Our lifestyle is often reflected by the clothing we’re most comfortable in, which often represents the activities we enjoy. Most of us have a range of clothing from sweats to business attire to formal apparel.
We know how important first impressions are. While successful people would never show up for a job interview inappropriately dressed, I’ve been surprised how many men show up for a first date giving apparently no thought to how they want to be perceived.
When I first started dating, I realized I didn’t have “dateware” — casual clothing in which I felt attractive and current. I had abundant business clothes, very casual duds and some formal attire. Shopping for dateware helped me reinvent how I wanted to represent myself on dates.
Most of my dates wear basic collared shirts and Dockers or jeans. Occasionally a guy will wear a sports jacket. But rarely do they wear clothes that stand out as classy.
So imagine my delight to start dating a man who prides himself on dressing nicely. I call him my “GQ” guy — he’s not pretentious, but wears ironed silk shirts with gabardine slacks to the movies and dinner. Even with jeans, he wears a crisp golf shirt. I enjoy going out with him for many reasons, one of which is that I can wear my nicer garb and not feel I’m overdressed.
I think dressing nicely not only shows respect for yourself, but for the other person. Just as most of us wouldn’t go to church in shorts and a t-shirt out of respect. Not that a guy needs to wear silk shirts for a day at the beach or a hike, but I appreciate it when my date goes to some effort when going out. While a guy’s dress isn’t a deal breaker for me, when he dresses well, it’s icing on the cake.
How do you feel about how your date dresses?
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