Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas: What to Wear at Home, Out and to Friendsgiving

The best Thanksgiving outfits are comfortable through a three-hour meal and smart enough for the family photo: a knit dress, a knit set, or a midi skirt with a soft sweater, in brown, burgundy, camel, olive or cream. What changes is the setting: something soft for family at home, one smarter piece for a restaurant, more personality for Friendsgiving. Here is one complete outfit for each, one for the long day of travel and cooking, and what to leave in the wardrobe.

What to wear to Thanksgiving dinner at home

For family dinner at home, wear a knit dress. It looks dressed for the table, you can baste a turkey in it, and there is no buttoned waistband to regret by the second helping. The Eliane Rib-Knit Midi Dress is a fitted, fine rib knit in dark brown with short sleeves and a cream scalloped trim at the sleeves and hem, so it already carries two of the season's colours.

• Layer: a camel or cream cardigan. The house swings between a hot kitchen and a cold hallway all day, and short sleeves need something you can take off once you sit down.
• Legs: sheer brown tights, around 20 denier, if the house runs cold. They disappear against the dress.
• Shoes: loafers or a flat ankle boot, comfortable enough that you will not want to slip them off under the table.

What to wear to a dressier Thanksgiving dinner or restaurant

If the meal is at a restaurant, or at the relative who brings out the good glasses, swap one soft piece for something with a sheen and keep the rest relaxed. A satin-finish skirt under a heavy knit is the simplest version: the skirt makes it evening, and the sweater stops it looking like a party.

• Skirt: the Anais High Waist Satin Midi Skirt, a satin-finish midi with a high waist and a fluid line to mid-calf. Choose brown or light brown for this outfit; it comes in twelve colours, army green among them.
• Sweater: the Katie Turtleneck Knit Sweater in burgundy, a thick knit with a loose fit. Tuck in only the front edge. The outfit keeps a waist, and the loose back and sides leave you room at the table.
• Shoes: a heeled knee boot. It keeps your legs warm under a midi and is easier to sit in than a stiletto. See boots and loafers.
• Coat: the Claudine Long Belted High Collar Coat in beige or grey. It is cut loose enough to go over a thick knit, and the high collar replaces a scarf. A long coat keeps a midi outfit in one line, where a short jacket cuts it in half. See all long coats.

What to wear to Friendsgiving

Friendsgiving usually means a smaller table and a later night, so wear the piece you would not wear to your grandmother's: a pattern, a shorter hem.

• Dress: the Hedda Plaid Long Sleeve Mini Dress, a burgundy plaid with a boat neck, button detail and a flared skirt from a low waist. The long sleeves carry a mini into late November.
• Legs: opaque tights, 60 to 80 denier, in black or dark brown, with knee boots, so the plaid reads as autumn rather than a school trip.
• Jacket: a faux leather jacket in black or brown. Its harder edge stops the plaid looking sweet.

There is more on short hems in cold weather in can you wear a mini dress in winter.

What to wear for a long Thanksgiving day of travel and cooking

If the day starts on the road, carries on in the kitchen and ends at the table, wear one outfit for all of it and change only your shoes before you sit down. A knit trouser set does this best: soft enough for hours in a car seat, matched enough to look planned at dinner.

• Set: the Jamilla Knit Two Piece Set in coffee, a button-front knit cardigan with slim drawstring trousers. The adjustable waist matters more today than on any other day of the year.
• Underneath: a fine long-sleeve top in cream or brown, so you can unbutton the cardigan in a hot kitchen and still be dressed.
• Shoes: trainers for the journey, then loafers in the house. They are flat enough for an afternoon at the stove and smart enough for the table.
• Coat and bag: a long coat and a bag with a firm shape. Structure around a knit set is what keeps it from looking like loungewear.
• At the stove: the set's care note recommends hand washing, so put an apron on before anything starts to spit.

For more ways to wear one, read how to wear a knit set or browse all knit sets.

What colours to wear for Thanksgiving

Autumn colours say Thanksgiving without a pumpkin print. Five do most of the work, and all of them go together:

• Brown, from chocolate to tan, is the easiest base for a dress or a set. See brown dresses.
• Burgundy is the dressiest of the five and looks richest in knitwear. See burgundy dresses.
• Camel works best on the coat, where it warms up brown, black or grey underneath. See camel coats.
• Olive sits well next to brown and cream, and gives a mostly brown outfit some contrast.
• Cream lifts dark colours when it is close to the face: a collar, a top under a cardigan, a trim.

To combine them, use one dark colour as the base, a richer one on top and camel or cream for the coat, as in the restaurant outfit above. Black works too; warm it with brown boots and gold jewellery.

What not to wear to Thanksgiving dinner

• Tight waistbands. The meal runs for hours and ends with pie. Rigid jeans and trousers with a fixed button waist are the first thing you will want to undo, so choose a dress, a drawstring, or a sweater worn over the waist.
• White below the table. White near the gravy is the oldest Thanksgiving joke, and it still holds. Wear cream and white on top and keep the darker colour on your lap.
• Wide or trailing sleeves. Bell sleeves and long fringe drag through the butter when you pass dishes. Save them for drinks.
• Head-to-toe loungewear. Joggers and a hoodie look as if you did not expect company, even at the most relaxed table. A knit set is just as soft.

Common questions

Should you dress up for Thanksgiving dinner?
Dress one step above what you would wear to an ordinary weekend lunch with the same people. At home that means a knit dress or a set rather than jeans and a hoodie; at a restaurant, add one smarter piece such as a satin-finish skirt or a heeled boot.

Can you wear jeans to Thanksgiving?
Yes, at a relaxed family dinner or Friendsgiving. Choose a dark wash with some give at the waist, add a heavier knit and a loafer or ankle boot, and leave rigid, tight jeans for another day.

Can you wear black to Thanksgiving?
Yes. On its own, black looks more evening than autumn, so warm it with brown boots, a camel coat or a burgundy knit.

What shoes should you wear to Thanksgiving dinner?
Loafers or flat ankle boots if you are cooking or hosting, and a heeled knee boot if you are a guest or eating out. Skip anything you would want to kick off halfway through the meal.

For more outfits, browse knit dresses, knit sets and midi skirts, then finish with a coat from long coats or camel coats and a pair from boots and loafers.