I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Laura Gub, founder of Brand You Max, an online image and dating consultancy which is dedicated to helping individuals bring out the best in themselves for a better, richer and far more exciting dating life. With so many of you out there dating and starting your journey to meeting your someone we thought it would be a great idea to get a few tips from Laura about styling yourself for dating success. Here’s what she had to say…
Dating has never brought so much angst and what to wear was never that crucial than these few days preceding it. I once read somewhere that men spend more on clothes then women, when they start dating someone new. Especially Scottish men, the article said. Curious, I asked my then boyfriend if that was true, and low and behold, he told me that he had gotten a couple of stylish shirts and some jeans exactly for that purpose. I was really surprised. I had never imagined that men would put too much thought into it. And yet they do. Even though they have it easy. I mean there isn’t much chance of getting it wrong in their case, is it? Sometimes a decent shirt is all it takes. And some good shoes. They can get away wearing a suit at any time. What’s more, many men are truly eye candy in their suits.
However, for us women, dressing for a date is a mine field. We’ve got tonnes of aspects to consider. How much lipstick is not too much, how much eye shadow? Should there be any eye shadow? Hair up or down? And that’s just the beginning. Because, like it or not, each and every decision, each and every piece of clothing tells a tale about us. And as much as we’d like to ignore it, fact is that a date, especially a first date is pretty much like a job interview. And whereas we’re quite confident that smart casual is universally accepted at job interviews, most of us are really stuck when it comes to styling ourselves for a date.
Let’s look at the building blocks of stylish dressing? What are they? Well, shoes come to mind to start with, choosing your colours second, then you’ll have to decide how loose or tight your outfit should be, how revealing, that’s also a nut to crack and last but not least, your hair, make up and accessories.
Let’s look at what your aim is? Your aim is to be the best version of yourself. Not the corporate you, who’s just out of a meeting, not the sweaty you just after a run, not the coach potato you when watching Netflix, not the lay about you who popped out to the shop to buy bread, and definitely not the glamorous you, who’s going to a black tie event or a wedding.
Your best version of yourself is the you at your must comfortable, with a bit of added glam.
I met a girl who wears the same outfit to every first date, an elegant pale pink blouse and a casual black skirt. That’s what she feels most confident in. And that’s your aim. Wear what you feel most confident in. Just don’t overdo it.
I met a guy who wore a fading t-shirt for our first date, as that’s what he felt most comfortable in. At least that’s what he told me when I challenged him on it. Because I did challenge him. Why? Well, I made an effort to be elegant and he came across as if he couldn’t give a damn.