Style Scenario – Valentine’s Day 2017: Alone at home

What are you going to wear? Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and three scenarios (going out, staying in, and staying in solo) have now been tackled. Single this Valentine’s? Want to avoid the love drunk (or just plain drunk) masses? Might be a good night (or weekend) to saddle up to the sofa and take it very easy.

The Sweater: J. Crew Lambswool Shawl Collar Pull Over – $55.99 when 30% off ($98). Another better looking, better fitting, and better feeling alternative to the bulky, squishy, cotton college hoodie.

The T-shirt: Your favorite band’s tee. Why not? Might be a good time to crank a favorite album while making dinner too.

The Watch: Seiko 5 Auto Sea Urchin – $129.99. The rare, tough, automatic dive watch that doesn’t try too hard to look like a Submariner. 100m water resistance instead of 200m, so, don’t go too deep with it.

The Jeans: Bonobos Moleskin 5-Pockets in Burgundy – $88 ($128). A bit spendy, but should drop further with any upcoming extra 20% – 30% off sale items codes. Super soft. Multiple fits. Nice dark shade of red.

The Shoes: Adidas Stan Smith Sneakers – $60ish. The difference between feeling good, even when all on your own, and feeling like a slob, is respecting yourself enough to wear decent looking basics. Like the sweater > sweatshirt thing, classic sneakers > old beat up running shoes. Why make any kind of effort when there’s no one around to see it? Good God man, are you not worth the effort? You? Yourself?

The Socks: Wigwam Merino Crew – $10 – $15. Crazy durable, comfortable, and washable. Thick enough that if you kick your sneakers off your feet won’t get cold.

The Entertainment: Ray Donovan – $30ish per season. Available to stream via Amazon. Unabashedly masculine. So much so that I’m surprised my television doesn’t grow some stubble every time I flip an episode on. Is it a soap? Yep. Is it a bad ass, sometimes violent, clever as hell, bark out a laugh every once in a while good time? Also yes. Meanwhile, Liev Schreiber is pushing 50 years old. If that’s not motivation to get your shit together, I don’t know what is.

The Belt: Banana Republic Tumbled Italian Leather Belt – $49.50. Thicker. More substantial. A belt you wear casually, so, perfect here. Excluded often (since it’s a leather accessory) but will be up for codes and discounts every now and again.

The Indulgent Provisions: A Favorite Libation (prices vary) & TJ’s Seafood Paella. Doesn’t get any easier than Trader Joe’s Paella. Open the bag. Put in pan. Heat. Ta-da. Meanwhile, when it comes to the beverage, maybe something to sip slowly on (pictured above is Balvenie’s Caribbean cask single malt). You’re not dropping cash on dinner and gifts and what not tonight, so why not something top shelf? Treat. Yo. Self.

The Strategy: Unplug from social media for the night… or longer? Don’t go creeping over to your ex’s Facebook or Instagram page. Take some pride in being better than that. And while you’re at it, consider how much you’ve been sharing on social media as of late. Are you over sharing? Could you share… less? There’s nothing mysterious about the dude who posts photos from every hike or weekend trip, or worse, fills his friend’s news feeds with unsolicited “deep” thoughts.

The Unsolicited Annual Advice: If you can’t find a way to ever be happy with only your thoughts for company, then you’ll never truly be happy in a relationship. Better to be single and smart than stupidly shacked up for the sake of having companionship.