Thanksgiving Day Outfit Inspiration 2022

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I thought now would be the perfect time to start putting a little thought into how we’ll get dressed for our day. Of course, what you wear on that fan favorite American holiday greatly depends on how you celebrate it. But I’ve got some Thanksgiving day outfit inspiration for most any kind of celebration.

Of course for these outfit inspiration posts I generally pull from other blog posts and my YouTube videos and share somewhat of a composite of all the looks I’ve shown over recent weeks or months. So you may have already seen some of these, but somehow things appear a little different when we are looking at them through the lens of a particular occasion.

Some of the items I’m showing in these looks may still be available, while others will be long gone. But really this is more about outfit formulas, color combinations and style hacks than the exact items I’m showing. That said, if you see something you just love and I haven’t shared a link, let me know and I’ll see if I can find a substitute. I aim to serve!

Over the River and Through the Woods

If you’re traveling the day of Thanksgiving and then you’ll be eating a meal with friends and/or family, I think something like this simple but travel-worthy pairing would work so nicely. It’s definitely how I would go if I had, say, a two-hour car trip to get me to my Thanksgiving dinner.

I linked to the original post for that outfit above in the captions, and that reminded me of another option. If you’re going over the river and through the woods on Thanksgiving Day, you could wear the outfit above and then make the quick and easy change into this outfit after freshening up for the family feast.

In that original post I also shared the skirt combo with black ballet flats, so that would work as well. The skirt is not available anymore, but the magic of this one is that it has a wide elasticized waistband – a bonus for a good Thanksgiving meal!

Dressing for Dinner

Hahaha! After typing that heading I realized it was a bit of a play on words…if, like me, you have dressing for Thanksgiving dinner and not stuffing. I guess “stuffing for dinner” would be a whole other heading! Oh my, I better get back on subject!

If you will be dressing for dinner on Thanksgiving, I think a comfortable, but feminine wrap dress like this one would be perfect for the occasion.

The Wrap Dress is so cheerful, but still seasonally appropriate. And with that nice stretchy fabric it’s really comfortable. It’s a true wrap dress and runs true to size. It’s also available in Plus Sizes, and both are reduced in price significantly.

But I have to confess, if I were getting dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner myself, I’d probably wear this lovely silk dress.

I felt amazing in that dress when I wore it to the LTKCon rewards gala. It’s truly elegant and so autumnal. I’m looking forward to wearing it with my new brown knee high boots. I’m still trying to decide if I’m keeping these (great, but now I wish I hadn’t gotten the wide calf) or these (ridiculously expensive, but oh my gorgeous!). Anyhow, the dress looks stunning with boots, and a dress of any kind paired with boots would be such a perfect Thanksgiving day outfit, especially if you’re dining out.

Dining Out

Speaking of dining out on Thanksgiving Day, let’s go with that theme a bit here. James and I have eaten out for many a Thanksgiving. Once our kids graduated from college and moved across the country from us, we began eating our holiday meal at nice restaurants. But last year and even sometimes with the kids we’ve enjoyed the Thanksgiving meal at more folksy restaurants like Bob Evans and Cracker Barrel. Anyone else? For those meals out I generally like to wear something like this.

I think a combination of sweater and corduroy pants is a great look for eating out on Thanksgiving. It looks special and festive, but still feels comfortable and relaxed, not fussy.

Hosting

If you’re hosting on Thanksgiving, you may want to wear something a little different. In fact, I’d say you probably don’t want to wear the exact outfits I’ve shown so far. For one thing, when I’m hosting I like to wear softer shoes. Something comfortable but also polished looking. Something “home” appropriate but still street-worthy. Is this resonating with anyone or is this just one of my quirks? Ha!

The outfit above is a good example of what I’m talking about. Those Paul Green loafers are not available; they’re about three years old. But they are soft, soft, soft. And they feel and look appropriate for the home to me. Whereas boots or heels feel a little out of place when I’m hosting. Now that’s not to say you can’t wear heels to host if that’s you’re way. I just know my family would look at me quizzically and want to know where I was going.

Here’s another elevated casual look with those same shoes. Perfect for hosting Thanksgiving dinner.

So I guess that’s my tip for Thanksgiving Day outfit inspiration if you’re hosting your family in your home. Start with your shoes. Then build a suitable outfit around them. Consider the crowd. Not that you need to dress down to their level if you know they’ll all probably show up in jeans and sweatshirts. I still think it’s perfectly appropriate and uplifting for the hostess to dress up at least a little, even if the rest of her crowd won’t. But there’s no need to put on the ritz if everyone else is keeping it casual either.

