What Should I Wear to My Class Reunion
Dress for the room on the invitation: what to wear to a class reunion, part by part.
All 56 things to wear
For a hotel ballroom or a club
For a bar, a brewery or a restaurant
For a picnic, a tailgate or a family day
Shoes
Layers and a name tag
Leave at home
For a hotel ballroom or a club 16
Blazer and slacks On one university’s list for dressy casual. The tie is optional. Business casual, for an evening at a club The suggested attire of a Massachusetts class of 1986 for its 40th, held at a club. Cocktail or business attire Encouraged by a Florida class of 2006 for its 20th, held at a science museum. Collared shirt with slacks or dark denim A Wisconsin university’s smart casual for men at its class celebrations. Dressy casual outfit Asked for by a Florida class of 1976 at its 50th and a California class of 1974 at its own. Dressy pants with a blouse A safe choice for an evening at a restaurant or event space, a seniors’ magazine says. Dressy pantsuit, at a 40th or a 50th Suggested by a reunion website builder, beside the tea-length dress. Formal outfit with your best sneakers The dress code of one South Carolina class of 1996 for its main event, a sneaker ball. Jumpsuit, for a ballroom Listed beside the midi dress in a reunion website builder’s cocktail attire. Khakis with a golf shirt or a button-down What people wear to the class dinner at one North Carolina college. Midi dress, for a ballroom A reunion website builder’s pick at cocktail level, its standard for a hotel ballroom. Navy blazer with gray slacks A reunion website builder’s example for men at a 40th or a 50th. Skirt or nice jeans with a dressy top On one university’s list of what dressy casual means at a class party. Smart casual outfit What a California class of 1986 asks for at its 40th: dinner, drinks and dancing at a club. Sport coat, button-down and chinos A reunion website builder’s cocktail attire for men. It says no tie is required. Tea-length dress A reunion website builder’s suggestion for a 40th or a 50th.
For a bar, a brewery or a restaurant 11
Casual chic for the farewell brunch The same South Carolina class’s line for its Sunday brunch. Casual clothes for a covered patio Dress is casual at a Pennsylvania class of 1971’s 55th, held at an ale house. Casual clothes for an evening of 80s music A New York class of 1986 asks for casual attire at its 40th. Casual dress, for a restaurant On a reunion website builder’s smart casual list, with a blouse or a sweater. Chinos with a polo or a button-down From a reunion website builder’s smart casual for men. No tie. Dark jeans with a crisp shirt A reunion website builder’s outfit for men at a 10-year reunion. A blazer is optional. Dark jeans with a nice top A reunion website builder’s smart casual, its default for a restaurant or a brewery. Knee-length dress A safe choice, with the midi, for an evening at a restaurant, a seniors’ magazine says. Nice casual outfit The words of an Oregon class of 1986 for its 40th, an evening with a DJ and cornhole. Night-out outfit for the meet and greet A South Carolina class of 1996 lists casual or night-out dress for its first evening. Sport jacket over a collared shirt and jeans A seniors’ magazine’s outfit for men at an evening reunion.
For a picnic, a tailgate or a family day 8
Baseball cap or bucket hat, on a sunny day One of the alumni tips on a Rhode Island university’s reunion page. Clothes for rain or shine Many reunion events are outdoors whatever the weather, a Wisconsin university warns. Comfortable outfit that still looks put together A seniors’ magazine’s rule for the picnic the day after. Jeans, a T-shirt or shorts Fine at most events of one California college’s alumni weekend, which it calls very casual. Nice jeans with a clean top A reunion website builder’s casual level, for a backyard, a park or a brewery. Old school sweatshirt A Rhode Island university tells alumni to pull out the vintage one for reunion weekend. School colors or spirit wear The dress code for a South Carolina class’s tailgate and homecoming game. Vintage concert T-shirt, at the casual event A seniors’ magazine saves it for the relaxed gathering, not the main evening.
Shoes 8
Chelsea boots In a reunion website builder’s outfit for men at a 25th, with dark chinos or jeans. Comfortable footwear for walking the campus A Massachusetts university’s advice for an alumni weekend spread across its grounds. Dressy shoes you can walk a long way in They do for the walking and the posh gathering, an alum says on a Rhode Island university’s page. Flats or block heels A reunion website builder’s closed-toe choices for smart casual. Loafers On a reunion website builder’s smart casual list and a seniors’ magazine’s list for men. Oxfords A seniors’ magazine’s other shoe for men, with a sport jacket. Shoes you have worn before No exceptions, a reunion website builder says: at least three wearings. Strappy sandals A way to dress up a plain outfit, a seniors’ magazine says.
Layers and a name tag 5
Layers for a hot day and a cool night A California college warns alumni that its evenings turn much cooler. Layers for rooms that run warm or cold A North Carolina college says its buildings can be either. Sport coat that comes off for the dancing It works at most temperatures, a reunion website builder says. Wrap or light jacket for a ballroom Hotel ballrooms run cold, a reunion website builder warns. Your name tag, worn where it shows A university and a college require a name badge at every reunion event.
