It’s date night

Rekindle your relationship by dressing up to go out together. Stephanie Smith has tips for romantic summer evenings a deux.
Jersey tunic with batwing sleeves at www.longtallsally.com.Jersey tunic with batwing sleeves at www.longtallsally.com.
Jersey tunic with batwing sleeves at www.longtallsally.com.

We’re all dating now, so no excuses. Date nights are quite the thing, even for couples who have been married (to each other) for years and years and years. There is officially now no rest for the “can’t-be-bothereds” of this world; relationships have to be worked at – as does your wardrobe.

So, date nights... The idea is that married couples (or civil partners, co-habitees, the betrothed, what you will) set aside an evening a week, or a fortnight, or a month, for the sole and specific purpose of going out on a date together – like, for dinner, or to the cinema, or dancing and clubbing, or perhaps just for drinks.

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This is so that busy couples, whose time is taken up with work, or children, or caring for relatives (or all three of those duties, and more beside) actually schedule in time that they agree they must spend together, preferably alone, reconnecting, engaging, and talking about matters other than what the children are getting up to at school and whether or not the boiler can carry on for another few months before it explodes.

And, if you have agreed to date each other again, you need to dress the part. This means wearing what you would wear if you really were meeting for a first date, or one in the early stages of a relationship, when you have no idea where it’s all heading and still want to keep your options open by looking consistently amazing – that is, attractive and encouraging, but not tarty, over-glamorous or like a wannabe Desperate Housewife (and you definitely do not want to remind anyone of any of the above if you are actually single and are going out on real dates with a real potential new partner).

It’s a fine balance, though, trying to judge how much is too much, while bearing in mind that overdoing the underplaying just looks ... well, as if you haven’t really bothered at all.

Dress or trousers? This depends less on where you are going, more on how you are feeling about yourself and what image you are wanting to portray on this particular date night (the image you want to portray should vary, to keep them guessing).

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Go for a silky shift or prom dress (not too tight-fitting) if you are feeling girlish and flirty. But if you are feeling strong, seductive and just a little bit wicked (it IS a date), try a sleek pencil skirt or a pair of well-cut trousers teamed with a silky cream or gold or bronze blouse, with the buttons opened to hint at cleavage (think Gillian Anderson in The Fall).

Sun and heat combines to make dating far more appropriate, which is why it’s easier to achieve on holiday abroad. But, as we approach the longest day of the year, the light summer nights make dating, even in the UK, even your own husband, a far more enticing prospect than in the dead of winter. So no slacking. Make the effort. There really are no excuses.

Twitter: @yorkshirefashQ

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