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Bermuda: Around-the-Calendar Clothes for Men and Women
By Mary Johnson Tweedy
PROBABLY nobody has ever moved to Bermuda, just so he or she could wear Bermuda clothes, but on the other hand probably no tourist has dressed in "city" clothes for the trip back without a sigh of regret. Bermuda clothes are not only attractive but they are fun to wear.
During the late spring, summer and early fall, daytime apparel for women consists of flat-heeled shoes and cotton dresses, Bermuda (knee-length) shorts or slacks and a blouse. During the brisk months of December, January, February and March, wool slacks (shorts on warm days) or tweed skirts and Cashmere sweaters are de rigueur, but every year there are some mid-winter days when you can wear cottons. Bermudians, in general, think "short shorts" and halters look ridiculous and are unattractive on the bicycling female form. Bermuda even has a law against "indecent exposure," which was written to cover others than Lady Godiva. Your chances of winding up in the local gaol are slim, but clothes considered smart in Bermuda both by tourists and residents are discreet as well as chic. On the other hand, bathing suits on Bermuda beaches leave as few unanswered questions as bathing suits on smart beaches the world over.
In warm weather most local men wear Bermuda shorts to their stores and offices and male tourists wear them also, although slacks are perfectly proper of course. American men who may never have considered wearing shorts except on a tennis court or at a beach soon find themselves devoted to Bermuda's well-tailored cotton, flannel or gabardine shorts and the knee-length socks usually worn with them. But such informality around the knee is qualified by the world-wide British custom of ties and lightweight coats--the better public eating and drinking places require both. In winter many Bermuda men wear flannel or gabardine slacks, tweed jackets or sweaters and so do tourists.
In general, plan on lightweight clothes from April through November, and warmer ones for the other months. However, if your trip is March-April or November-December, it is wise to take a hedge on the seasons and have something of both. You can have a late spring or a late winter and it is better to be prepared. On some cool summer evenings ladies will want a light wrap, and on some warm winter days men can be comfortable in shirt sleeves.
After a day of exercise or sight-seeing you will want to change for cocktails and dinner. For restaurants and guest houses women usually put on simple cotton, silk or light wool frocks (cotton is cooler for summer). An afternoon dress or so will be useful for dancing when you aren't "dressing."
On winter nights men usually wear regular suits, although slacks and jackets are often acceptable. Seersucker or linen jackets worn with lightweight slacks are popular in the summer months.
Unless you plan to be very gay, one or two evening dresses will be sufficient for dining and dancing at the big hotels on "dress nights." A simple dress is best and cotton is a good bet for warm weather. Men usually wear white dinner coats from late March or April to October or early November and black ones the rest of the year. A black dinner coat is always perfectly poper regardless of season, but unless it is lightweight it will be too warm for summer. "Dress" is optional at night on the Queen, but many, people do, particularly on the second night or at the Captain's table.
After a lady has stepped smartly from a ship or a plane she may as well put her John Frederics model or its equivalent on a shelf except for church, a cocktail party at Government House or tea with a Bermuda dowager. Otherwise, hats aren't worn by women, and there must be a great many Bermuda men who don't even own one.
When you shop for clothes bear in mind that Bermuda shops specialize in Cashmere and Shetland sweaters from Scotland, scarves of silk or wool from France and England and flannel or tweed jackets, slacks, shorts and suits made in Great Britain of excellent English cloth. The tailoring is done to meet American requirements (two hip pockets in men's trousers). You can usually save money by waiting until you get here for woolens and most sport clothes. But bathing suits, dresses and ladies' shoes should be bought in the United States, as most of those sold here are imported from America.
Bermuda's weather is mild, yes, but during the late autumn, winter and early spring you will almost always sleep under a blanket and sit by a glowing cedar log fire at night, so plan accordingly.
Plot your requirements from the list below, added to the seasonal data on the preceding pages. Subtract the sports you don't go in for and divide by the number of days you will be here. Then look over your wardrobe and decide whether you want to buy additions before you leave home or whether they should wait until you get here.
Part of Bermuda's charm is the simple life you can lead, and this applies to clothes. You can buy all sorts of fascinating clothes for Bermuda but you can also come with very little and be perfectly correct.
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