How to Dress for a First Date

Posted by Women's Designer Clothing Editor in What to Wear When

Want to learn how to dress for a date?

Dressing for a first date demands a drop-dead gorgeous ensemble that will impress a potential love match and keep your confidence soaring all night long.

In other words, you want to look amazing, dress well, and make his mouth drop when you enter the room.

While I was shot in the heart by cupid almost nine years ago and no longer need to dress for first dates, I remember all too well the single girl’s dating dress code dilemma.

Several years ago, my aha moment arrived when I realized that the well-dressed woman needs only 7 wardrobe items to wow a suitor and keep him begging for more of your sexy style profile. Here’s how:

Step#1 – Expertly applied eye makeup is a first date dress code requirement.

No need to hide behind sunglasses: add a pair of amazing eyelashes and paint those eyelids a beautiful color. Find an eye shadow color that makes a long gaze into your beautiful blues or browns worth it.

Remember that your lids cover the windows of your soul. If you want him to gaze into them, adorn them appropriately.

Step 2 – Buy the right shade of lipstick that keeps your mouth front and center.

While your eyes are clothed with a subtle color, turn up the volume with your lip color. Select a perfect lipstick that accents your pout and completes your makeup look perfectly.

If you painted your eyes with a multitude of colors on the lids, a nude lipstick followed by a clear gloss is the only complementary beauty option.

Step 3 – Don’t be afraid to unleash the Freakum Dress on a first date.

Beyonce Knowles, my favorite Creole play cousin, sings about a dress that reminds your man of the femme fatale hiding beneath your twinset and pencil skirt.

Despite warnings from traditional dating coaches, there is no time like the first date to introduce the seductive, yet fully clothed, sex kitten.

The Herve Leger bandage dress pictured above is the perfect party dress for white tablecloth dinners in a swanky nightspot in your city. This dress fits the body in all of the right places, without turning you into a tramp at the end of the evening.

Step 4- Wear dark denim jeans to upgrade your casual dating wardrobe.

The well-dressed woman should invest in a pair of jeans that flatters her rump shaker, whittles her waist and elongates her legs. Once you find the perfect pair of jeans for your dating wardrobe, add a bright top or a tailored blazer to complete your first date look.

Dressed up jeans are appropriate for an evening picnic, movies, partying at a club, riding on a private jet to a surprise rendezvous or attending a sporting event in the owner’s box.

Step 5-Dazzle your date with statement jewelry.

Most of the items in the first date wardrobe are free of prints and outrageous fashion choices. Style simplicity is my prescription to what to where on a first date. But what wardrobe items will assert your fashion personality best? One word: accessories.

An exquisite pair of shoulder duster earrings or an oversized and bedazzled cuff is a great way to add color and shine to a simple dress and a dark pair of jeans.

If you don’t have the cash to splurge on the Gucci shoulder candy pictured above, find your own version of a trendy fashion bag and carry it with pride.

Pair an expensive fast-fashion dress purchased at H&M or Zara with your statement jewelry and a hot handbag to take your outfit from bargainista to fashionista.

When I first laid eyes on these Christian Louboutins at Neiman Marcus, I was bewitched, bothered and bewildered. These shoes are so fierce they can incite a fashion stampede of tall, dark and handsome suitors ready to worship a true fashion diva.

Buy only buy a pair of shoes that will complement your dark denim, first date dress or handbag in a manner becoming a well-dressed woman.

A few more last-minute first date dressing tips…

Ask your suitor for first date details. Before you dress for a first date, determine the activities and locations for your rendezvous.

Is he planning: Drinks at 8? A Sunday brunch at the Ritz Carlton? You need to know what clothing combinations are appropriate for your love interview.

Yes. I said wear a Freakum dress…But choose your first date outfit carefully. Your wardrobe can convey silent messages to your first date. All men appreciate a woman revealing a little skin, but too tight clothes or too much cleavage can be a dating distraction.

Select clothing that is currently in fashion. Don’t blow your love match, with 1980’s fashion or retro clothing that is better suited for Halloween.

From bold accessories and dating dress code clues to top-shelf makeup tips, you can now build a stellar, never-fail, first date outfit that will ensure that you are unforgettable and irreplaceable.