When it comes to date nights, the faux pas can inadvertently blow up in your face. How did you know that her old dances were the same shade of blue, which was insane? Or is the person sitting in front of you, looking a little sweaty and cranky, wearing Rouge Noir nails?
Perfume? A Proustian minefield, as anyone who has read Prince Harry’s book will know. One sniff of Van Cleef & Arpels’ First made his mother’s physical presence so powerful that he couldn’t handle it.
Shoes? Now, who hasn’t been fatally affected by the footwear of a potential love interest? Superficial, yes. But that’s humanity for you. We can’t help it. We are hard pressed to make quick decisions when it matters most. No one promised that they would have the right decisions.
So what we mean – the committee of stylist, photographer and make-up artist that was in the studio with me – is this look, which will (hopefully) circumvent those barriers to romantic bliss.
Lisa wears: Patent leather shoes, £250, ME+EM; 30 East-West Montaigne bags, £2,550, Dior; Silk shirt, £100, He; Trousers, from a selection at Sassi Holford
Classic heels that you can easily walk in – you really don’t want to come off as the type of person who needs to be limo’ed to the table. monochrome outfit, but with the light color up to the top so as not to be too intense. A blouse that is not too tight on the top, but is different enough from the bottom that the team can’t go wrong.
Focus on this as you are likely to be seen from the top of the table. Perfectly cut trousers but not from any obvious designer, as over-designed black trousers are a sign of a troubled mind.
Okay, maybe I’m being harsh there – but have you seen how judgmental everyone is out there?
Since we did not want to come across as full vanilla, we included a Dior bag, which some Marxists could weed out, although not if they are French. If you love a fancy bag and have worked your socks off to buy one, why pretend otherwise? If you haven’t told everyone that you’re vegan… When it comes to jewellery, it’s what you want a lot – you need to show some of your personality.
Lisa wears: Pearl and crystal earrings, £145, Soru; Gold and diamond hoop rings, £250 each, Otiumberg; Gold-plated bracelet, £115, Misoma; All other jewellery, Lisa’s own jewellery
Don’t be tempted to wear too much make-up if that’s not your usual style. Wrong message and no one wants to get halfway through the evening and find out that it’s gone in a smear. That said, here we put on – and put – a lashing of red lipstick, a notorious men’s repellent that might be puckering your lips on the first date (if you want to pout them, you always can expelled him after drinking two. ).
If you are eating, I would advise against bright lipstick as it can wear off in uneven patches, which dilutes the lifelike image you are looking for.
That’s it. It’s always a good rule of thumb to make sure your clothes are ethically made and avoid endangered species. Good underwear, clean hair, anything that doesn’t feel comfortable (this all applies to your 900th date with the same person, by the way). Ultimately it’s about trying – seduction rather than seduction.
Try this
Clockwise from top left: Silk shirt, £230, With Nothing below; Gabardine stretch trousers, £375, Joseph; Bottega Veneta The Classic mini leather shoulder bag, rent from £55 a week, Cocoon
Clockwise from top left: Silk shirt, £195, Physician; Posh Lipstick in Pop, £37, The beauty of Victoria Beckham; Patent-leather shoes, £130, Boden
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