Disaster in a Dress: Your Outfit on the First Date

We pore over the perfect outfit to wear on a much-anticipated first date, and for good reason. The first date is the chance to really get to know a potential lover and (hopefully) leave a strong, positive impression on them. A successful first encounter is the open door to a second date, one that promises more opportunities and a better connection with someone special. However, a fashion fiasco may just send the wrong message and too many times, we girls are guilty of trying too hard to seem appealing and come off entirely misunderstood. The following are only some of the many judgments you help create in a guy’s mind when he is out with you for the first time.

The Bare-All
Ladies, let’s be honest. Your attempt to attract him with a plunging blouse top and a skintight miniskirt just tells him his chances of scoring later tonight have just increased by tenfold. Sure, you want to look cute and show him asking you out was well worth his time, but getting picked up for a restaurant rendezvous half-dressed is not the way to do it. If you have plans for a date with him, chances are he is already really attracted to you and this display of cleavage and thigh is overkill. A first date should not be a viewing of what you have to offer physically, you should first build a stable foundation and be able to entice him with your personality. As fashion guru Cynthia Nellis asserts, “Dressing like Lil’ Kim on the first date may get his attention, but it won’t hold his affection for long.” Have your smile be the sexiest part about you and leave the rest of you a mystery. A man will treat you exactly how you allow him to, so save the risqué outfit for a more intimate date much later down the line and gain his respect first.

The Professional
While women in sophisticated office attire are indeed a fantasy for men, your straight-from-work clothes are not an ideal wardrobe choice for a first-time, romantic encounter. Your look on a date should speak to who you are on an intimate level and work clothes just do not cut it. If he judges you by first impression (which, sadly, just about always happens) he may be less than impressed that you chose to stay in your professional shell. A first date is perfect for expressing yourselves to each other, so opt for more than just a message that you love your job. Furthermore, unless he has plans to take you to a more upscale location, the pair of you will look entirely mismatched if he arrives in a t-shirt and jeans.

The Brand Name
Withhold your efforts to impress him with an expensive designer dress. Use those outfits on a girls’ night out instead, when you can actually discuss your pricey style with everyone mostly interested. Even worse, if he recognizes an expensive label you are wearing or you inform him of your pricey look, he may take it as a warning of your exuberant fashion taste and conclude you have extravagant needs. “He may be intimidated by your shopping prowess and start wondering just how much dinero he’d be out in a long-term relationship with you,” Nellis states. In this economy, one thing men do not want to worry over is that their potential girlfriend makes them money-conscious.

The Too-Comfortable
According to fashion blogger Rachel Russo, it is best to avoid “anything that is ‘too’ anything.” This, of course, includes looking too comfortable. Russo advises against gym attire and sleep wear, as they appear as if you are trying too hard, particularly too hard to look natural or laidback. Just as women rage over a man who cannot seem to pull himself together and look clean-cut, men also have the expectation that their dates will look orderly and attractive. Just as showing up in something super tight and low-cut is a huge “NO,” so is arriving in baggy sweats and a thick sweater. You may come off as lazy, unkept, or that you simply are not interested in the guy or his offer to take you out. Too much mystery results in no mystery at all.

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