Dare To Dress – Your Guide To First Date Dressing (Part 1)

Posted by admin in Fashion on Mar 17th, 2010 | no responses

Wendy M. is head stylist and owner of Smitten With Style, a personal and corporate stylist that is helping women and men of all ages, shapes and sizes to dress their best from head to toe! With a range of services including shopping trips, Style Masterclasses, wardrobe consultations and corporate presentations, there’s sure to be a service to help you.
A first date – nerves and excitement about the unknown, what could be and what’s to come.
As they say, first impressions last, so it’s important to nail your look to nail your man.
Everyone wants to look amazing, feel like Heidi Klum, and make your date’s jaw drop when you enter the room, while also looking serenely elegant. Not always an easy thing to do when you’re a bundle of nerves too!
I wasn’t a stylist in my single days. I was someone who ran out of the door and straight into my local boutique to try and find “the” outfit. I spent a silly amount of money on many date outfits that I wore just once but over the years managed to identity the key elements to make you look and feel super hot.

Natural make up.

If you can barely slap some lippy on much less foundation when you go to work, make the effort this time. Nothing says polished and elegant more than a natural looking base of foundation (smooth skin = youthfulness and who couldn’t use more of that?) with equally natural looking eye shadow. Eyes are the window to your soul, so make sure they look appealing, not scary. Keep the colours muted, well blended and remember the trick is to blend blend blend! Don’t forget to coat the mascara on because you never know when you’ll need to bat those lashes (even if the date doesn’t work out it may come in handy when you need to jump the taxi queue on a rainy night!).
Don’t forget the all important lipstick and lip gloss which makes your lips look plump and delicious – crucial ingredients for a successful first date. Do tripel check that your teeth aren’t wearing it though.

The all important jean.

Let’s face it, the jean will feature in more than a few first dates – there are only so many times you can arrange to meet straight after work for a drink. The horror I’ve seen on many a woman’s face when she’s realised she can’t rock up in her fail-safe work clothing to a date is understandable, but avoidable. Invest in a pair of jeans that flatters your booty by looking for a very dark indigo wash. No distressing, no embellishment, no studs on the pockets, nothing except for denim and your derriere. A sleek, clean jean in a very dark colour is your most flattering jean on any body shape.
For those not blessed with a washboard stomach a la Madonna, ensure you find a pair that end just on or below your belly button. This mid rise may feel awkward at first and you’ll say it looks nana-ish, but it will suck and hold in your muffin top, taking inches off your tummy. I think you will agree that is well worth it. Once you have a top over the jeans no one but you will know that the jeans come up so high. Add a bright top preferably in a dressier fabric such as satin or silk, and a tailored blazer to complete your first date look.

Statement jewelry.

Most of the items in the first date wardrobe should represent style simplicity. You’d hate to think that your new leopard print coat and outrageously high and weapon-ish Dior cage shoes stole the attention away from what you were saying and who you really are. But it can’t all be plain and dull – your do need to be able assert some personality from the start. What will assert your fashion personality best? One word: accessories.
A dazzling cuff with a simple black dress, or an exquisite pair of shoulder duster earrings offset against your luscious locks are definitely the way to go.
Necklaces and earrings bring attention straight to your face, and you can really play with jewel colours in accessories. A cuff (or multiple cuffs, I never believe in being stingy) is also a great option if you don’t have ear piercings or feel too self conscious in necklaces.
Stay tuned for the next installment of First Date Dressing when we feature more tips and tricks on how to impress and wow your man!

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Wendy LR 200x300 Dare To Dress – Your Guide To First Date Dressing (Part 1)