Dressing for Disneyland — or Disneyworld — is a multi-faceted affair.

While the unofficial uniform of Disney guests appears to be jeans & a t-shirt, & no one clad in that garb seems to be complaining, Disneyland is an amazing place, & I think a special effort should be made. After all, the photo opportunities are unparalleled — when you look back at your snaps from the day, odds are excellent that you’ll wish you hadn’t worn that shirt with the stains & your old running shoes!

However, it’s not as simple as just throwing on your most ridiculous ball gown, because it might not fit into the roller-coaster cars… & a pair of fabulous heels may look beautiful but it won’t be worth the anguish, since a day at Disney is long! So how do you strike a balance between looking cute & still being able to run around like a nut?

 

Exhibit A: The Footwear

Think about your shoes. Realistically, they’re the most important part of your outfit. If you’re really cold & worst comes to worst, you can always borrow your friend’s sweater or buy something in one of the Disney shops — but if your feet hurt, your day is pretty much over already. It sounds simple but it’s true: it’s hard to be happy if you’re wearing uncomfortable shoes.

Yesterday I wore my Frye Veronica Shortie boots, while Jazzi wore her patent leather Doc Martens & Nubby wore her Chloe combat boots. We are all typically fans of high heels & going for the most ridiculous footwear we can find, but today practicality won out so we could spend as much time as possible at the happiest place on earth.

Having said this, even though we wore our most comfortable shoes, we were all in agony by the end of the day & taking every opportunity we could to sit down… I suppose this is why the shoe of choice at Disneyland appears to be sneakers. Whatever you wear, I would recommend throwing some of those cushy padded gel insoles into the mix.

Exhibit B: The Outfit

Time to consider what you’ll actually wear. This is the really meaty part of your ensemble, since it’s what most people will see (& what will be visible in the majority of your photos). So how do you want to rock it?

Gala wore…
Sequinned ears (I took my ‘Gala’ maus hat but also bought pink sequinned ears & a pink discoball hat with ears, so they were all on rotation)
Oversized New York t-shirt
Pyramid stud belt
Yellow tulle petticoat (bought from secret vintage treasure trove!)
Sequinned jacket from Forever 21
Black stockings
Frye Veronica Shortie boots
Neon pink handbag
Bracelets & rings etc.

Nubby wore…
Black sequinned ears (she cut the bow off on the ride home)
Nubby nameplate necklace
‘The Sidewalk Never Ends’ t-shirt
Black cardigan
Black shorts from Forever 21
Black knee-highs
Red Chloe wedge boots
White Miu Miu handbag

Jazzi wore…
Disney name hat & alternating grey beanie
Glasses from Urban Outfitters
Alice dress
Black stockings
Patent leather Doc Marten boots

Whatever you decide, my suggestion would be to dress in layers. While Disneyland & Disneyworld are both in warm locations — California & Florida — that doesn’t mean the weather is pristine all the time, & in fact, we were quite cold today. So make sure you take something which is going to keep you warm, & I’d suggest avoiding bare legs unless you go in the height of summer.

Exhibit C: Extras

This could go in a bunch of different ways — for example, what kind of bag are you going to take & what are you going to put in it? (Sunglasses, camera, bubble mixture, flask of alcohol?) What are you going to take with you in terms of keeping warm? (Cardigan, blazer, scarf, cape?) What sort of accessories are you going to wear? (Fingerless gloves, huge pendant necklaces, sequinned ears, huge hair bow?) Let’s break it down now.

Gala’s bag contained…
Nikon D80 camera; Flip Mino HD; wallet; Helio Ocean; heart-shaped glitter coin purse; bottle of water; lip balm; index cards; pen; sunglasses; non-prescription frames.
For warmth, I took…
My sequinned hooded jacket, & I needed it. I wore it pretty much all day. It really wasn’t that warm!
My accoutrements were…
Constant rotation of hats & ears, pink Too Late watch, blue goldstone bracelet, Lolita I.D. bracelet, two Swarovski crystal bracelets, Tarina Tarantino ring, wedding ring.

Jazzi’s bag contained…
She actually didn’t bring a bag. She does not know why. She carried everything in her hands & shortly before we left the park, she lost her debit card & had to call & cancel it. Let this be a lesson to you!
For warmth, she took…
Her friend’s hooded sweater. It was mad cute.
Her accoutrements were…
None!

Nubby’s bag contained…
Camera, cellphone, wallet, room key, lip gloss, powder, heart-shaped sunglasses & an extra pair of shoes (which she didn’t wear).
For warmth, she took…
A black cardigan.
Her accoutrements were…
Watch, nameplate necklace, maus ears.

Exhibit D: Final Notes

The thing about Disneyland is that it’s important to be prepared, but don’t pack so much that you’re going to lose things when you go screaming around the corners on Space Mountain!

Another thing to keep in mind is to take it easy. Yeah, it’s expensive to get in & you want to do as much as you can, but it’s better to do less & enjoy it more than to race around like a maniac & feel stressed out. There’s so much to do & look at that it’s extremely unlikely you’ll manage to cover it all in a day. In our case, we only managed 4 rides (Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn, Space Mountain & the Mad Teaparty) before we were completely exhausted.

Also, be sure to take plenty of cash. There is food everywhere & they pipe buttery popcorn scent all around the park, so trust me when I say you’re going to want things you might normally resist. In the mood for cupcakes, chocolate-dipped strawberries, chilli in a bread-bowl, a bag of taffy or an enormous ice-cream sundae? You’ve got it! I didn’t see a single ATM as I walked around even though I’m sure they exist, & the smaller stalls which sell coffee don’t take credit cards, so be ready for that!

Die-hard Disney-goers will often take a picnic lunch or pack snacks, which is probably the most economical & practical thing to do, but it’s probably less fun. I feel like part of the glee of going to a theme park is just eating whatever you want & not giving it a second thought. It’s part of the experience, isn’t it?!

Above all, the most important thing is that you go with people you like. They always say that travelling is the way to ascertain whether a relationship has lasting potential, but I think a good, solid day at Disneyland is a pretty accurate gauge too. You’ll really find out whether you like someone when you have to stand next to them in line for an hour with sore feet & twinkling music swirling around your head, trust me!

Thankfully, when I have my wife by my side, everything is alright.