How to dress for thanksgiving: 9 outfits to choose from!

Food, family, friends, and fashion. All your favorite things combined in one day. Yes, it could only be Thanksgiving. It will be here before you know it. So, let’s discover plenty of ideas on how to dress for Thanksgiving.

You’ll find lots of examples below of thanksgiving outfits for women over 40 to give you inspiration whether you will be spending a casual day with friends and family or you’re heading out for a more formal dinner.

How to dress for thanksgiving

Along with the decision about whether to eat in or out, the big question is how to choose what to wear for thanksgiving.

In this article I will show you how to dress for Thanksgiving and give you plenty of thanksgiving outfits to choose from.

After all, if you’ve already sorted out the perfect Thanksgiving outfit, you can turn your attention to how you are going to cook your turkey. Or who is going to cook it for you.

How to choose a Thanksgiving outfit

As well as how your outfit looks, there are a number of considerations to take into account.

Think about comfort

You will want to make sure that your outfit not only looks good but is comfortable.

I’m sure you’ve joked about having to loosen your pants or move where your belt is fastened by a notch. If you are planning a big meal, you won’t want to wear anything that will be uncomfortable on your belly.

You also might want to sit on the floor and play a board game with family, for example, or you might want to go for a walk after lunch.

Eileen @eileenternullo above opts for comfy, stylish shoes that match her trench coat.

Recreate her outfit with this similar trench coat, pants, tote and slide sandals.

What will you be doing at Thanksgiving?

Does your family traditionally get together at home before heading out for a walk together, for example?

Or will you be going out to a fancy restaurant for a Thanksgiving dinner? What you wear will reflect the occasion.

Add some subtle glamour

Even if your Thanksgiving tends to be a fairly casual affair, you can always add a little bit of glamour with your accessories, or you could choose a silk shirt instead of cotton, for example, to add a feeling of luxe.

You will still be just as comfortable, but you will have given your style a little festive flair.

Angela @angelamashelle above shows how you could update your summer dress by wearing with a pair of long boots. You could always add a blazer for extra warmth.

Check out these dresses from R.YIposha and Shoshanna, and wear it with these similar boots, handbag, earrings and necklace.

You can still wear jeans and a sweater for Thanksgiving

Of course, you can still be comfortable but you can up the style stakes by choosing red jeans and a cashmere sweater, for example, rather than your everyday blue denim and sweatshirt.

Think about color and texture

As it’s the festive season, you could opt to wear a bold red or choose a texture or material traditionally thought of as party wear, such as velvet or jacquard.

Beth @styleatacertainage above (read her style interview here) dresses up a plaid shirt with pearls and heels. You could always wear the same shirt with jeans for casual days.

Get her look with this similar plaid top, skirt, pumps, belt, clutch and necklace.

Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year?

If you’re the hostess with the mostess, you may find you are rushing between kitchen and dining room.

So make sure your outfit is comfortable and allows you to move freely. You can, of course, still wear a skirt rather than pants if you prefer. Just make sure you are comfortable.

Keep the weather in mind when considering what to wear for Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving tends to be when the weather starts to change.

Make sure you take the weather into account, unless you’re planning on staying indoors all day in front of a cozy fire, of course.

Boma @mrs.gaf above wears a bright red coat that would be perfect to wear over thanksgiving outfits.

Check out this similar turtleneck top, coat, jeans, sandals, bag and sunglasses.

Outfits for all Thanksgiving scenarios

I’ve assumed that you’re either at home with family and friends or you’re heading out to a restaurant this Thanksgiving to put together this capsule, but you’ll find options here which should suit the occasion no matter what you are doing.

You can mix and match these outfits to take you from the most casual of family days to the most dressed up of occasions.

You can simply up the refinement levels by pairing a lace blouse with a midi skirt, for example, or you can dress it down a bit by wearing a velvet dress with a cardigan.

There are hundreds of combinations, but you’ll find 9 suggested outfits at the bottom of this article which feature the clothes and accessories used here in this Thanksgiving capsule.

Don’t forget to let me know what you are wearing this Thanksgiving in the comments at the bottom.

Thanksgiving dinner outfit: Jeans and a sequin top

Choosing a special top to wear with your jeans and pants is an easy way to stay comfortable and stylish for thanksgiving.

Carmen @carmen_gimeno above wears a sequin top in on-trend green.

