When you have to get ready for a date you immediately think that It is time to get well-groomed, hair and nails done, waxed, shaved, plucked and a lot more. And then the question pops up: ‘What should I wear on a date?’
Depending on what you are hoping to achieve from this date, it can be influenced a lot by what you are wearing. People react in a matter of seconds if somebody noticeably stands out. You have to have in mind that if you are going to wear highly revealing clothing, the recipient is likely to respond to that, so the first appearance can steer the course of direction with immediate effect.
1. Emphasise one body part at a time
You want to have that admiration so much that you start thinking ‘the more I put on offer, the more the other person would want me’. While that is true to a certain extent, dropping different body parts all over would not take one far. I have put myself in some really uncomfortable situations in the past by acting like this.
I once wore a dress that was very short, no sleeves and full cleavage on show. I looked great in the mirror, but it appeared that it wasn’t the best choice of outfit after all. I had the unfortunate experience of stumbling to the ground as I had opted to wear heels that did not support me well. Now imagine me falling and everything falling out at the same time, well that’s exactly what happened. Needless to say, that was not the most successful date ever.
The safest would be to reveal one body part at a time: either legs, cleavage or arms. There just isn’t a place for you mid rift on a first date as yet. Stick to classy and simple designs, colour and fabric, for example high waisted leggings with a shirt tucked in, sleeves rolled up with some simple accessories and clutch purse and a subtle makeup with a sharp and tidy hairstyle.
2. Leave some room for imagination
Although you don’t want to be overly misleading by your clothing choice, the whole point of a date is to be hopeful to engage in a relationship forthcoming, so think forward. The opportunity is in your hands to reveal the real you in one single meeting. This will determine whether or not a second date will be on the cards.
It is ok to have those naughty sexual thoughts running throughout your mind, wondering on what their body is like underneath those clothes. It is one of the most exciting points of the journey, fantasising about what you’re going to do to one another. Leaving it to the imagination creates an excitement, needing to know and to see more. Statistics show that after 8 dates you are likely to enter into a sexual relationship. Remember that’s another 7 dates to get ready for, so try not to overthink or overdo it for the first one. Actually, after the first date it becomes much more difficult to source an outfit as you have started to educate yourself on their likes and dislikes.
3. Play with colours and patterns
Colours and patterns have a big role in fashion expression. if you are wearing dull colours and plain fabrics, this may be deceiving and giving off the wrong impression on your personality. On the other hand, bright colours and patterned fabrics may seem slightly chaotic in some people’s eyes. You would want to attract someone with similar style, so remember this when you are getting ready for your date night.
You can play using colours and patterns trying to reveal you best looking body parts and mask the ones you are not that happy about. Confidence is what matters the most during the first date, so you can use some help of optical illusions.
4. Accessorise in moderation
You want to try to keep things simple. You need to show some personality, but you don’t want to have the focus taken away from your natural beauty by those huge pat butcher earrings swinging back and forth. Don’t get me wrong, I have a few pairs of those myself, but generally men aren’t ready for ‘the bigger, the better’ at this point, so try to go low key with jewellery. Opt for a stud with a simple chain or a collection of simple bracelets.
A belt may be needed with your outfit and it can play a magic trick defining your waist line. You won’t go wrong if you stick with neutral colours or straight forward metallics. Last, but not least – shoes and handbag. The safest bet is to always match the two together so the outfit is consistent, even though they can be of different fabric and texture. A clutch is a perfect dating handbag – small enough to carry around, but large enough to fit all the evenings essentials in.
5. Dress comfortably
Although not everyone may think that fashion is a statement, it is a description of who you are by using visuals instead of words. So express yourself and get this across, even if generally you tend to be quite shy, what you are wearing can speak those words you can’t get out of your mouth yet. Like “come and get me” or “I’ve been waiting for you“. Those may not be the exact lines you would want to convey, but your visuals can do most of the talking for you.
Always aim for the outfit you originally had in your head, never go back to that “if all else fails” outfit, you will regret it, and spend a majority of the night feeling ruffled by the thought of knowing this was a second resort. It is the same ideology of feeling second best mimicking the same emotions and insecurities. Remember to stay comfortable, otherwise you will feel anxious and worried. Avoid killer heels as they can cause disastrous events whilst nervous. Avoid tight fit clothes that may leave sweat marks as nervousness will make you perspire more than usual. Try something loose around the armpit or free of fabric around this area, such as a tank top with a blazer to remove.
These are just some helpful reminders and advice from yours truly, but the most important rule is to just be yourself as your personality should speak more than any outfit.
Image: flickr