I have to ask, what is with all the black

[RweTHEREyet]

O.K., I need for you locals to splain something to me. Just back from our first trip to DL and the OC area (and more on that later). I could not help but notice that the dress code seems to be black, black pants, black shirts, black shoes, black bags. Not a criticisim, just wondering about it. As we looked out over the crowd in CA and then later DL, I would say it was at least 85% black clothing.

 

[Mugglemama]

that's funny, i've never ever noticed anything like that at disneyland. i think goth days occured in september or something, so i doubt that was it. idk....i was born and raised in SoCal and never noticed a ton of black clothing except on goths. i never wear black at disneyland because it's always too hot...ugh.

 

[sonnyjane]

Hmmm. I can honestly say that I live in SoCal and have never, ever noticed this? I always heard that New Yorkers always wore black, but never heard it about SoCal? We are supposed to be the "brighter" version of NYC lol.

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

THis is a funny observation....I think winter..dark colors, or even travel - I know my MIL travels a lot & ALWAYS brings black/grey mix & matching.

I was just thinking of what I'll be wearing & there's some black but I planned on mixing it up some too!

 

[blackjackdelta]

To soak up all that SoCal sun!

Jack

 

[mareed]

I'm glad someone else noticed this! We were there between XMAS & New Years wearing our brightly colored matching/coordinating Disney t-shirts, and we stood out so much in all the black and dark colors! It really detracted from the atmosphere for us. It had been 2 years since we'd been to DL as a family and have done WDW many times in those last 2 years and guest at WDW are so much more brightly colored.

It felt to us like DL was just people out for a day wearing whatever they happened to be wearing where at WDW people were on VACATION and had made plans to dress accordingly. As goofy and silly as those bright vacation t-shirts would look anywhere else, they're part of the Disney experience for us, and we noticed it sorely lacking at DL.

Added to the biggest crowds at DL that we've ever seen on any trip at either WDW or DL (& we've been to both at very crowded times like XMAS, July 4th, Spring Break, etc.) we're not sure that we'll be going back to DL (after our planned trips using our AP's) for a while. We may just stick to WDW - it had much more of a vacation feel. I think I posted about that here after we returned from DL, but I seemed to be the only one with that feeling. So I'm glad to hear from the OP that someone else noticed at least some of the difference regarding the clothing that we did.

 

[8timesblessed]

Well when we go in May we will be wearing cute fun shirts, no black here!

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

It felt to us like DL was just people out for a day wearing whatever they happened to be wearing where at WDW people were on VACATION and had made plans to dress accordingly. As goofy and silly as those bright vacation t-shirts would look anywhere else, they're part of the Disney experience for us, and we noticed it sorely lacking at DL.

I could be totally off base here...but for us DL is close & it's always a "mini vacation" so we DO wear what we'd normally wear as SoCal & AZ are relativley close in winter climates (when we usually go). I did go all out last time & the kids had Disney something to wear everyday but it died off fast & they never wore it again, I'm all about being practical!!

Anyway - If I think like that, maybe others do too, especially if they live nearby.

 

[LavenderPeach]

It felt to us like DL was just people out for a day wearing whatever they happened to be wearing where at WDW people were on VACATION and had made plans to dress accordingly. As goofy and silly as those bright vacation t-shirts would look anywhere else, they're part of the Disney experience for us, and we noticed it sorely lacking at DL.

I don't know if you've been following any of the threads about how many APs there are now and how most (i think i heard 90%?) are SoCal APs. So, yes, you're right, most of the people you saw probably weren't on vacation, they were probably just there for the day (or even just a few hours). DLR is a big draw for the millions of people who live down here and most probably don't stay in hotels so therefore don't feel like they are going on vacation. Although DH, DS and I wear matching mickey shirts when we go so we can pretend we're on vacation but I know most locals don't do that. Also, our mickey shirts happen to be gray because that was the one we saw that matched so i guess not the most colorful vacation tees but it's still fun to all be matching. I've never noticed an abundance of black and dark colors though. Maybe it was all new yorkers out here on vacation!

 

[PinkBudgie]

When we went last year on NY's I remember noticing it was a sea of black. Most people had on black coats. It was cold and most people seem to have black coats.

