What to Wear to a Bridal Shower: Not White, Not Cocktail-Sexy

White is still not yours

The bride may wear white. Guests who wear a white eyelet column spend the party being asked if they are in the wedding. Ivory, cream, and pale champagne fail the same test. A white stripe on a navy ground is fine. A white dress with a colored cardigan is still a white dress in the photos.

Black is allowed if it is daytime fabric — cotton, linen, crepe — not a bandage dress. Pastel is a habit, not a rule.

Cocktail-sexy is the wrong hour

A bridal shower is usually 11am–3pm in a house, garden, or restaurant private room. Bodycon, a low back, and a 4-inch stiletto belong to the bachelorette or not at all. Knee-to-midi, sleeves or a light cardigan, a block heel or a ballet flat you have walked in.

• Midi or tailored trousers, $70–$180, lined if the cloth is light
• Print or color that is not bridal white and not club black sheen
• Jewelry that does not clang on a gift table — small hoops, one chain
• A wrap for an over-air-conditioned restaurant room

Games, chairs, and a gift you can carry

You may sit on the floor, pass a ribbon, or lean over a cake. Test the hem when you sit. A structured tote that can hold a wrapped gift and then collapse is more useful than a clutch. Men at a co-ed shower: chinos, collared shirt, loafers — the lunch kit from meeting the parents, not a suit.