What to Wear to a Company Holiday Party: Men's Outfit Guide
The invite says "holiday party, Thursday, 7pm" and nothing else. That one line is why most men either show up in a funeral-black suit or in the shirt they wore to work. The fix is a two-step read: work out where the party is and who is hosting, then dress one notch above what you wear on a normal day at that company. Below are the four outfits that cover every company party we see walk through our Staten Island stores in December, from the break-room pizza party to the hotel ballroom, with the pieces and prices.
Key takeaways
• Dress one step above your normal office level. Casual office: sport coat. Business casual: dark suit. Formal venue: tuxedo or dinner jacket.
• Navy and charcoal suits work for every party. Burgundy, forest green and velvet are the festive upgrade. A sweater with lights is not.
• Fit decides the outfit. A $179.99 suit altered to your shoulders beats an $800 one off the rack. Alterations are free in our stores.
• Shoes and tie carry the holiday signal. Burgundy tie, polished black oxfords, no sneakers unless the party is at a bowling alley.
Step one: read the invite and the venue
Most company invites use one of five phrases. Each one maps to a specific outfit, so you can stop guessing.
| What the invite says | What it actually means | Wear this |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing, or "after-work drinks" | Your normal office level plus one item | Sport coat, dress shirt, dark trousers or dark jeans, leather shoes |
| Business casual / smart casual | Jacket expected, tie optional | Sport coat or suit separates, open collar, pocket square |
| Cocktail / festive attire | A suit is expected | Navy, charcoal or burgundy suit, tie or open collar, oxfords |
| Black tie optional | Tuxedo preferred, dark suit accepted | Tuxedo, or black suit with white shirt and black tie |
| Black tie | Tuxedo only | Black tuxedo, white tuxedo shirt, bow tie, patent shoes |
Then check the venue. An office party sits one level below a restaurant, and a restaurant sits one level below a hotel ballroom or a catering hall. If the dress code is blank and the party is at the office, the person who signs the checks sets the level: look at what they wore to the last all-hands meeting and add one item to it.
If you only remember one rule, remember this: it is far easier to take a tie off in the parking lot than to find one at 7pm.
Outfit 1: the office party with no dress code
A sport coat over a dress shirt is the answer to "no dress code" nine times out of ten. It reads as effort without reading as a job interview, and it works with the dark jeans half the room will be wearing.
Build it like this. Pick a navy or blue sport coat in wool, because wool holds its shape through a four-hour party and polyester shines under restaurant lights. Wear a dress shirt with a stiff collar that stands up on its own without a tie. A soft button-down collar collapses by the second drink. Add charcoal trousers or dark indigo jeans with no rips or fading, and brown leather shoes. A burgundy or forest-green pocket square is the only holiday touch you need.
Tallia wool sport jacket, blue
Vitarelli stretch check dress shirt, blue
Florsheim Postino cap toe oxford, cognacSkip the tie if nobody at your office wears one on a Tuesday. Bring one folded in the jacket pocket if you are not sure. More jacket options are in our men's sport jackets collection, and the shirts that hold a collar are in dress shirts.
Outfit 2: cocktail or "festive attire" at a restaurant
When the invite says cocktail or festive attire, wear a suit. Navy is the first choice because it photographs well under warm lighting and works with every tie color you own. Charcoal is the second. Black reads as either a funeral or the waitstaff unless it is a tuxedo.
The combination that never misses: navy suit, white shirt, burgundy silk tie, black cap-toe oxfords. Swap the tie for a deep green or a navy-and-burgundy pattern if you want more holiday in it. If the office is relaxed, drop the tie and open one button, but keep the shirt white or light blue so the suit still looks deliberate.
Italian Designer navy 2-piece suit, slim or modern
Mantoni wrinkle-free cotton dress shirt, white
Florsheim Postino cap toe oxford, blackThis is also where our 3 Italian Designer suits for $399.99 deal earns its keep. Take the navy for the party, a charcoal for the January interview season and a burgundy for the wedding you will be invited to in June. Each one is $179.99 on its own, so three for $399.99 works out to about $133 a suit. All 24 colors are in the Italian Designer collection, and the wider range is in men's suits. Burgundy, navy and patterned silk ties are in Bocara ties.
Not sure how a suit should sit on you? Our guide to wearing a suit covers buttons, sleeve length and trouser break in plain terms.
Outfit 3: the festive upgrade (burgundy, green, velvet)
If the party is at a venue where people actually dress up, a catering hall, a hotel, a country club, this is the one night of the year a burgundy suit or a velvet jacket is not just allowed but expected. The rule is one festive piece and everything else quiet. Burgundy suit with a white shirt and black shoes. Velvet jacket with black trousers and a white shirt. Not both.
Three ways to do it at three budgets:
- Burgundy three-piece. The vest means you still look dressed when the jacket comes off at 10pm. Pair with a white shirt, black oxfords and either a black tie or no tie.
- Burgundy windowpane sport coat over charcoal trousers. Festive from the waist up, office-safe from the waist down, and you will wear the jacket again in February.
- Black velvet sport coat with black trousers and a white shirt. At $29.99 this is the best money-to-compliments ratio in the store. Velvet reads as dinner-jacket formal without the bow tie.
