Sausalito Fashion
In general, “Sausalito fashion” is a casual and informal style. If you want an elegant special occasion dinner you can dress up and you’ll fit in with the people around you, but there will be casually dressed diners there as well.
There are no longer any “jacket required for gentlemen” restaurants, as was the case for many years in the dining room at the now-closed Alta Mira Hotel.
For questions of Sausalito fashion chosen for warmth rather than fashion, check out our page on Sausalito Weather and What to Wear.
Evening Fashion in Sausalito
If you compare Sausalito fashion to Union Square in San Francisco, or to comparable areas in LA or New York, fewer people will be “dressed for the paparazzi” at night. There are a lot of venues for listening to jazz, blues, rock and Latin music, but Sausalito’s only real dance club is Seahorse and many in the crowd there are locals who dress casually.
If you’re looking for Mad Men style traditional dining, The Spinnaker is probably the most formal old-school restaurant in Sausalito and the one where Don Draper would feel most at home. Vintage Sausalito fashion especially shines here. That said, the people at the tables on either side of you could be wearing shorts and T-shirts!
If I had to name a modern spot where Sausalito fashion is casual elegance I’d think of Murray Circle (and its cousin Farley Bar) or Poggio Trattoria. If you extend that to casual spots then Bar Bocce and sometimes Barrel House will have guests who focus on fashion. We’ve also seen people sporting vintage style, especially in the art galleries.
As one editor notes, “If you’re walking in heels, valet parking is a fashion issue, and it doesn’t matter if your shoes came from Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik or Target.” Murray Circle, Poggio Trattoria, Buckeye Roadhouse and Spinnaker offer free valet service (after the pandemic clears), while Trident offers paid parking that is offset by validation from eating at the restaurant depending on how long you stay.
Our restaurant listings note many places that have parking in adjacent lots to address this Sausalito fashion issue!
Daytime Sausalito Fashion
If you’re people-watching downtown to discover local fashion at lunchtime, many of the people on the street are visitors, but scattered among them are local business people. Most wear “business casual,” but you’ll occasionally see some men and women wearing tailored suits.
Celebrity Sightings
This isn’t really about Sausalito fashion, but one of the questions we’re often asked is “where do we most often encounter celebrities in Sausalito?” Probably by coincidence more than anything else the answer to that question is Poggio Trattoria, The Trident, Angelino, Murray Circle and Sushi Ran.
Insiders Tip: One of our editors is (pure coincidence) friends with a public figure. He notes, “If I’m out in public with him walking down the street we’re stopped every 30 feet by someone asking for his autograph. The worst part is that if he’s out having dinner he’s constantly interrupted as he tries to eat.”
Some of these famous people are truly nice and try to accommodate fans, but please avoid interrupting their meals and you’ll earn their gratitude.
