Do you get stuck wondering what to wear on a date? Whether it’s a first coffee meetup or Valentines Day with your spouse of twenty years, what you wear should help you feel like yourself. Feeling like yourself in your outfit is the key to being able to forget about what you are wearing and focus on the person you are with.
Let’s talk about dressing in a way that lets your personality shine through at every relationship stage.
I lost my husband in April 2022 after 33+ years of marriage. I sorta thought God would just bring another person for me and drop them on my doorstep, but I’ve been learning that it’s ok for me to have preferences: music, colors, and even friends. How that connects to the possibility of me dating again is obviously I have preferences around who I would want to date, and I think it is reasonable for me to take a more active role in how this plays out.
So I started joining the dating apps. And not alot is happening.
What to Wear on a First or Second Date
But here’s what I know about what to wear on a date:
For a second date, try wearing something in your eye color. There’s an artistic principle called visual grouping, meaning we visual group things that are related, so wearing your eye color will naturally create focus on your eyes, and since we naturally connect with others through our eyes, wearing colors that enhance your eyes encourages meaningful eye contact during conversation.
Show up as who you actually are. This is why the Essential Signature Style Guide is so valuable – it helps you understand and express your authentic self through your clothing choices. You can learn more about that at my website, signaturestylesystems.com.
For a first coffee date, consider wearing your power/dramatic color. As someone with a dominant personality type, this feels aligned for me. If you don’t know your power/dramatic color, here’s a clue: it may be the complement of your skintone. My skin is yellow-orange and my power color is violet blue.
If you don’t feel comfortable wearing a full-on power color outfit, maybe wear a neutral but add a touch of personality.
For a second date, try wearing something in your eye color. There’s an artistic principle called visual grouping, meaning we visual group things that are related, so wearing your eye color will naturally create focus on your eyes, and since we naturally connect with others through our eyes, wearing colors that enhance your eyes encourages meaningful eye contact during conversation.
Maybe wait on wearing anything from the red family until you know each other better. Reds and pinks tend to feel very romantic.
What to Wear on a Date When You’re in an LTR
For those of you in long-term relationships:
- Remember that scene in Ted Lasso where Rebecca wears that form-fitting blush-colored dress for her date that surprised her by being with Sam? That’s the kind of knockout outfit that works when you’ve been together forever.
- This is when it’s appropriate to pull out all the romantic stops.
One final key takeaway about what to wear on a date: your outfit should help you feel like yourself, not who you think your date wants you to be. When you feel like yourself in your outfit, you can forget about what you’re wearing and focus on the relationship.
Here’s something simple you can do this week to integrate these principles into your wardrobe: get in your closet and do some try-ons. Create a date outfit that feels like you (whether you have a date coming up or not).