See How You Can Dress Stylishly for a Picnic

Picnics are romantic, but casual gatherings. They are often in the wild, aka nature. This ultimate picnic outfit guide addresses what is best to wear for a picnic with friends and family and what not to wear to a picnic. This includes also what to wear to a picnic in the park, and what shoes to wear at a picnic depending on the location. Read how to dress stylishly for a picnic, and get inspired by the photos of picnic outfit ideas for women at any age.

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Go for Low-Maintenance Chic When Dressing for a Picnic

What to wear to a picnic depends somewhat on whether your outfit needs to transition from work to a picnic with colleagues, whether you’re meeting with friends and/or family, and whether you’re going from home to the event. It may also vary depending on whether it’s in Europe or the USA, whether it’s in an urban park or a recreational area. Last, but not least, whether there is an installed picnic setting or you and/or your friends bring your equipment.

However, no matter what, some things remain the same.

At a picnic, you are munching on all kinds of stuff that might drip onto your clothes. When a BBQ is involved, add oil spots to the mix. Therefore, opt for an outfit made from fabrics that are low-maintenance in terms of cleaning. The fabric should also be breathable, as you do not want to be soaked in sweat. Wrinkle-free cotton is a nice option.

Pick Your Outfit Depending on the Venue and Weather Forecast

When there is a likelihood of rain, have a rain cape or coat in your bag or basket, just in case. When it is sunny or mostly sunny, sun protection is a Must: pack sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses. Sun protection is critical when the venue is at a lake, river, or beach. The water surface reflects the sunlight. Consequently, you get a sunburn faster than you would with no high-reflective surfaces around.

Also, be aware that staying in the shadow may only provide some thermal comfort. However, being in the shade fails to rescue from sunburn.

How to Create Photo-Perfect Picnic Outfits

You can wear a romantic style, floral, countryside-inspired, or coastal Grandma-style dress, jeans, or a denim skirt with a button-down plaid shirt. Leather sandals, embellished thongs, or clogs look great with all these options. Other great options include Bermuda shorts or capris paired with a feminine or floral top and ballet flats. Or go the gamine style way and add a cap-sleeve knit top or a 3/4-sleeve striped top like Brigitte Bardot.

Have a Cover-Up – Just in Case

On hot summer days, convective clouds may quickly turn into thunderstorms. After the storm passes, the air will cool down due to evaporative cooling and cold downdrafts. Therefore, it’s advisable to have a windbreaker or at least a cardigan handy for layering.

Be Aware of the Potential Hazards for Your Clothes Depending on the Location

Warning! In Europe, most picnics are on blankets, meaning grass spots alert! At most picnics in the US, people use deck chairs. The advantage of using deck chairs is that you can wear something more fancy, such as a clean bias-cut, the traditional American white summer dress (which can be washed in hot water, or a 1940s-inspired tea dress. The disadvantage of deck chairs is that embellishments, such as crochet dresses, jackets, or tops, can get caught on the metal of the folding chairs and end up ripped. Ouch!

Note: Wood benches at a picnic place bear the same risk.

Be Prepared for Spills

Accidents happen. A juicy sandwich loses a bit of its dressing. Someone stumbles and spills the Coke all over you. Or a kid gives you a hug with greasy fingers. You can add to this list.

Tip: To not spoil a (nearly) perfect afternoon have a stain remover like a Dryel dry cleaning pen ready in your picnic basket.

What Not to Wear to a Picnic

Avoid wearing cut-offs, short shorts, tight skirts or dresses, and miniskirts. They all bear various kinds of risks when sitting down on a blanket, grass, beach, or a deck chair. When wearing jeans or a jean skirt, opt for ones with spandex for added comfort when sitting on the ground or a blanket.

Tip: When dressing for a picnic avoid everything short, or you may show more than you want, when you sit down on the lawn.

What Bag is Best for a Cookout Outside?

Great bag options for a picnic besides a basket are straw bags or fabric satchels. The bag should be large enough to hold a jacket or cover-up, sunglasses, wipes, sun cream, mosquito repellent, band-aids, a Tide stick or Dryel dry cleaning pen for a quick DIY dry cleaning in case of spills.

What Is the Best Footwear for a Picnic

What are the best shoes to wear for a picnic? Hot summer heat often leads to swollen feet. Therefore, flip-flops, tongs, slides, trendy orthotic sandals, or woven leather sandals are great because you can flip them off easily when you sit down.

Other great options are old-school canvas sneakers. These are especially advantageous because they reduce the risk of injuring your ankles on uneven ground. When kids are around, you can make an impression with color changing sneakers.

Ageless Picnic Outfit Ideas

Here are some picnic-friendly dresses that would look great on us, 40 and beyond.

Wrapping Up: The Dos of a Perfect Picnic Look

Riot your closet for an inexpensive, low-maintenance, cute dress or a combination of separates in fabrics that don’t easily catch on chairs or other equipment. Pair it with matching flats to walk safely on bumpy lawns or paths. Have a cover-up for thermal comfort when it gets late, sun cream, sunglasses, and a hat to protect your skin and eye health. Most importantly, have fun and relax. It’s summertime.

Photos: G. Kramm

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