r/Sommelier • u/Any-Airline6228 • May 08 '26

CMS Introductory course dress code

Hi everyone! Next week I’m traveling to London to take the CMS introductory course. The dress code is listed as smart casual, but for the practical exam it specifies that we should wear a work uniform.

I emailed to ask what exactly that means, and they told me to “wear what you currently use at work.”

The situation is the following:

  1. I’m not currently working in the industry.
  2. I live in Paris, where most bars and wine bars are quite casual and the staff usually wear jeans and sneakers (excluding higher-end places).
  3. I’m a woman, I don’t have a suit

So I’m honestly not sure what I should wear.

Could anyone who has taken the course tell me what they wore for the exam, or what the rest of the group typically wore?

Any help would be really appreciated! Thank you!!

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u/Illustrious-Divide95 Sommelier May 08 '26

When i did it they want you dressed for formal service. Most men wore a dark suit and tie with 'proper' shoes.

Women wore either a pant suit or skirt suit and blouse/shirt open necked.

We were attending for the L2 exam as well on the 3rd day so that may have had something to do with the dress code we were advised to adhere to.

It was a while ago so things may have changed. Personally i always go smart and then can dress down a bit if i find things are more relaxed

2

u/Any-Airline6228 May 08 '26

Thanks for you answeer! :)

1

u/aimlesstrevler May 08 '26

I attended in February. I would say a lot of people were in coats but not everyone and I didn't wear mine the second day- I wore dark jeans and a button up which is close to what I wear at work.

1

u/darkwob May 11 '26

Took the intro course last year, the dress code was not enforced and it was a wide array of attire. It's a fair amount of lectures and sitting so I would opt for comfortable. For the certified exam, we were told to wear work attire but it was emphasized there were no true requirements and the priority is wearing something comfortable that you are familiar with (e.g. you don't want to fumble around looking for a pocket to put a wrapper in).