8 Effortlessly Fancy Outfits Fashion People Are Wearing Out to Dinner

Emili Sindlev at a restaurant

(Image credit: @emilisindlev)

I'm not sure if you've noticed this, but I have: People are getting dressed up for dinner again. I tend to be of the thinking that it's a post-pandemic phenomenon. People are thrilled to have a reason to wear normal clothes again, but they don't want to stay out until all hours of the night hopping from place to place. (Maybe that's just late-30s me.) Restaurants have filled that desire to "go out" without going all out, and people's wardrobes for the occasion have reflected that.

These days, very few restaurants have dress codes, even in New York City, but I find that they don't really need them. In almost every city I've visited over the past several years, people are dressed to the nines at restaurants—myself included. That said, it depends on the restaurant you're going to and what the vibe is, and you shouldn't feel any pressure to dress up whenever you go out to dinner. You should wear whatever you want. If you do, however, like to dress up when dining out, I found eight chic outfit ideas that are fancy but don't require much effort at all. Keep scrolling to shop and copy the looks.

Leather Jacket + Red Minidress + Cap-Toe Heels

Out-to-dinner outfit

(Image credit: @_jeanettemadsen_)

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Slim Cardigan + Miniskirt

Out-to-dinner outfit

(Image credit: @tylynnnguyen)

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Fitted Button-Down Shirt + Black Skirt + Sheer Tights

Out-to-dinner outfit

(Image credit: @kitkeenan)

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Fitted Blazer + Jeans + Pumps

Out-to-dinner outfit

(Image credit: @sylviemus_)

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Pretty White Top + Capri Pants + Kitten-Heel Sandals

Out-to-dinner outfit

(Image credit: @slipintostyle)

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Tweed Jacket + T-Shirt + Miniskirt + Pumps

Out-to-dinner outfit

(Image credit: @anoukyve)

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LBD + Knee-High Socks + Heels

Out-to-dinner outfit

(Image credit: @champagnemani)

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White Strapless Dress + Metallic Accessories

Out-to-dinner outfit

(Image credit: @emilisindlev)

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Allyson Payer
Senior Editor

Allyson is a senior editor for Who What Wear. She joined the company in 2014 as co-founder Katherine Power's executive assistant and over the years has written hundreds of stories for Who What Wear. Prior to her career in fashion, Allyson worked in the entertainment industry at companies such as Sony Pictures Television. Allyson is now based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She holds a BFA in theater. Her path to fashion may not have been linear, but based on the number of fashion magazines she collected as a child and young adult, it was meant to be.