What to wear to a class reunion: three evenings, three looks
A group chat that has been silent for two years wakes up one evening in November: „Reunion on the 28th, school hall first, then into town.“ Your first thought is lovely. Your second thought is the wardrobe. A class reunion is one of the few parties where you dress not only for the evening but for the person you have become in the meantime – in front of people who last saw you at sixteen.
If you live in Tallinn as an expat, the invitation may come from further away: a university alumni night here, an international school reunion, or a hometown gathering you are flying back for over the holidays. The question is the same everywhere: dress or not, how much sparkle, and whether „festive“ means the same thing in a school corridor as it does in a restaurant. We are the Kostüümirent team, and every autumn someone asks us exactly this in our showroom. Here are the answers, three ready looks and a checklist.
One rule before anything else: dress for the second half of the night
Most reunions – in Estonia and almost everywhere else – come in two parts. The first is official: a short ceremony or a walk through the old school, a speech from the class teacher, the group photo on the steps. The second is the part everyone remembers: the restaurant, the bar, the dance floor until three in the morning. Dress only for the first part and you are the most formal person in the bar at eleven; dress only for the second and you look a little too bold in the school hall at six.
The fix is simple: choose a look that works in both and change just one detail during the evening. Jacket or shawl off, earrings bigger, lipstick darker – and the same dress is polite at six and a party dress at eleven. All three looks below are built on that logic.
Three evenings, three looks
1. School hall and restaurant: a midi that is not afraid of sitting down
When the evening starts in the hall and continues at a long table in a restaurant, midi length is your friend. It is festive enough to stand out from an ordinary dinner, but you do not have to gather a floor-length skirt every time you get up to hug someone at the other end of the table. Satin and velvet work especially well here: they catch the warm light of a restaurant without sparkling so loudly that every head turns during the speeches.
Our favourites for this evening are the Noir Grace midi dress – a deep black satin midi with a draped halter neck and a fine lace detail, classic without being boring –, the same cut in a soft celadon green, the Celadon Grace midi dress, and the deep red Burgundy Velvet midi dress, whose open back is exactly the one detail that turns a polite dress into a party dress later on.
Noir Grace midi dress 
Celadon Grace midi dress 
Burgundy Velvet midi dress
Pictured (from left): Noir Grace midi dress, Celadon Grace midi dress, Burgundy Velvet midi dress
2. Bar and dance floor: shorter, but not short
If the invitation says „meeting at the bar“ or you already know there is no ceremony and the dancing starts straight away, the hem can come up to the knee. The rule here is texture: a plain black mini reads as „end of a working day“; a black mini with scale sequins or a lace trim reads as „party“.
The Rouge Affair cocktail dress is a black satin mini with a brick-red lace trim and wide kimono sleeves – dramatic, but with covered shoulders, which in a Tallinn bar in November is simply practical. The Silver Drape cocktail dress is a silver mini with a high neckline and a drape falling from one shoulder: the sparkle is there, the cleavage is not. The Noir Scale cocktail dress is a black mini covered entirely in large scale-shaped sequins with an open back – the choice when the dance floor is plan number one.
Rouge Affair cocktail dress 
Silver Drape cocktail dress 
Noir Scale cocktail dress
Pictured (from left): Rouge Affair cocktail dress, Silver Drape cocktail dress, Noir Scale cocktail dress
3. Alumni ball or gala: now you can go long
Larger schools and universities hold alumni balls with a dress code on the invitation – usually „festive“ or „black tie“. This is the evening when a long dress is right and even expected. What works particularly well at a reunion is colour: in emerald, plum or navy you are the one everyone remembers from the photo on the steps, while three black dresses merge into one.
The Navy Siren dress is a navy satin strapless dress with a high slit – a classic ball silhouette that does not look like a bridesmaid. The Plum Satin dress is a plum satin maxi with a deep V-neck and short fluttering sleeves, which also suits you if you prefer covered shoulders. The Emerald Night dress is a dark green sequin gown with long sleeves and a boat neck – festive in the most covered way possible, which at a winter ball is only a plus.
