by Cherryl Floyd-Miller

Created on: January 24, 2011

Fashion statements on dates are thought typically to belong to women. Men, too, should show up on a first date to make a good impression. In the first five minutes after seeing your date, she has sized you up based on how you present yourself. Based on your clothing, hygiene and level of confidence, she determines whether she will go out with you again.

Depending on where the two of you have decided to have your date, you should plan to dress for the occasion. Formal affairs (balls, charity auctions), upscale events, dinner and a movie, physical activity (rock climbing, exercising) and staying at home all call for different attire. 

Before you can even get to the art of dressing well, though, you must remember a few key things about getting ready for your date.

-Enhance your look; don’t detract from it. You never want to wear colors that make your eye color disappear or be the neon sign in the room wearing fluorescent blue. Make fashion choices that complement your natural features. If you are unsure, ask someone else’s opinion before you leave.

-Don’t overdo it, and don’t under-dress. Nothing is more awkward than being dressed too formally at casual affairs or wearing jeans and sneakers to formal functions. Ask in advance what the dress code is, if you don’t know.

-Make sure your clothes are clean with no wrinkles. It seems almost ludicrous to remind adults to wear clean clothing, but many of us wear garments like pants more than once before we wash them. The even more alarming thing is most people think that if there is no stain, the clothing is clean. Fabric traps odor, and sometimes others around you can smell it before you can. Also, make sure you clean clothing doesn’t look like balled up paper. Iron, steam or dry clean your outfit.

-Avoid shirts that expose excessive chest hair. This trick may have been “precious” during the 70s when it was en vogue, but some women are really turned off by public displays of chest hair. Think of chest hair as a private body part and avoid wear V-neck sweaters or buttoned shirts that you start buttoning in the middle, low, round, flat collars or unzipped sweaters. The same goes for armpit hair. Avoid tanks and tees that show it.

-Jeans are okay; sweatpants are not … unless you are hiking or working out. If your date calls for physical exertion, then you should wear neat, clean sweats that have no gaping holes or old paint, grass or grease stains on them.

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