the afternoon, she emphasized that she still disapproved of blue jeans. “Men can wear a sweater and go without a tie, and ladies can wear a nice pair of slacks, a suit or a luncheon dress,” she said.

But Wallerich felt that even matinees demanded sports jackets for men: “It’s a nice thing to see gentlemen dress up.”

Comfort counts, both women said, but only to a point. Said Bower: “I am a firm believer that if your clothes are not comfortable, you can’t feel good about the way you look, but you still must dress for the occasion.”

Bower’s one note of caution referred to bulky, fussy clothes: “There is no place to put a large, full crinoline when you sit down.”

A recent arrival from Detroit, Bower observed that Californians dress up more for the theater than people who live in the East. “On the East Coast, people take theater as part of their existence. Here it’s a big hoopla,” she said, adding that the California attitude is just fine with her. “My philosophy is that if you want to get dressed up, go for it. Clothes are an expression of how you feel. You should enjoy them--have fun!”