New Year's Eve Outfit Ideas: 12 Looks for Every NYE Plan

A New Year's Eve outfit has to last six hours, a midnight photo and, depending on the plan, a kitchen floor, a packed bar or a street full of people waiting for fireworks in the cold. So the twelve outfits below are sorted by where you'll actually be at midnight, from sequins with jeans to full black tie, with men's looks in the mix. Each one comes with the detail that keeps it festive instead of costume-like.

Casual New Year's Eve Outfits for a House Party or a Night In

At a house party you'll perch on the arm of the sofa, lean on the counter and probably lose your shoes by eleven. Keep the shine on top and everything else comfortable.

1. A sequin top with your best dark jeans

A boxy sequin or metallic top, dark straight-leg jeans with no rips or fading, and pointed ankle boots or clean black loafers. The jeans keep it right for someone's living room, and the top does all the festive work in the midnight photo. It's the easiest version of NYE dressing, since everything below the waist is already in your closet.

2. A metallic knit and wide-leg trousers

A lurex sweater (gold or silver thread knitted through black is the easy one), relaxed wide-leg trousers in black or charcoal, flat boots or low mules. Knitted shine is softer than sequins, doesn't snag on the sofa and doesn't scratch whoever you hug at midnight. Push the sleeves up when the room gets warm and it still looks put together.

3. A velvet set for a night in

A matching velvet or satin set, pajama-cut or a wrap top with wide pants, gold hoops, a red lip, velvet slippers or bare feet. It's for a small dinner at home or a countdown for two on the couch. The matching fabric is what separates it from actual pajamas, and it still looks dressed up in photos.

Party Outfits for a Dinner Reservation, a Bar or a Club

Across a restaurant table you're seen from the chest up. At a bar you're seen head to toe, standing, for hours. That decides where the effort goes.

4. A satin slip skirt with a chunky knit

A bias-cut satin midi skirt in champagne, black or deep green, an oversized cream knit loosely tucked at the front, and knee boots or slim heeled boots. The slightly scruffy sweater stops the satin from looking like lingerie, and it's warm enough for the walk from the car. Good for a dinner reservation, a wine bar, or a house party with the lights turned down.

5. A tuxedo blazer over a lace cami

A black tuxedo blazer with satin lapels, a lace or silk camisole underneath, straight black trousers, and pointed pumps or strappy sandals. Most of a dinner happens across a table, so the lapels and the lace carry the whole look, which makes this the one for a tasting menu or a hotel restaurant. It also works for a date night that happens to end at midnight.

6. A metallic mini dress with sheer tights and knee boots

A long-sleeved mini dress in silver, gold or gunmetal, sheer black tights, and flat or block-heel knee boots. Long sleeves and tights turn a summer party dress into a December one, and the boots mean you can still stand at 1 a.m. This is the bar-or-club outfit, and the black boots guide covers which boot heights look right with a short hem.

7. A velvet blazer and a roll-neck (men)

A velvet blazer in bottle green, burgundy or navy, a fine black or charcoal merino roll-neck, dark wool trousers, and black Chelsea boots or polished Derbies. The velvet is the only festive piece, and it's plenty. Add a tie and it drifts toward wedding guest; leave it off and the same outfit goes from dinner to a crowded bar without looking overdressed at either.

What to Wear to an Outdoor Countdown When It's Freezing

The coat is the outfit everyone actually sees.

Fireworks and street countdowns mean standing still outside for an hour or more, and standing still is a lot colder than walking. Dress for the wait and let the party outfit show at the edges.

8. A long coat over a sequin dress

A long wool coat in camel, black or grey over a sequin or metallic midi dress, fleece-lined opaque tights, lug-sole knee boots, and a wool scarf in a deep color. With the coat buttoned, only the hem of the dress flashes below it, and that's enough to look dressed for the night. When you head inside afterward, the coat comes off and the dress is ready.

9. A puffer, a roll-neck and faux leather trousers

A long puffer or a shearling-lined jacket, a chunky roll-neck, faux leather trousers (they block wind far better than jeans), waterproof boots with wool socks. Put the shine in small places: metallic earrings, a sequin beret, a glitter-knit scarf. There's more cold-weather layering in our winter outfit ideas.

10. A peacoat, merino and dark jeans (men)

A merino base layer, a thick roll-neck or a flannel shirt over it, dark jeans or wool trousers, a navy peacoat or wool overcoat, lined leather boots and a plain knit beanie. It's warm enough for two hours by the river and still smart enough for the bar afterward. If you want one festive note, make the scarf dark velvet or a burgundy cashmere.

Black-Tie Looks for a New Year's Eve Gala

Black tie on an invitation means a floor-length gown for most women and a tuxedo for men, and the formal dress code guide walks through the levels in between. Midnight also means a lot of hugging, so pick fabrics that survive being crushed.

11. A velvet or satin column gown

A floor-length column gown in black, emerald or midnight blue, in velvet or heavy satin, one piece of jewelry, a proper coat or a wool wrap, and heels you've already danced in. Velvet is the easiest fabric at this level because it hides creases from the car ride and from all that hugging. A wide-leg formal jumpsuit in the same fabric is the alternative if a gown isn't you.

12. A tuxedo or a velvet dinner jacket (men)

A black or midnight-blue tuxedo, a white dress shirt, a black bow tie, and polished black shoes. New Year's Eve is the one night when a velvet dinner jacket in black, green or burgundy over black tuxedo trousers looks right instead of theatrical. If the invitation says black tie optional, a dark suit with a white shirt and a dark tie is fine.

How to Wear Sequins, Velvet and Satin Without Looking Like a Costume

Every outfit above follows the same pattern: one shiny or plush piece, everything else matte. Sequins with denim, satin with wool, a metallic dress under a camel coat. Put two shiny pieces together and it tips into fancy dress, so head-to-toe sequins only really belong at a gala.

The rule: one shine per outfit, everything else matte, and shoes you can still stand in at 12:30.

• Match the fabric to the plan. Sequins and metallics catch the light best in dim bars and living rooms, velvet is the warm choice for dinners and cold walks, and satin works best in a heated room where the coat comes off early.
• Use black as the base. A black outfit with one gold or silver piece never looks like it's trying too hard, and our black outfit ideas have plenty of combinations to start from.
• Leave the novelty extras for the photo. Glitter "2027" glasses and tiara headbands are fun for a minute at midnight, not for the whole night.
• Plan around the coat. If you're moving between places, a coat you're happy to carry beats a coat-check line at half past midnight.

A lot of these pieces overlap with what you'll wear a week earlier, so it's worth planning both nights together with our Christmas outfit ideas, and the wider party outfit guide covers birthdays and everything else on the calendar. If you're torn between the sequin dress and the velvet one, Klodsy lets you try both on your own photo before the 31st. Try Klodsy and pick the one you'd want in the midnight photo.