 

[Mugglemama]

It felt to us like DL was just people out for a day wearing whatever they happened to be wearing where at WDW people were on VACATION and had made plans to dress accordingly.

i like this aspect of DL. i like that when we go it often looks like kids and parents are just wearing everyday clothes. the main thing i want at disneyland is for everyone in my family to be comfortable. our clothes get soaked on rides; i don't want to stress my kids out if they get ketchup on their shirt during lunch; and i personally don't want to care if an article of clothing gets ruined during our time at DL (and it's hard to accomplish that if my kids are wearing $30 shirts!).

when i'm packing clothes for our disneyland trips, i'm always thinking "function", not necessarily fashion. now, i always have them wear stuff that looks good (to me), but typically they are well worn items of clothing. to me, dressing for DL is all about not trying too hard, lol.

 

[pixiewings71]

Well we wear the same clothes on vacations that we do every single day. So I have the cutest black Tink shirt that I love, I wear it at DL or at work, I have a black Tink sweatshirt that is soooooooooo warm and comfy, I wear it at work or at DL or even on the weekend just hanging out at home......FTR I would also wear the same stuff if I went to Mexico or Hawaii, I just dress casual all the time I guess. And yes, we consider(ed) DL trips vacations, even when they were just quick weekend trips.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

And I guess the point I didn't make is that it was black clothes everywhere, not just at DL. We also went to the Spectrum Mall and spent two days visiting with my son over in Rancho Santa Margarita, and most people were wearing black no matter where they were.

Still wondering why black is the choice of color for clothing in So. Cal.

 

[PinkBudgie]

One other thought. In our area teens are not allowed to wear the color red or blue to school because those are gang colors. So, that leaves beige, white and black mostly. Maybe it is the same down there? Plus, I just think most people have black things for winter. It isn't all black in the summer.

 

[MaumeeMom]

I think there could be a mix of reasons.

First, it is the winter season so many people choose darker colors.

Secondly, black is easy to mix and match so it is more practical in this economy.

Third, people tend to dress in darker colors when times are tough (dark economy, dark mood, dark dress).

Fourth, fashion - that is what is available and trendy

I have noticed that here is Ohio there is a lot more black/dark clothing over the last year. I think it is just a sign of the times.

 

[blackjackdelta]

One other thought. In our area teens are not allowed to wear the color red or blue to school because those are gang colors. So, that leaves beige, white and black mostly. Maybe it is the same down there? Plus, I just think most people have black things for winter. It isn't all black in the summer.

\

Where I live, black is considered a gang color at the local schools. I like black! Black car, black bike,black conputer,etc.

Jack

 

[KrazyKat4DIS]

I would agree that it is probably a combination of things.

First, if you spill something (which always seems to happen at DL) then it doesn't show up. So, it's easy to wear, regardless of if you're on vacation or just happen to be at the park for a few hours.

Second, I think black/grey is a big trend right now. Black skinny jeans are a huge trend, along with other dark/emo colors. I will see simultaneously the trend seems to be 80s colors, which are obnoxiously bright, IMHO. So, it's quite a spectrum.

I guess the third reason could be that Californians were all in mourning of the sunshine. It was gone for quite a few days and that freaks us Californians out!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

If you go to more upscale malls and such, you are going to see a lot more black, as well. Black has always been a style for the elite. There is a lot more of it on display in retail shops this season, too. I think it maybe a trend. Certainly not like NYC, where it's a uniform.

 

[CoolPool]

Who Dat! They are all Saints fans, of course!

 

[NVDisMom]

I could be totally off base here...but for us DL is close & it's always a "mini vacation" so we DO wear what we'd normally wear as SoCal & AZ are relativley close in winter climates (when we usually go). I did go all out last time & the kids had Disney something to wear everyday but it died off fast & they never wore it again, I'm all about being practical!!

Anyway - If I think like that, maybe others do too, especially if they live nearby.

Us too, we wear what we would normally wear, but we do leave the ski pants and jackets at home. DH wears black tshirts almost exclusively as casual clothing. So, that's what he wears at DL. If you'd prefer he could bring along the bank attire, but ties and slacks do get a bit uncomfortable and all that ironing... What can I say? Banker by day, drummer the rest of the time.