Leave at home 8
No costume of your high school self Dress as you are now, a reunion website builder says. A decade theme is the exception. No flashy logos A reunion website builder calls them status signaling that ages poorly. No outfit you have to keep adjusting Straps, hems and tight waistbands wear you down by hour two, a reunion website builder says. No sequins or feathers A seniors’ magazine prefers quiet elegance to anything over the top. No sweatpants, even at the picnic Comfort is the key word at the casual events, a seniors’ magazine says, but skip these. No T-shirt or athletic wear at smart casual Ruled out, with sneakers, in a reunion website builder’s smart casual. No tie needed, even in a ballroom A reunion website builder’s cocktail attire for men has no tie. No tuxedo or gown, unless the invitation asks Black tie is rare at a class reunion, a reunion website builder says.
How this list was compiled
The 56 things to wear or to leave at home, and the line under each, were written for this page on 2026-10-13; no list was copied. Each row follows a page by people who run or plan reunions, read on 2026-10-13. Planners: the National Association of Reunion Managers, in its answers for people attending (https://www.reunions.com/reunion-attendee-faq/ , read in the Internet Archive’s copy because the live page asks for a browser check); and Reunly, a company that builds reunion websites, in two guides (https://reunly.io/answers/what-to-wear-to-class-reunion and https://reunly.io/answers/class-reunion-dress-code ) and its ideas for a decade-themed reunion (https://reunly.io/guides/class-of-1996-reunion-ideas ). Class committees’ own pages, each quoted for its own event: Bullard High School class of 1986, California (https://www.bullard86.com/venue ); Shrewsbury High School class of 1986, Massachusetts (https://shs1986.org/ ); Crater High School class of 1986, Oregon (https://www.crater86reunion.com/ ); Bishop Kearney High School class of 1986, New York (https://www.bkhs.org/event-detail?pk=28142117&fromId=294802 ); Bishop Moore Catholic High School class of 1976, Florida (https://www.bishopmoore.org/alumni/class_of_1976.cfm ); Loara High School class of 1974, California, whose 50th was in 2024 (https://www.saxonalumni.com/class-of-1974 ); Nova High School class of 2006, Florida (https://www.novahigh06.com/ ); a South Carolina class of 1996 (https://www.nchsclassof1996.com/ ); and Wyoming Area High School class of 1971, Pennsylvania, in a newspaper’s reunion notices (https://www.citizensvoice.com/2026/09/06/class-reunions-sept-6-2026/ ). Alumni offices, whose pages are for college reunions: Vanderbilt (https://reunion.vanderbilt.edu/faq/ ), Davidson (https://www.davidson.edu/alumni-and-families/events-programming/reunion-weekend/general-information ), Marquette (https://www.marquette.edu/alumni/reunions/faq.php ), Clark (https://www.clarku.edu/alumni/2026/03/10/alumni-weekend-frequently-asked-questions/ ), Harvey Mudd (https://www.hmc.edu/alumni/events-and-reunions/alumni-weekend/alumni-weekend-faqs/ ) and Brown, in alumni’s own tips (https://alumni-friends.brown.edu/news/2026-05-08/tips-reunion-2026 ). One magazine article by a former fashion editor, Seniors Guide, What to wear to a class reunion (https://www.seniorsguide.com/lifestyle/what-to-wear-to-a-class-reunion/ ), is named as a magazine’s view in every row that rests on it. Your own invitation comes first. Left out on purpose: brands, shops, prices, and every line in these guides about bodies, age or looking successful. Licence: own work
How it works What should I wear to my class reunion? Smart casual suits most: dark jeans or slacks, a nice top or a sport coat, and broken-in shoes. These 56 things follow reunion planners, nine class committees and six alumni offices.
Read the full guide
Read the room, then the invitation
A reunion website builder matches the dress to the venue: casual for a backyard, a park or a brewery, smart casual for a restaurant, cocktail attire for a hotel ballroom, and one level up from your usual when unsure. The invitation settles it, and a weekend can carry a line for each event. One class of 1996 lists night-out clothes for its meet and greet, school colors for the tailgate, formal dress for the main event and casual chic for the brunch.
Questions and answers
What should I wear to my 40th high school reunion?
Smart casual, most likely. Four classes of 1986 holding a 40th in 2026 ask for smart casual, business casual, nice casual and casual attire. A reunion website builder suggests a navy blazer with gray slacks, or a tea-length dress or dressy pantsuit, and comfortable shoes.
What should I wear to a 10 year class reunion?
Smart casual is the safe choice, a reunion website builder says, because a tenth is often held at a brewery or a restaurant. Its examples are dark jeans with a crisp shirt, or a dress or a smart top with jeans.
Are class reunions formal or casual?
Usually in between. The reunion managers’ association says the most common attire at a high school reunion is comfortable clothing. Of nine class committees’ notices read, one asks for formal dress, and it pairs it with sneakers.
Can I wear jeans to my class reunion?
Often, yes: at a brewery, a restaurant or a park. A reunion website builder says to avoid jeans at a cocktail or hotel ballroom reunion, where most of the room will wear dresses and sport coats. If unsure, ask the committee.
Can you wear sneakers to a class reunion?
Views differ. A reunion website builder allows sneakers at a casual reunion and rules them out at smart casual. A seniors’ magazine tells men to avoid them. One class of 1996 made them the theme of its main event.