Back to shoes and hosting. I’m going to share with you a little sneak peak from tomorrow’s YouTube video. I’m sharing a GREAT gift guide for women, and one of my favorite things on the list are these Birdies velvet shoes.

I specifically purchased my Heron Birdies with hosting in mind. Not that I won’t wear them elsewhere, too. I certainly will. But I think they’ll look great when we have people over, whether I pair them with red cords, black pants or jeans. And they’re very comfortable.

Going to Someone’s Home for a Casual Day

Well we’ve talked about the road trip that leads to dinner, dining out at a restaurant and hosting others in your home. Let’s circle back around to enjoying Thanksgiving dinner at someone else’s home. I think for many of us this is still a fairly casual affair. So if you’re mainly gathering with close friends and/or family I think it’s perfectly smart to keep your Thanksgiving day outfit casual but pulled together.

There are those red cords again, but this time paired with brown boots and a brown sweater. I love that color combo. And sometimes just a rich color combination like that is enough to make an outfit stand out. Yeah, I really like that idea: just pairing great colors but keeping your clothing and accessories really simple, casual and comfortable. That way you look polished and pretty, but you’re appropriately casual for this traditionally homey day.

If you do want to wear something a little more interesting, I suggest one of the following ideas.

I think both of these outfits – pulled from this recent popular YouTube video – are still casual, but they include some nice style choices that elevate them a bit. One, I’ve added that elevating “third piece” or completer to each outfit. Isn’t it amazing how much of a difference a jacket can make?

Second, I’ve worn slightly more elevated shoes – boots with heels and pointy toes in one and pointy toe mules with hardware in the other. A blouse is certainly a step up, as is a cashmere sweater with an elegant print. And my jewelry is minimal but impactful. These are all ways you can elevate your Thanksgiving Day jeans outfit if you want to look a little more polished when you step into someone else’s home.

Above I’ve shown another polished look for Thanksgiving Day in the home of friends. Of course this simple cords and feminine print shirt combo would work for eating out or in, too.

Here’s another outfit with some great visual interest. It’s really quite simple: pants and a sweater. But those Glen plaid pants really elevate the look a notch.

You’ll find a few more nice outfits with those same Glen plaid pants in the original post. But I do think the outfit above is my favorite for Thanksgiving Day outfit inspiration. Maybe it’s the autumnal combination of black and camel, or just that great camel cashmere sweater, but I love this look for a day of thanks-giving.

Volunteering

For many years, James, the kids and I joined others from our church family and served lunch at the Salvation Army. If you’re volunteering you might want to wear something comfortable and very simple, but also festive.

I think jeans and a sweater, jeans and a simple blouse or knit pants and a sweater or top cold all be viable options.

If you are volunteering comfortable shoes are essential. So once again you may want to start your outfit there.

It’s Just Family!

And that brings us to my final category – just family. I’m so pleased that for the first time in years – like I really can’t even remember when! – I’ll have both of my kids and their spouses here at my home for Thanksgiving. I know they’ll all be pretty casual, so I might as well be, too. But you better believe I’ll still be pulled together.

I can certainly see myself wearing something like the jeans and sweater above, minus the  suede leather boots of course. Hahaha! I mean if we get out for a movie or other outing I’d certainly wear those boots. But at home I’d undoubtedly have on my Ugg slippers with this combo. Just keeping it real.

Here’s another sweater and jeans look I could enjoy wearing on Thanksgiving…minus the boots. I’d probably swap in sneakers here.

That Fair Isle cable knit sweater above also comes in plus sizes. And there are a couple of other color combinations to choose from, too. It’s probably my favorite feeling sweater the original post, in which I showed a lot of great sweaters from Nordstrom at reasonable prices.

But I’m really more likely to choose a Thanksgiving day outfit like this when it’s just family…at my own home…with me doing a lot of the cooking.

You know me, when I’m at home I really enjoy wearing comfortable knit pants that also look polished. So the combination above – sweater and knit pants – is almost certainly what I’ll end up wearing for the big turkey day.

If we do get out for a walk or even a nature walk at the nature preserve, I might change into something like this. I think these joggers are a little more polished than most, but they’re still so comfortable. They come in other colors, too.

What will you be doing this Thanksgiving? I’d love to hear about your plans. And let me know if you have any questions, too! Just click on Join the Conversation below the blog post.