What you wear matters

With Valentine’s Day coming up, people are excited to go on romantic dates. However, we always have the dilemma on what to wear for such occasions. 

Always keep in mind that the time and place of your date should affect the way you dress. You don’t want to wear a bright yellow dress for a dinner date at a fancy restaurant. Instead, go for something simple, a little black dress with d’Orsay black heels should do the trick. If you want to stand out, consider adding red accessories to your outfit. It can be your purse, earrings, bracelets, necklaces or even just your lipstick.

Research shows that women wearing red look more attractive to men, according to the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. However, don’t overdo it. You want the attention to go to you, not the accessories.

Something easier to do is to wear a dress that shows off your shoulders. It’s simple but works the same way as wearing red. 

Now, if you are not going anywhere fancy, you might want to go for something more casual. You can’t go wrong with a simple white blouse and black leather jacket with boyfriend jeans. If you want to add a little bit more class, just wear a simple sling-back or chunky heel.

Avoid using jewelry and if you definitely want to use something, then use a small silver necklace or bracelet. If you are one of those who doesn’t like to wear jeans, like me, then you might want to look for a nice, light-colored skirt. Wear a pleated or round skirt with a plain halter neck blouse. Since your chest will be covered with the blouse, don’t use necklaces. Instead, use small earrings to enhance your facial features.

Men also like to dress up, even more, when it’s a special occasion. If this is your first time going on a date and you don’t know what to wear, don’t worry! Here are some tips.

Let’s start with the basics. If this is a fancy dinner date, remember to put aside triadic colors (Ex. red, yellow, blue) and complementary colors if you don’t know how to match them. Stick with monochromatic colors. These are colors that are the same color but with different variants and shades. 

You can’t go wrong with a solid dress shirt. If you want to add a little bit more detail, you can throw in a skinny silk or knit tie. Make sure it is not too long nor too short. You can match your shirt with any dark denim pants and a belt. The dress shirt has to be tucked in to complement the physique of the body.

If the place you are going to is really fancy, then you might want to take a look at some fitted blazers or jackets. If you are new to fashion and don’t know much about matching textures and patterns, then go for something simple. A solid monochromatic dress shirt and tight blazer. It can be as simple as a white dress shirt and navy blue blazer. Restrain yourself from wearing a white blazer if you are going out at night. Use some nice derby or loafer shoes to complete the look. 

Use denim if your date is casual. However, don’t overuse it. If you are wearing a denim jacket, don’t use denim pants. Use different colors and textures. If you are wearing denim jeans use a leather jacket.

If you want to add a little bit more thought, then a simple bomber jacket and a solid color shirt with black pants should be perfect. Don’t overuse patterns. If your bomber jacket has a pattern then don’t use a shirt that has one, too. One of them has to be a solid color or texture.

For pants, wear dark colors. No yellow, red, green or pink and absolutely no khaki pants! Besides, dark color pants lets you wear whatever sneakers you have in your closet.

First impressions matter. Clothes have a strong impact on people and they let you know a lot about a person. It helps you boost your confidence when you know you are dressing right. With these tips, I am sure you will be having a second date!