Anime Boston

I am a Male ballroom dancer. And I appreciate certain things that make the ball a few brows higher then the informal dance.
The formal dances have been something we look forward to every year. However I think a few things need to be taken into advisement.
While I like the formal requirement, to but put it bluntly it was a taco fest in there. There were so many women to not enough male(or female) leads.
Dont get me wrong...that's good for blokes like me whom love dancing with the ladies. But it becomes less fun for all the ladies out there that I see sitting at tables wishing they were out on the floor...and I can only dance with one at a time(including my wife). It's my goal in life to see every woman smile on the dance floor.
I think the code should be "slightly" less strict when it comes to mens attire. Most men dont have half the wardrobes or the accouterments compared to the average woman.
I'm not being sexist, just being a social realist here.
While no jeans is fair for a dress code. I dont think we should be turning men with other wise perfectly fine outfit just because they dont have anything other then sneakers.
I come with my own ballroom dance shoes, an exception to the rule. its one small thing that i think makes a huge difference.

And when it comes to female attire. I think there should be at least a notation in the event info regarding dresses with trains and floor length dresses. I would recommend a bustling fastener on dress to hike it up or finger-looping for the garments. Lord knows how many time i tripped on a hem. Let alone watched women tripped on their own garments.
Because some of the garments are made ahead of time I wouldnt make a ban if they don't, just mention it in the program. Eventually the experienced AB goers will clue in.

I suspect the problem was less wardrobe and more 'lol men can't dance'.

Iskra wrote:I suspect the problem was less wardrobe and more 'lol men can't dance'.

Agreed. We're not asking for top hat and tails here (heck, we're not even asking for a suit). Every man out there should own at least one pair of dress shoes, dress pants, jacket and tie.

And generally, gentlemen who get turned away at the door are lacking more than one element of the dress code. They're missing the jacket and the tie, or they show up wearing sneakers and skinny jeans.

Although to be fair, if memory serves me right last year I saw a gentleman get turned away at the door for not having a suit jacket, I believe. He had a button down white shirt on, slacks, dress shoes, and a brownish vest with tie, and yet he was turned away for some reason.

Supermot wrote:

Iskra wrote:I suspect the problem was less wardrobe and more 'lol men can't dance'.

Agreed. We're not asking for top hat and tails here (heck, we're not even asking for a suit). Every man out there should own at least one pair of dress shoes, dress pants, jacket and tie.

I have to disagree seeing as cons are famous for having to remind people to shower, we don't have the fanciest people. I don't think we're talking about the same group of people. Tie, maybe. Dress shirt, yes probably. But jacket/blazer probably not.
A lot of people are coming from all areas to the con. Flying in, taking the bus, or carpooling with a bunch of friends, there's not much space for luggage. A lot of people are going to try to bring as little as possible so they have more room for merch on the return trip. To bring a pair of dress shoes for one event is silly.
I think a tie, dress shirt and dress pants are more reasonable and realistic to expect. And decent looking shoes that aren't held together by duct tape.

Lapis_Lupus wrote:Although to be fair, if memory serves me right last year I saw a gentleman get turned away at the door for not having a suit jacket, I believe. He had a button down white shirt on, slacks, dress shoes, and a brownish vest with tie, and yet he was turned away for some reason.

My friend was turned away last year for not having a vest. He was wearing a suit jacket, but turned away for not having a vest. Thankfully, someone let him borrow one!

Oh. So I take it cosplay isn't appropriate? Ahaha.

ClockworkCat wrote:Oh. So I take it cosplay isn't appropriate? Ahaha.

Cosplay is appropriate, as long as it adheres to the dress code guidelines. We've had lots of cosplayers attend in the past.

This is my first time going. i have seen videos online of some of these dances and alot of people are not wearing suits and formal wear. So, unless I am watching videos of the wrong event, it seems that a suit is overkill.

There are two dances: the informal (where you can where pretty much whatever you want) and the formal. In vids of the formal, the dancers would be in couples would be doing waltzes, foxtrots and the like.

writesinwhite wrote:

Supermot wrote:

Iskra wrote:I suspect the problem was less wardrobe and more 'lol men can't dance'.

Agreed. We're not asking for top hat and tails here (heck, we're not even asking for a suit). Every man out there should own at least one pair of dress shoes, dress pants, jacket and tie.

I have to disagree seeing as cons are famous for having to remind people to shower, we don't have the fanciest people. I don't think we're talking about the same group of people. Tie, maybe. Dress shirt, yes probably. But jacket/blazer probably not.
A lot of people are coming from all areas to the con. Flying in, taking the bus, or carpooling with a bunch of friends, there's not much space for luggage. A lot of people are going to try to bring as little as possible so they have more room for merch on the return trip. To bring a pair of dress shoes for one event is silly.
I think a tie, dress shirt and dress pants are more reasonable and realistic to expect. And decent looking shoes that aren't held together by duct tape.

Sorry for responding to an old post, but I disagree with you. The formal dance, like a cosplay, or a panel, should be something you prepare for if you are going to attend. Tons of people pack pairs of extra shoes for their cosplay, so what is the difference in bringing extra shoes for the formal dance? (especially if you can use the shoes for a cosplay AND the dance? Win win.) I am a cosplayer and I always carry a lot of stuff with me. Yes, it is a pain in the ass sometimes, but I am not the only one who does this and we always seem to manage fine. If you don't want to pack a ton of stuff and not prepare for events like this, that's fine, but you also shouldn't complain when you are turned away either. The formal dance is just that - FORMAL. The dress code is in place to maintain an air of class and sophistication. If that isn't your thing, why not go to the informal dance?

^this.

Personally, I think a formal dance should be just that, formal. A time to get dressed in best and glam it up for an evening!
I had to go buy some new dress pants, mine were just bad; I'll definitely be attending!

On a side note, I do hope there will be air conditioning at the venue, cause the end of may all dressed up is gonna be HOT!

Formal is formal and why I can understand not everyone has a tux or wants the expense of renting one for just a few hours if you can't at least come up with a dressy coat and tie, not even a suit for cat's sake, and a pair of dress shoes then why are you even looking at an affair labeled formal in the first place?

Tokoyami wrote:Hello Everyone,

I have a friend who wants to dress Lolita to the formal, but has heard rumors that Lolitas have been turned away for not being formal enough. Who would we ask about this?

If people in general can give me an answer, her dress is below the knee and made of dark red chiffon. She would be wearing a sheer black chiffon shirt underneath and velvet Mary Janes.

Here is a picture of her dress with her permission:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 6644_n.jpg

Obviously the shoes would be different from the picture, but that should give the general idea. Help please? We don't want her to be turned away, so we'd like to figure this out sooner.

Thank you!!

P.s. If my post is in the wrong forum, feel free to move it. I didn't know where to inquire.

I don't mean to step on any staff toes by answering this, but if you scroll down a little in this link, they specifically show an image of a lolita under the "Japanese clothing" section: http://www.animeboston.com/programming/ ... all_guide/

I'm not sure why a lolita would be turned away unless she were wearing inappropriate footwear, or was simply wearing something else but calling it lolita (for example, a maid outfit, or a "lolita" dress that is much too short or made out of cheap fabric.) Your friend looks gorgeous (I see she's wearing Innocent World!) and she will look lovely at the dance!

It's always important to look into the right shoes for a ball that involves dancing! Suede soles would give you the best traction and slide for some wicked moves!