The Melbourne Cricket Club isn’t a place that you can enter without putting some thought into your clothing. If you want to get inside the premises, a minimum of “neat casual” is the least that you can wear, but to fully explore the premises (like entering the MCC Dining Room), you’ll need to dress a little fancier.
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The MCC Dress Code: A Tradition
Don’t expect to get into the MCC at all without conforming to their dress code. It’s been enforced ever since the Club opened 230 years ago, and isn’t waived for ANYONE, even to MCC members. Dress code is regularly checked upon entrance and inside the premises, and anyone who isn’t compliant is immediately evicted.
There are even some areas of the MCC that have a dress code of its own. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the Long Room, the Frank Grey Smith Bar, and the Jim Stynes Grill only allow certain kinds of clothing, which can be further divided between men and women’s attire. The dress code is a strict policy of both decorum and tradition that all members and guests need to follow (though it gets relaxed somewhat under specific circumstances, as you’ll see below.)

Defining ‘Neat Casual’
If there’s a blanket rule that you can follow when it comes to the MCC dress code, it’s that it has to be “neat casual”. It’s reserved clothing that falls slightly below corporate dress code and above your usual casual clothing in terms of dress. If it’s something that can be worn to a golf course, it’s a safe bet that it’ll be allowed inside the MCC, or at least the Members Reserve.

The MCC website has a complete list of clothing items that it doesn’t allow in the premises, but for brevity’s sake we’ve compiled the quickest (and easiest) way for you to put together an acceptable outfit below:
Dress Codes For Men
Footwear: Any form of sports shoes, sandals, and open shoes are not allowed. Socks must be worn at all times.
Tops: Men above 15 need to be wearing collared shirts. Skivvies are allowed, but crew neck t-shirts are not. Overalls are also forbidden.
Bottoms: Sports shorts, tracksuit pants, and beachwear are not allowed.
Designs: Clothing that displays racist, provocative, or similarly offensive messages are not allowed.
Ideal outfit: A collared shirt with long sleeves, slacks, oxford shoes or leather loafers. No dilapidated or torn clothing, even if it’s a designer label.

Dress Codes For Women
Footwear: Any form of sports shoes, sandals, and open-toe shoes are not allowed. Gumshoes, ugg boots, and similar footwear is forbidden.
Tops: Tops showing bare midriff are not allowed.
Bottoms: Sportswear, sports shorts, tracksuit pants, and beachwear are not allowed.
Designs: Clothing that displays racist, provocative, or similarly offensive messages are not allowed.
Ideal outfit: A dress with a cardigan or blazer, heel or comfortable flats. No dilapidated or torn clothing, even if it’s a designer label.
Dress Codes By Room, Weather, And Event
We’ve covered what guests and visitors can wear inside the MCC premises: but what if you get invited into one of their rooms? The dress codes are a little more stringent.
- The Long Room and Members Dining Room requires all male guests to wear a lounge suit or tailored jacket. A collared shirt with tie, slacks, and dress shoes are suitable for inner wear, while females are expected to dress in a similarly appropriate standard of clothing.
- Special function rooms like the Frank Grey Smith Bar and Jim Stynes Grill do not allow caps, hats, beanies and football jumpers.
- Jackets can be removed in the summer months.
- During T20 Big Bash League matches, the above restrictions for the Long Room and Members Dining Room are lifted, and only the Members Reserve dress code applies.
When in doubt, you can either check the MCC website for the rules and regulations on how to dress, or ask an MCC member.

Dress For The Occasion
The MCC dress code is a long-cherished tradition of decorum and dignity in one of the oldest sporting clubs in the world. Fortunately, neat casual clothing isn’t that hard to come by, and you may already have the pieces that you need in your wardrobe!
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