Welbeck Open Day dress code?

[annh]

I know this is not exactly the right place to ask but I think it's about the closest I will get to the correct answer! DS is going to the Welbeck 6th form college Open Day on 22 June for which dress code is smart/smart casual. He does have a suit but as we will be travelling about 2.5 hours to get there, I thought he would probably wear a smart cotton shirt and chinos with school shoes. Does anyone have any experience of this? Will everyone be turning up really smartly dressed? DS will be desperate to make a good impression even though there will be loads of people there!

If anyone has any more information or thoughts on Welbeck generally, they would be very welcome too! I am not British and I don't think either dh or my family have had anyone even interested in serving since about WWI so it's all a complete mystery to me!

If the dress code is smart casual then suit probably not needed. I have no direct experience of Welbeck but am ex military so I know of Welbeck and the fact that the military can be a bit stuffy around dress codes. To hedge bets you could go for suit trousers and shirt, worn with open neck plus take tie so could pop it on if everyone else wearing one. Make sure school shoes are smart, ideally black, not 'fashionable' and very, very well polished!

Thanks Notyummy, yes he is is in cadets so is well-versed in shoe polishing! And he needs new school shoes this weekend so, with a bit of luck, they might not even look like they have been trekked across the Sahara by the time we get there! I think the problem with the dress code is that it specified either smart or smart casual, wish they had just plumped for one or the other.

Maybe a jacket if he has one?

Good luck - friend of DD went there, and it was wonderful for her.

i have a feeling they said "...or smart casual" because not all the youngsters will have a suit, but are still expected to make an effort.

If travelling, in summer, no need to put the jacket and tie on before you arrive.

I think so too PigletJohn. We'll go for the shirt with tie and trousers option but I will stick his suit in the car and he can always change in the car park when we get there, if necessary. We wouldn't consider travelling that distance in a suit anyway.

Definitely a jacket & tie with the chinos, though.

Hi annh good advice here, to be honest chinos and shirt would be fine but go with the suits trousers and shirt with tie fans jacket in the car to chuck on if needed when you get there. These things are not nearly as important as thou think they are -welbeck is still a school and most of the staff are civilian teachers. I am ex welbexian myself so do message me if you need any advice/reassurance/questions answered. Definitely the best thing I ever did.

Sorry for the comedy typos, on my phone!

Smart is jacket and tie. Smart casual jacket, no tie. Nothing wrong in being in a suit, but a bit over-dressed. As Welbeck has girls as well they will not say dress is suits.

Traditional would be navy blazer, chinos, shirt, tie, smart shoes.

Information from my friends bf....a Welbexian.

Hope you have a lovely day!

I have only just realised that people kindly posted on this thread after the initial responses died down. Thank you for that, Sweethoneybee I am going to take you up on your offer of messaging you!

In case anyone comes to this thread later, the answer to the question of dress was pretty much chinos and shirt for the guys was perfect. A few people were in suits, quite a few were in more casual polos, maybe even some jeans. The guys seemed to be more uniform than the girls, lots of whom seemed to have struggled with the concept of "smart casual" and were in jeans, hoodies, vests etc. Just proves that "smart casual" IS a nightmare for women!

Anyway, ds loved the day, the facilities, the academics, everything about the place so it's onto the next stage of applying!