Valentine’s Date Scenario II: Adventurous and Quirky

I hope you enjoyed the outfits our friends at Tog + Porter put together for my ‘Over the Moon For You’ date.  This next date I gave them is for a very different couple, dating scenario and relationship status. This young couple is on their second date, so while booking a date on Valentine’s definitely indicates a strong mutual interest, it’s best they keep things light and fun. 

He takes his match to the House of Air trampoline park in San Francisco for some jumping around for this Valentine’s Day. Her hearts aflutter with the date invitation, but what does a girl wear for something so sporty and active? He suggests cocktails and sushi in Cow Hollow to follow. She wants to be perceived as low maintenance and wants the transition from bouncing around at the park into dinner date to be smooth sailing.

They are in the early stages of dating, so she isn’t at the comfort level of fully being herself and “requiring” 20 minutes to freshen up back at his pad post park romp. She knows he will probably be in a freshly washed hoodie and jeans but doesn’t want to dress like a nerd too. One drink leads to two, two to three and tummies full with delicious sushi.

She makes a bold move inviting him to her home for date three to cook together. She’s never been one to “ask a guy out” but it’s 2013 and for her, there are no “rules.” He accepts and leans over for a kiss! She loves how quirky he is and he loves how confident she is. He tells her he thinks her outfit is super cute and was impressed how low maintenance she is compared to other girls. She nods and grins.

Before they can help find the perfect outfit for this young lady, the stylists at Tog + Porter said they would need a little more info about her. They wanted answers to all the questions they’d ask in one of their face-to-face Skype style consults. What’s a normal day look like for her? What’s her budget? Style goals? Of course, I would know all of this about any of my clients, so I rattled off a plausible profile.

She’s in marketing by day and typically opts for casual skirts, trousers and day dresses. Her budget is more J Crew than Neiman Marcus and up to this point, she has relied on her mom to take her out shopping for a lot of her wardrobe since her salary is rather modest.

Her date is a super lax “Silicon Valley geek” coder type who opts for Zuck-like hoodies, jeans, and flip flops pretty much every time she has ever seen him. He’s cute but she never thought she’d be so into a guy so laid back in his style. She needs to look cute yet super comfortable doing her lemon drops and channeling her ‘perfect 10′ Nadia Comaneci moves.

Flying high doesn’t mean you have to leave cute and flirtatious at home. We love the feminine fit and flare of this adorable peplum jersey top paired with easy and memorable red straight leg pants and notice-me shoes. Since we know this client is budget conscience, we’ve broken down the total cost of the look: Peplum Top: $59, Maria Pants: $98, Sam Edelman Flats: $105, Bijouterie Bracelet: $25, BCBG Handbag: $98. Total cost: $385.

This second look is more relaxed in an effortlessly sexy kind of way. It’s based around an off-the-shoulder tunic sweater in a breathtaking hue paired with dark skinnies and an easy on and off bootie, topped off with a touch of glam. Wearing a tank or cami underneath is a good idea, just in case you break a sweat doing toe-touches. And even if the tunic never comes off, a peek of lace never hurts.

 

Again, they’ve broken down the cost of each item like they would in any T+P shipment: Wide Neck Tunic Sweater: $79, Multi Stone Necklace: $39, Paige Skyline Straight Skinnies: $169, Lace Cami $23, Dolce Vita Ankle boot: $159. Total Cost: $469.

Like what you see? Let the stylists at Tog + Porter help you look your best for any occasion. If you want help with your Valentine’s Day outfit, be sure and sign up ASAP as time is running out. Similarly, if you are a guy who wants to totally outsource your dating, ping me. I’m happy to be your romantic concierge.  

Still struggling on what to do for Valentine’s? Did you read Date Scenario I for a classic night out on the town? Also, stay tuned for Date Scenario III: My House for Dinner. Coming Soon!

Valentine’s Date Scenario One : Over the Moon for You!

With Valentine’s Day less than 21 days away (where does the time go?) we thought we’d remind you to start thinking about how you plan to spend the day.

We were delighted when our friends at Tog + Porter offered their help on coming up with feminine and flirty outfit ideas. In fact, they even took it a step further and asked me to come up with specific date scenarios for them.

Together, we’ll be posting three distinct dates, each with a different relationship status and of course outfit! They recently posted the first date “Over the Moon for You” in the style guide section of their site.

 

Here’s the scenario I gave them: 

He’s a total romantic and rolls out the red carpet for his lady that he now calls his girlfriend. He tells her to dress up in a cocktail dress and heels for a night on the town. Her style by day is a bit of a risk taker, downtown chic combined with lots of patterns, textures, and obscure designers. She is the type to splurge on a few very pricey items each year and find fabulous bargains on others.

On Valentine’s, his driver arrives at her condo and he greets her with a stunning bouquet of her favorite flowers. The couple heads to Bix for live jazz and the perfect kir royales. Although she always says she doesn’t want one, he suggests her favorite “off the menu” mini truffled grilled cheeses for an appetizer. Is this guy a keeper or what?

Dinner follows and he surprises her with savory and sweet soufflés at Cafe Jacqueline in North Beach to share. The driver takes them back to her apartment where he walks her to the door. He pulls out a red box in his coat pocket. Not an engagement ring yet (too soon!) but a stunning Cartier gold love bracelet. She’s over the moon! He’s thrilled he lucked out on such a gorgeous catch!  An incredible kiss follows and an ‘I love you’ via text 5 minutes later.

So what’s a gal to wear on such a date? Here’s what Tog + Porter came up with: 

Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to wear a flirty red cocktail dress. This dress can be worn two different ways. First, it can be paired back to this Veda leather jacket (obscure designer), lace booties (texture/pattern), and a classic black clutch. Or it can be paired back to tone on tone black polka dot tights (texture/pattern), simple black pumps, and again the classic black clutch.

The second look, which includes a bronze peplum dress (textured fabric/on trend with the peplum) can also be worn two ways. It can be worn with opaque tights and booties for a bit of edge, or sans tights and just the classic peep-toe. 

The studded heart bag is just the right amount of embellishment where it can stand on it’s own or easily compliment a lovely Valentine’s gift.

Need help putting together your Valentine’s Day outfit? Tog + Porter can help. Sign up for a style consult today. Need help coming up with date ideas, give me a ring. Also stay tuned for my two other dates scenarios: Adventurous and Quirky and Come to My House for Dinner. Coming Soon! XO