Navy Siren dress 
Plum Satin dress 
Emerald Night dress
Pictured (from left): Navy Siren dress, Plum Satin dress, Emerald Night dress
If there is a dress code on the invitation and you are not sure what „festive“ or „cocktail“ means in practice, we have decoded them in dress codes decoded: black tie, cocktail and smart casual.
Quick guide: which look for which evening
Where | Length | Texture | The one detail for the second half |
School hall + restaurant | midi | satin, velvet, lace | shawl or jacket off, bigger earrings |
Bar + dance floor | mini (to the knee) | sequins, scales, lace trim | swap heels for strappy sandals |
Ball or gala | maxi | satin, sequins, colour | covered shoulders for the ceremony, open back for the dancing |
No idea what is coming | midi | satin | a small clutch and a darker lipstick |
If you do not want a dress – and what he should wear
Nobody has to go to a reunion in a dress. A festive trouser suit looks confident in the photo on the steps and lets you dance without minding a skirt; the black-and-white polka-dot Doty trouser suit is one that reads as a party outfit, not an office one. Trouser suits get their own post later this week.
If the two of you are going together, the same rule applies to him: dress for the second half. In the hall the jacket stays on, in the bar it can live on the back of a chair – which means the shirt itself has to be right. The Navy Check suit is a navy suit with a fine check that is neither too formal nor too casual; the Noir Label suit is a three-piece black classic where the waistcoat keeps the look together long after the jacket is gone.
Doty trouser suit 
Navy Check suit 
Noir Label suit
Pictured (from left): Doty trouser suit, Navy Check suit, Noir Label suit
The Tallinn November reality: coat, shoes and the cloakroom
Reunions in Estonia mostly land between October and December, when it is dark by four, wet and close to zero outside. That means five practical things to plan alongside the dress – and if you are flying somewhere for yours, the same list packs into one cabin bag.
A coat you are not embarrassed by. The cloakroom at a school is often a chair in the corridor where everyone sees your coat. A long coat or a faux fur over the dress is part of the look, not an annoying layer.
Shoes in two shifts. Walk in in boots, put the heels on at the door – and keep strappy sandals or lower shoes in your bag for two in the morning.
Spare tights. One extra pair in the bag costs less than one evening with a ladder showing through the slit.
A clutch that fits a phone and a lipstick. There is nowhere to put a big bag in a school hall or on a dance floor.
A photo test before you leave. Take one picture standing and one sitting at home – those are the two poses a reunion photographs most.
Why renting makes sense for a reunion
A reunion is an evening you want to walk into wearing a dress nobody has seen before – and one you will probably not wear again in the next five years. That is exactly when renting is the most logical option, and if you moved to Tallinn with two suitcases, it is also the one that does not need wardrobe space. You pick a dress in our showroom that is new to you, wear it for one evening and return it. The standard rental period is up to 3 days, so you collect the dress before the party and return it afterwards without rushing. We take care of the cleaning.
The showroom is in Tallinn at Krulli 2b, room 412 – you choose your fitting time when you book, by writing to us on Instagram or by e-mail. If you live outside Tallinn, we send the dress by courier or parcel locker anywhere in Estonia; the details are on our delivery and rental terms pages. Renting for the first time? Read how dress rental works in Tallinn first – it walks through the whole process from fitting to return.
Frequently asked questions
Can I wear a long dress to a class reunion?
If the invitation says „festive“ or „black tie“, or the event is a ball, a long dress is right. For a typical school-hall-plus-restaurant reunion we recommend midi length – festive, but without looking as if you are dressed for a different party.
How much sparkle is too much at a reunion?
One sparkling element at a time. Simple jewellery with a sequin dress; with a satin dress the sparkle can come from earrings or a clutch. If the evening starts at the school and moves to a bar, choose sparkle you can add during the night rather than take away.
What if I have no idea how dressed up the others will be?
Ask in the group chat – for a reunion that is completely normal. If no answer comes, choose a satin midi dress and proper heels: with that you are never underdressed or overdressed.
How far ahead should I book a dress for a reunion?
October to December is our busiest calendar, because office Christmas parties happen at the same time. The earlier you book a fitting, the larger the choice in your size. The standard rental period is up to 3 days, so you receive the dress right before the party.
Do I have to clean the dress after the party?
No. You return the dress as the evening left it – we take care of the cleaning.
Choose your reunion look
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