The club is regarded as one of the primary ways for guys to party, get drunk, of course, pick up chicks. If for the first two all you need is jeans and a t-shirt with an inscription that reads Keep calm and drink beer…

… things get a little more complicated when it comes to the latter: meeting women and meeting new people in general.

The good news: dressing for the club is pretty much like dressing for any casual encounter (a birthday party or just a walk downtown). It’s not complicated at all, especially if you’ve been studying style for at least a couple of months.

However, there are some things to keep in mind, things that I pretty much discovered on my own during the hundreds of times I’ve been out partying.

Some of these things are common sense but others you’d wish you’d have known sooner. Because they will increase the effectiveness of your outfits.

Are you pumped? I know I am because we have A LOT to discuss.

Color

I’m sure you’re tired of all those guys wearing black in clubs. Sure, black is classy but it’s time to let it go… and I’m asking you to do this for two reasons:

1. everyone wears it

2. clubs are dark places and it will make you pretty much invisible

This isn’t to say you can’t wear a pair of black jeans or chinos if you want to… but think about the shirt or t-shirt you’ll be wearing.

Lighter colors work best: white, beige, cream, ivory, light blue, light green and so on.

Patterns work well but make sure they don’t darken the entire attire too much. For instance, a light blue and white striped shirt will work twice as well as a light blue + dark blue striped shirt.

If you’re going to wear a darker top, you absolutely must wear lighter pants. For instance, one of my favorite combos that I wore last summer was a dark brown dress shirt + a pair of khakis.

This brought a lot of attention in not so crowded venues but did nothing for me when it was really crowded. Nobody saw the pants and the shirt was helpless in its endeavors to bring my any kind of attention.

Bottom line: aim for a lighter top (white is great) and don’t worry too much about pants.

Tops

If you’re not a shirts fan, that’s all right.. though I strongly recommend them. Tops should generally be lighter as they’re going to be the first things the ladies will see.

T-shirts work just as well but keep in mind to add some accessories to your outfit to keep it interesting. Polo shirts, henley shirt and even rugby shirts are cool but the dress shirt is going to be your best bet… and this won’t change anytime soon.

Pants

Jeans, chinos, khakis and any of the “hybrids” that you can get in any store are perfect candidates for a night of partying in a club. The more crowded it’s going to be, the less important the pants will be… because no one will notice.

Keep in mind that it’s going to get really hot there so don’t wear anything too bulky. Wool is out of the question even during winters. Remember that the more comfortable you will be, the more fun you’ll have.

Shorts are also out of the question even during summer. Most clubs won’t let you walk in wearing them so don’t bother.

If you do have some cool colored chinos, go ahead and wear them. Loud music and a dark place is the best place to go crazy with colors as the poor lighting will tone them down a little.

Shoes

Unless you know for sure that the place won’t be crowded… forget shoes. Just get a nice pair of sneakers that you can match to your outfit.

Wearing your best shoes in a crowded night club (like most are) might just ruin them. Even if you’re super-careful, you’ll still get stepped on at least 3 or 4 times per night. Add to that the fact that almost on one will notice your shoes and suddenly, a pair of sneakers or moccasins sounds pretty darn good.

Club no-nos

Now that I got off the shoes thing off my chest, let’s discuss some of the common errors that guys make when going to night clubs.. things that instantly sends the wrong message about them.

First thing first: no scarves inside the club!

Besides the fact that it’ll make you sweat like a pig, this fashion item will send signals to the others that you don’t know to take it off when you walk into a venue. I’ve seen guys do this and, even though they didn’t actually feel hot in it, that’s not what everyone else thought.

Secondly, no sunglasses at night!

Again, this is trivial. Sunglasses should be worn when it’s sunny outside. They have no business in night-clubs, especially those with really dark shades.

You probably know that some DJs like David Guetta are wearing sunglasses in the club… and that makes them cool.

The thing is – those sunglasses actually have lighter shades which allows them to see inside (and not bump into every girl they pass by). If you’re really digging this look, I can’t stop you from doing it. I’ve actually seen really cool guys surrounded by hot girls that were wearing these sunglasses and having the time of their life.

If this is you, go ahead and do it but know there’s a style community that won’t like this.

Thirdly, no hats in the club!

I know you’ve seen guys do it and that they look cool but this doesn’t make it right. Hats should be taken off when entering any venue. This isn’t just a style rule – it’s common sense.

Accessorize

Now that we got those no-no accessories out of the way, let’s see how you should really accessorize in clubs.

The first option is to wear a tie (slim or regular fit, depending on your constitution) or a bow tie. Few guys wear ties and almost no one wears bow ties.

Make sure you make good contrast with your shirt, though. If you’re wearing a light-colored shirt, a darker tie or bow tie will work best.

Another amazing accessory to wear is the pocket square. IF you might find it uncomfortable tow ear it around town as part of your daily casual outfits, a pocket square inside a night club will attract a lot of attention.

Now you don’t have to wear a sports jacket to accommodate for it or else you’ll sweat to death. Get a waistcoat that has a front pocket (I got mine from H&M) and you’re good to go.

The waist coat should contrast with your shirt and the pocket square should make at least a mild contrast with the waistcoat.

How’s this for an outfit?

light blue shirt

black waistcoat

red pocket square

dyed blue jeans (the color is pretty powerful)

A variation of this outfit (if you’re a little shy) is to replace the blue shirt for a white one and the jeans with a pair of dark grey chinos.

Let’s see a full list of accessories that you can safely wear in any night club:

ties

pocket squares

leather or metal bracelets

casual rings

cufflinks

belts (preferably something that stands out)

watches

pendants

tie bars, clips and pins

Going sockless in clubs

The sockless look is a great idea for a club but not for its aesthetics (which will go unnoticed). The no-show socks will let your fee breathe better. Just make sure you keep this look for summer. No, going sockless in spring and autumn is not a good idea.

Final Word

The best piece of advice I can give you is this: experiment the hell outta those outfits when you’re going into clubs. This is the place to try new clothing combinations, new accessories and, of course, new colors.

Clubs are the best places to screw up with your outfits.