Statement 3-piece modern fit wool suit, burgundy
Michael Kors burgundy windowpane sport jacket
Adolfo solid velvet sport jacket, blackMore options in burgundy suits and three-piece suits. Green and plaid versions sit in the Statement collection.
Outfit 4: black tie optional
"Black tie optional" means the host will be in a tuxedo and hopes you will be too. If you own one, wear it. If you do not, a black or midnight-navy suit with a white shirt and a black tie is the accepted alternative, and nobody will say a word.
Should you buy a tuxedo for one party? Our honest answer after 38 years of selling both: if you have no dark suit, buy the suit first. You will wear it twenty times for every tuxedo night. If you already own a navy and a charcoal, a $169.99 slim-fit tuxedo pays for itself the second time you are invited to anything with "gala" in the name. Rental is also an option through our tuxedo rental service at either store.
Classic black slim fit tuxedo, satin notch lapel
Black slim fit tuxedo, shawl collar
Basic black tuxedo vest
Florsheim tux plain toe oxford, black patentFinish with a black bow tie (pre-tied is fine, nobody checks) and a white tuxedo shirt from formal shirts. The full range is in men's tuxedos, with vests and ties in vests and Bocara ties.
Need it fitted before the party?
Both Staten Island stores alter in house at no charge. Walk in, or book a time and we will hold a fitter for you.
Pick 3 suits for $399.99 Book a fittingWhat not to wear to a company holiday party
Every December we see the same seven mistakes. All of them are avoidable the night before.
- A novelty sweater, unless the invite literally says "ugly sweater." Even then, wear real trousers and leather shoes under it. The photos end up on the company Slack.
- A short-sleeve dress shirt. There is no version of this that looks intentional under a jacket.
- Sneakers with a suit. It works on a 24-year-old at a startup in a photo. It does not work on you in front of your director.
- A shirt that pulls at the buttons. If you can see skin between buttons when you sit, go up a size or get a slim fit in the next size up.
- Brown shoes with a tuxedo or black tie. Black only.
- A tie wider than your lapel. Match tie width to lapel width and you are done.
- Cologne you can smell from the elevator. One spray. Two if you are over six feet.
The 60-second fit check before you leave
Stand in front of a mirror with the jacket buttoned and run through five points. Shoulder seams end where your shoulder ends, not past it. The jacket covers your seat. Half an inch of shirt cuff shows past the jacket sleeve. The top button fastens without an X of strain across the chest. The trouser hem rests on the shoe with a slight break, not a puddle.
Two of those, sleeve length and trouser hem, are the alterations we do most. They take a tailor minutes and change the whole outfit. If you are buying online and are unsure of your size, our men's suit size guide explains chest, length and the drop between jacket and trousers. If you are in Staten Island, come in and we will measure you. There is no charge for alterations on suits bought in store.
If you want the suit to survive the party and the ones after it, our suit care guide covers steaming, brushing and when to dry clean.
Timing and budget
Online orders ship from Staten Island in one to three business days. Standard shipping takes five to seven more, so for a party on December 19 order by December 8 to leave room for a hem. Express shipping, two to three days, buys you a week. Orders over $99 ship free in the US. In store, you can buy and be fitted up to the day of the party. Both locations are open seven days.
Through December 1, 2026, codes BF25 ($25 off $149) and BF50 ($50 off $299) work on top of sale prices online and in store. Everything tagged for the sale is in Black Friday deals.
Store details, hours and directions for 2670 Hylan Blvd and 1756 Forest Ave are on our store locations page.
Company holiday party outfit questions
Can I wear jeans to a company holiday party?
Only if the invite says casual or the party is at the office or a bar. Keep them dark indigo or black with no rips, and wear a sport coat and leather shoes with them. Jeans at a restaurant or hotel party will stand out for the wrong reason.
Do I have to wear a tie?
For cocktail, festive or black tie optional, yes, or at least bring one. For an office party with no dress code, no. An open collar under a jacket is correct as long as the collar is stiff enough to stand up.
What color suit is best for a holiday party?
Navy first, charcoal second. Both work under restaurant lighting and with every tie. Burgundy or forest green if the venue is dressy and you want to look like you made an effort. Black only as a tuxedo or when the invite says black tie.
Can I wear a sweater instead of a shirt?
Yes. A thin merino crewneck or turtleneck in black, navy or burgundy under a sport coat is the current festive look and it is warmer than a shirt. Keep it fine-gauge so the jacket closes. Chunky knits belong on the weekend.
Is a tuxedo too much?
Not for black tie optional, where it is the preferred answer. For a cocktail invite a full tuxedo is overdressed, but a velvet dinner jacket over dark trousers lands in the right place.
What shoes go with a holiday party suit?
Black cap-toe oxfords with navy, charcoal or black. Cognac or dark brown with a sport coat and trousers. Patent black with a tuxedo. Shine them the night before; it is the first thing the person across the table sees when you sit down.
The short version
Read the invite, check the venue, then dress one level above a normal day at your company. Sport coat for the office party, navy suit for cocktail, one burgundy or velvet piece if the venue is dressy, tuxedo if the invite says black tie optional. Get the sleeves and hem altered, polish the shoes, and leave the novelty sweater for the family party.
If you also have a wedding or an interview coming up in the new year, the same suit does double duty. See our interview suit guide and wedding suit guide to plan the whole season from one rack.
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