What to Wear on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

Header photograph by Benjamin Pexton 

There are few journeys more glamorous than the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. The films, the novels and the iconography have all immortalised it as one of those mythological experiences that everyone should be so lucky to do at least once in their lifetime. 

For a night or two, reality is suspended, champagne flows like nectar, and – courtesy of a strict dress code – you would be forgiven for thinking that the world is a more beautiful place. As Pascal Deyrolle, the train’s General Manager, once explained to me: the dress code is there to make the experience special for every guest. A sighting of sweatpants can be an eyesore in the spectacular surroundings of the train’s carriages, so formality and glamour are encouraged. 

Pack your best party looks – black-tie tuxedos, feather-trimmed mules, sequins, velvet and all the fanciful delights that your wardrobe has to offer. The minute you step onto the train, you want to put your best foot forward, whether it’s elegantly attired at afternoon tea or dressed to the nines for dinner. You’ll, without a doubt, be taking millions of photographs, drinking martinis propped up by the piano, before stumbling back to your cabin in a state of ecstatic wonder.  

It’s about having fun and feeling glamorous – whatever that means to you. You don’t need to go overboard, but making that extra effort is part of the theatre. Most importantly, however, pack your best silk pyjamas. You’ll want to look good when you wake up to breakfast on a silver tray with the Alps passing you by – it could also help you feel fresh with your inevitable hangover from one too many cocktails in the legendary bar carriage 3674. 

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