Ah, reunions.
They either give you fond memories and joy at the idea of seeing old friends or spark terror in your heart and drive you to your couch cushions.
Here’s the thing. IF you choose to go, and I realize for a lot of you that’s a big IF, you’d like to look good.
You look older. But heck, a lot of us look better. I rocked my 10 year high school reunion way more than I ever rocked high school (think big bangs, shoulder pads and florals).
Now… there’s 10 year high school reunions and then there’s Ahem-year college reunions. Whatever it is, inevitably fashion questions arise.
Because of the crazy disparity in the dress code for your high school, college, or post graduate reunion, there’s no one size fits all solution. However, for Fashion Friday today, we’re going to try and tackle a few rules.
1. Feel comfortable. Okay, okay, I realize you’re thinking “yeah, yeah,” now what do I wear? But seriously. If it’s too tight or too short or so far outside of what you typically wear (think leather pants or sky high heels), you will have your confidence gutted. And you need confidence more than anything (well, maybe YOU don’t, but I certainly would). Don’t think you can be comfortable and stylish, Cindy Crawford would beg to disagree:
(Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Sarah Flint)
2. Wear it first. You want to run out and buy something new? Go for it! But wear it somewhere first. You need to know if it has hiccups before you try it out at the big dinner. Test drive the thing.
3. Google the venue. Think about your town or city and then think about the venue. High rise in downtown of a big city. Boy, that outfit is going to look a lot different than a rec center in the suburbs. An Austin music hall versus a Dallas museum – night and day even though they’re only a couple of hours geographically apart. Most reunion invites I’ve seen don’t have a dress code specified, so you have to read the information in context to decide what to wear.
4. Wear your favorite color. I love deep greens, blues and purples. But I don’t usually think about my favorite color when getting dressed for a big event. Yet, they always make me feel more comfortable. Find something in colors you love and feel pretty in. Don’t be afraid to stand out a little – I love bold prints like this interesting green dress or throw some color into your informal daytime reunion events look.
5. Benchmark. Most of the time you have a friend you’ve kept in touch with. Check with her. Find out what she’s wearing. You always feel a little better if someone you know is on the same dress-level. You may be the only two in jeans, but at least there’s two of you. And seriously, classic never goes out of style like this simple outfit. But if the event promises to be chic, then you can’t go wrong doing something fashion forward like this sophisticated jumpsuit Jessica Biel is sporting:
Do you make it to reunions? How do you pack? I always pack a back up outfit because inevitably I change my mind.
I typically avoid them like the plague because I already see the friends I like to see and well, having the same little “tell me your life story” conversation 80 times with vaguely remembered near strangers isn’t my idea of fun. Plus why are people so tense at these? It’s a catch up – not a competition- the only reason to go is to have fun, otherwise stay home.
However I am attending my law school reunion this year as several pals I rarely see will be in one place. Texas Chic I believe is our hilarious dress code. Comfortable is my goal. So I’m going on something like the fun green dress you feature. Breezy pretty and easy. Done.
Love this – pretty and easy, my favorite things!