What to Wear to Disney

The ears are headbands now!

School started this week for our boys, but I am holding onto memories of summer something fierce! In my attempt to make the most of the (too short) break before the (too soon) start of the academic year, we did a mad dash around Southern California last week. Our travels included our *first* family trip to Disneyland.

As someone who has lived in California for six years and Los Angeles for two, it’s more notable at this point that we had NOT made the trek to see Mickey Mouse’s house. People in these parts go to Disney quite regularly; I imagine it’s the same for Floridians? I had been scared off by a combination of the pandemic and the logistical prep required — not to mention the money of it all. But the time had come! My kids are all at ages to appreciate it, and at heights required to ride most of the rides. So we set aside the dates and I started packing.

I have fond memories from my own childhood of traveling to Disney World in Orlando, Fla. We made the trip from the Midwest for the first time when I was about 10, I think? I returned as a teenager when my high school marching band joined the evening parade (a real highlight of my stint as a flutist). 

But something notable has changed since I last visited: People now dress for Disney. We’re talking full family ensembles, with matching, custom, personalized T-shirts and big, sparkly ears. I’m guessing there was a version of this back when I went but I’m certain if it was as widespread then as it is now my mom would have outfitted us accordingly or my high schooler self would have clocked it. (I checked with my sister, Carolyn, and she has no recollection of us wearing anything notable at Disney, only that my mom wanted us to wear “tennies.”)

Thankfully, my LA-based moms’ group tipped me off to this emphasis on style before we went, so I planned two days of coordinated outfits for our family. Having now spent nearly a dozen hours at each park, watching with fascination the fashion around me, I have ideas of how I’ll do it better next time, too. Below is SMT on ears, t-shirts, themes and more!

And if you’re wondering: Why bother? Well, in my opinion, much like a Taylor Swift concert or the Barbie movie, dressing for the moment adds to the experience. Did I think I would be the kind of mom to tromp around an amusement park in oversize sequin ears? Unclear! But a trip to Disney is not the time to hold back — if you’re going to go for it, might as well go for it. Doing just that brought out the kid in me, which delighted my own kids. And it made what was going to be a memorable and fun experience even more memorable and more fun.

 💭 PS: Calling all Disney pros, and anyone else who has thoughts! Please share your Disney style tips in the comments. This was my first trip but certainly won’t be the last, and I’d love to learn from you.

What to Wear to Disney

It’s all about the ears.

Duh! But it’s not the ears I remember as a kid, the kind that came on a felt cap (with your name embroidered on the back if you were fancy). Today’s ears are on headbands — the way I smiled when I learned this!

Better yet, they are large, sparkly, and themed. Huzzah! There are turquoise ones adorned with shells for the Little Mermaid,  pink ones with tiaras (presumably for all the princesses?) and even black ones with lightsabers for Star Wars. When we went in early August, they were already selling Halloween-themed ones. 

My biggest ear tip: Buy some before you go. I picked up a few (admittedly dupes!) Minnie ears on Amazon for $8 apiece. Online or at the park, they will easily set you back $30 or more! Still, the ones there felt so special that I ended up buying two more at the end of our first day of the Disney 100th anniversary styles (including this).

Last thought: Learn from my lesson and watch the weight of the ears. Some of the more elaborate styles can get quite heavy, making them hard for little heads like Bird’s to sport for a full day of adventuring.

Time for t-shirts.

Shoutout to the Etsy sellers who have cornered this market! Matching t-shirts, or better yet personalized + coordinating ones, are all the rage in the park these days. There are so many cute designs, with Mickey, Minnie, the Disney whole crew or the castle. Some styles let you add the year, your name, or your spot in the family (Mom, grandma, aunt, etc). I particularly loved it when a big group committed to the bit. I browsed these but ultimately did not have enough time to order any for our family.

Embrace a character as your theme.

Instead, we went this route —and l loved it! If you can, examine the map of the park you are visiting BEFORE you go. Look for inspiration in the major themed “areas.” Here in California, Disneyland is great for Mickey, Minnie, all the Disney princesses, and Star Wars. Disney California Adventure is all about Cars and Avengers. You can also find lots of characters there, including Encanto, Zootopia and Frozen. 

When you have your movie or character , zero in on the signature color combination and then layer on the logos, symbols, sayings, etc.

The first of our two-day visit was to Disneyland proper, so I opted for classic Mickey and Minnie vibes. I bought my sons matching Mickey T-shirts and found a Minnie dress for Bird. It was important to me to get pieces they would wear again! Matt and I opted for white and black clothes already in our closets, plus a new black Mickey baseball cap for him and Minnie sequin ears for me. You know I’m all about sun safety, so I added a white Minnie baseball cap, too. We managed to meet Mickey that day, and I adore the resulting picture — fandom in full effect.

On the second day, we headed to Disney California Adventure in Frozen-themed attire. There’s not a Frozen-themed area of the park, sadly (side note: what the actual heck, Disney! Give the kids what they want!) but I read that’s where Elsa and Anna hang out. I knew my girl would want to wear her favorite Elsa dress, while the dudes were happy to re-wear their outfits from Bird’s Frozen-themed birthday party last summer. (Oliver was Olaf, Fitz was the fire spirit salamander from Frozen II, and Matt had an Arendelle ice shirt). I was the weakest link here, opting against re-wearing the Nap Dress I wore to my daughter’s party and settling for navy shorts, a ribbed tank and my new ears. It was fine! It could have been better but it was fine. 

I’m also convinced that our all-in attire earned us a few more moments with the princesses themselves, which was far and away the highlight of the trip for me. Eleanor was so very starry-eyed at meeting Elsa and Anna and the boys couldn’t stop smiling. I almost cried!

Keep the rest of your look light and loose.

And leave your dresses at home. Especially if you go in the summer! I love a dress but traversing the park, plus the way some rides buckle, calls for trousers or shorts. The first day I wore linen-like elastic waist cropped trousers with big pockets that kept my phone — and therefore my camera — always within reach. The second day I chose pleated shorts with pockets that served the same purpose. Almost everyone we saw for two days in the heat of August was wearing shorts. 

As for accessories, I brought my most cushioned sneakers and fanny pack — anything hands-free works! (Matt had a backpack for our bigger things). If you’ve got fun sunnies in your stash, make sure to bring those, too. My red sunnies from Target I bought ages ago were an especially fun pop.

Snooze in style, too.

If your stay involves an overnight stay, or even just a late-night drive home, may I suggests matching PJs in the park? So cute! We had every intention of leaving after dinner on the night between our two park days, resting for a bit and heading back for fireworks in our matching Mickey PJs. Our three kids crashed real fast, so my plan didn’t pan out but next time! We shall try again. You can also shop their closets here, and bring any Disney-themed characters styles you have on hand.

But mostly: Next time, I’ll buy more hat options (it was so sunny!), embrace a bit more athleisure for myself (bike shorts and bodysuits were everywhere) and let my kids choose their own theme. Bird is already brainstorming other princess ideas, while her brothers want to wear their Star Wars costumes from last Halloween. (I also may bring a change of clothes! I know my dudes would get a kick out of wearing “Princess Security” shirts alongside their sister for a stretch).

What did you wear to Disney? I’d love to hear — please share your thoughts in the comments.

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