Get her look with this similar shirt, sequin top, pants, flats, sunglasses and clutch.

Club Monaco belted cashmere long cardigan – Halogen sequin top – AG bootcut jeans – Clarks pump – Tory Burch leather clutch – EVER FAITH teardrop earrings

A flowy jumpsuit

While it can feel traditional to wear a dress for a party, no matter how small the gathering, you could choose a jumpsuit instead.

You can alter the formality of your jumpsuit by wearing with heels or sneakers, for example, or with a faux fur jacket, blazer or cardigan. If you opt for a strapless jumpsuit, you would wear a white shirt underneath.

Urban CoCo open front blazer – Lulus wide leg jumpsuit – Clarks pump – Tory Burch leather clutch – FIVE.L dangle earrings

Poncho and pants

To add a bit of warmth while looking nonchalantly elegant, how about adding a poncho?

PULI cross front poncho – LARACE tunic top – JEN7 skinny jeans – LifeStride knee high boot – Tory Burch leather clutch – Kate Spade New York huggie earrings

WARM COAT

If you’re heading out at all during thanksgiving, you’ll need a cozy coat. Alison @wardrobe_oxygen above (read her style interview here) opts for a red coat over her turtleneck.

Check out this similar turtleneck top, coat, jeans, boots, earrings and belt.

Cole Haan Signature coat – Treasure & Bond crewneck sweater – JEN7 skinny jeans – DREAM PAIRS snow boots – Veronz plaid winter scarf – C.C cable knit beanie

sweater dress

If you’re worried about feeling cold but you want to wear a dress, a sweater dress could be the perfect option. Wear with long boots and add a pop of color with your scarf and accessories.

Lauren Ralph Lauren wrap coat – FLORET STUDIOS sweater dress – LifeStride knee high boot – Rebecca Minkoff leather tote – Plum Feathers winter scarf – Kate Spade New York huggie earrings

Wide leg pants and A SILK TOP

Wide legged pants can look just as glamorous as a dress and are particularly on trend right now. Wear with a silky top, and tuck your top in to make your legs look extra long.

Karen Millen funnel neck wool coat – FRAME twist neck silk top – Veronica Beard wide leg pants – J. Adams bootie – The Drop small handbag – Thkmeet statement necklace

silk dress

Silk is always a beautiful fabric to wear no matter what the season. You could easily wear the dress below for winter by adding long boots, for parties with heels, and then keep it for the summer season and wear with sandals. If you need extra warmth, wear a turtleneck underneath.

Karen Millen funnel neck wool coat – Karen Millen colorblock tie waist dress – Clarks pump – The Drop small handbag – EVER FAITH drop earrings

You’ll find more choices here in this article on the warmest dresses for winter.

sweater and skirt

Kim @kimair above (read her style interview here) wears her midi skirt with a sweater and animal print heels.

Steal her look with this similar sweater, moto jacket, skirt, pumps, clutch and earrings.

ZAFUL cropped sweater – BOSS satin skirt – LifeStride knee high boot – The Drop small handbag – EVER FAITH drop earrings

Take a look at how to wear red for more inspiration.

Comfy loungewear

Perhaps you won’t be going anywhere at all for Thanksgiving. Many of you are at home more than usual right now. So, you may prefer luxurious loungewear rather than a “going out” outfit.

Lock & Love drape cardigan – Caslon V-neck shirt – Nordstrom lounge pants – UGG slipper

You’ll find more loungewear inspiration in the best loungewear for women over 40.

9 fabulous outfits you can wear for Thanksgiving

There are so many different ways you could combine these pieces so they are suitable not just for Thanksgiving, but to take you through winter and fall.

Below are nine ideas to get you started.

shop some of the items above here:

Read our ultimate guide to creating a capsule wardrobe that works best for you.

Do you know how you will dress for Thanksgiving yet? I’d love to hear about your Thanksgiving outfits in the comments below. Let me know your how to dress for thanksgiving ideas…

Continue reading:

1. Holiday Gift Guide: The Best Gift Ideas For Women Over 40
2. How To Dress For A Christmas Party: 11 Outfit Ideas!
3. Top Perfumes For Women This Winter: The Most Glamorous Scents For Your Christmas Parties
4. Christmas day outfits – 10 outfit ideas for morning until evening

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Feature image by Kim @kimair

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