Operagoers have been warned they will be banned from entering Milan’s prestigious La Scala theatre if they turn up wearing shorts, tank tops or flip-flops. Kimonos, however, are acceptable.
The venue’s management team reminded people how not to dress for an opera after complaints that some spectators were donning attire more suitable for the beach.
A “rules of conduct” sign has been placed at La Scala’s entrance urging its audience to “choose clothing in keeping with the decorum of the theatre”, adding that “spectators wearing tank tops, shorts and flip-flops are not allowed”. Those who arrive inappropriately dressed will not be given a refund. The message has also been placed on tickets and the opera house’s website.
The anti-beachwear dress code was introduced in 2015, the year Milan hosted the World Expo and La Scala stayed open for the entire summer, as a way to stop people from turning up in swimming costumes.
But until now it has never been strictly enforced, partly because of calls for more tolerance over attire by La Scala’s former French director, Dominique Meyer, who in his youth was criticised by fellow spectators at Paris Opera productions for his “worker’s look”. Meyer later became the general director of the opera company.
“The rules now need to be reinforced, especially due to the heat we’ve been experiencing,” said a spokesperson for La Scala. “Some spectators were getting annoyed after seeing others not dress appropriately, for example in flip-flops, especially in a theatre where people are sitting shoulder to shoulder.”
The tank top ban does not prohibit women from wearing sleeveless blouses or dresses, and, according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, the flip-flop ban does not prevent “Japanese spectators with kimonos and traditional footwear” from entering.
Before 2015, there was a message on La Scala tickets recommending a “jacket and tie”, although the formal dress code was not obligatory. However, there is an unspoken rule that people should at least be elegantly clothed.
“It is incorrect to tell people how to dress, but they do need to be dressed,” the spokesperson said.
The dress code reminder is part of a broader overhaul on etiquette rules at La Scala. Spectators are banned from bringing their own food and drink and from taking photos and filming during performances. In addition, operagoers must not place their mobile phones on the balustrade of balcony boxes after one fell off and hit a spectator seated below.
