Need some inspiration for your next night out? Check out our guide on what to wear to a club.

Putting together a clubbing outfit can be tricky even for seasoned veterans. There are all kinds of clubs, and usually they don’t have explicitly stated dress codes, so it can be difficult to know what style of clothing is appropriate for a specific club (especially if it’s new to you).

And if you’ve never been to a club before, then you likely don’t even know where to start thinking about your clothes.

Thankfully, there are some basic style principles that you can use when putting together an outfit for the club. I’ll share those principles as well as some example outfits to give you a better idea of what to wear.

(Full disclosure: This advice mostly applies to the average nightclub. It won’t apply to more casual clubs, like hole-in-the-wall joints that don’t even require you to wear shoes.)

So what do you wear to a club? Read on to find out!

Before You Go

Before you think about what to wear to a club, you need to consider the club you’re going to and the people you’ll be going with.

Here are a few basic questions to ask yourself before putting together an outfit:

What type of club am I going to? Is this a simple dance club or a fancier place? Looking up some photos of the club and/or looking at social media can help you get a better idea of the atmosphere.

Who am I going with? For example, going to a club with a group of friends and going with a date are very different, and you probably won’t want to wear the same outfit for both occasions.

How much activity will I be doing? If you’re going to be dancing a lot, you want to dress appropriately so you’re not drowning in a pool of your own sweat. Likewise, if you’ll be club hopping or otherwise out on the town, you probably won’t want to wear anything stuffy.