Plan four settings before choosing shirts
| Setting | Useful starting outfit | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Deck or pool | Light shirt, shorts and suitable shoes | Cover up before entering dining areas |
| Shore excursion | Shirt with walking trousers and comfortable footwear | Weather, activity and local site rules |
| Smart dinner | Collared print, long trousers and clean shoes | The restaurant’s evening policy |
| Formal or Gala | The suit or eveningwear specified by the operator | Whether a tie and jacket are required |
Evening labels are not interchangeable. Cunard’s Gala guidance includes dark suits with a tie or bow tie, as well as dinner jackets or tuxedos. Celebrity’s Evening Chic policy allows smart casual dining and theatre attire if you do not join in.
A printed shirt works for many relaxed dinners. It does not turn an ordinary jacket and trousers into conventional black tie. Choose your ship’s rule first, then the personality you want to add.
Continue reading: Cruise Ship Dress Codes Explained by Line · Cruise Formal Night Outfits for Men · What to Pack for a Cruise: Men's Packing List.
Explore cruise and nautical shirts. Check the product page for the current fabric, measurements, price and available sizes.
Explore occasion dressing guides in the Claudio Lugli journal.
There is a reason Claudio Lugli shirts turn heads on the water. A cruise is one long invitation to dress well - relaxed by day, sharp by night, and every dinner a chance to make an entrance. Our shirts have quietly become a favourite aboard ship, passed along by word of mouth from one well-dressed passenger to the next. This is the complete guide to dressing for a cruise, from the sail-away deck to the formal gala - and exactly what to pack.
Know your ship: the cruise dress-code decoder
Cruise dress codes have relaxed, but the evening still has tiers. Read your ship's daily programme and dress to the night. Here is the map.
A collared printed shirt with chinos and loafers. This is where a statement Claudio Lugli print does all the work.
A dinner jacket or blazer over a dress or statement shirt. Names and requirements differ between Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Celebrity: consult each operator’s current policy rather than treating this tier as universal.
A dark suit or tuxedo. Cunard remains the gold standard - a gala night is your moment to go full black tie.
Act I - Sail-away and deck days
Days at sea are all yours. This is prime territory for the bold, breezy prints Claudio Lugli is known for - worn open over a tee by the pool, or buttoned for a long lunch on deck.
Act II - Sunset dinners and the promenade
As the light drops, dial it up a notch. A richer print buttoned and tucked into tailored trousers, a loafer, sleeves clean - smart enough for the dining room, relaxed enough for the deck bar afterwards.
Act III - The gala night
The main event. When the ship calls a formal or elegant evening, this is the night to make an entrance. A printed tuxedo shirt and statement dinner jacket is an expressive evening option when the operator permits it. For conventional black tie, use a dinner suit, formal white shirt, black bow tie and suitable black shoes.
Explore the full range of tuxedo shirts, dinner jackets and occasionwear for the formal nights.
On a cruise, everyone dresses up. The trick is being the one they remember - so push the boat out.
The cruise packing list
Seven nights, one carry-on of shirts, every occasion covered:
What to wear on a cruise: FAQs
What do men wear on a cruise?
By day, relaxed printed shirts with chinos or shorts. In the evening it steps up by tier: a collared printed shirt on casual nights, a blazer or dinner jacket over a statement shirt on elegant nights, and a dark suit or tuxedo on formal gala nights.
Do you need a tuxedo for a cruise formal night?
Not always. Formal labels and required garments vary. Cunard’s Gala guidance permits a dark suit with a tie or bow tie as well as a tuxedo or dinner jacket; other lines publish their own smart or formal options. Check the sailing and restaurant.
What is the best shirt to wear on a cruise?
A bold, well-made printed shirt in a breathable fabric - nautical, tropical or a statement print - worn relaxed by day and dressed up for dinner. It is exactly the versatility Claudio Lugli is built for.
Shop cruise-ready shirts, dinner jackets and tuxedo shirts, sizes S to 6XL.
Shop the Cruise EditSailing somewhere tropical? Pair this with our Hawaiian shirt guide and the short-sleeve summer edit.
