Style Scenario – Valentine’s date night dressed up, going out

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.

Me: “Do you think we should do a ‘going out’ Valentine’s Day style scenario?”
Mrs. Dappered: “Some people like to go out.”
Me: “…. but”
Mrs. Dappered: “Even on Valentine’s Day.”
Me: “Yeah but there’s so many peop…”
Mrs. Dappered: “Some people like to go out ESPECIALLY on Valentine’s Day.”
Me: “Wait, do YOU want to go…”
Mrs. Dappered: ……………
Me: …………..

WELL here we are. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and after the recent few years of craziness, a lot of us are re-embracing what used to be seen as a bit cliche. And that means a nice dinner out on Valentine’s Day!! Dress your best, embrace the silliness, and have some fun. Be nice and tip your waitstaff. Restaurants are often overloaded on February 14th with all those lovebirds. (Top Photo by Asena on Unsplash)

The Suit: Banana Republic Italian Nailhead Wool Suit Jacket & Trouser = $480 ($600). Or whatever your preferred gray suit happens to be. These Italian wool suit separates from Banana Republic are pretty great (see the review here), when they’re on sale.

The Shirt: Light Pink Calvin Klein Non Iron Stretch Dress Shirt – $33. Light pink (not over saturated) for the occasion. If you don’t have or don’t want a light pink dress shirt: Just wear your favorite white dress shirt, and wear or find a pink pocket square or something that can sub in as a pocket square in a pinch (bandana, cloth napkin, swatch of fabric from a fabric store, etc.)

The Sweater: EXPRESS V-Neck Merino Wool Sweater – $44 ($88). Wearing a slim, lightweight v-neck sweater over an open collared dress shirt gives this outfit a more intentional look. Plus it’s still very much winter. So an extra layer could be needed. Just make sure it’s lightweight and slim like the EXPRESS option. (UNIQLO would work too.) You don’t want to overheat.

The Pocket Square: Tie Bar Free Fall Floral Black Pocket Square – $14. Floral because it’s Valentine’s Day, dark and handsome because you’re not some cheap gas station red-hearts-emblazoned Valentine’s day display.

The Watch: Bulova Men’s Stainless Steel 3-Hand Calendar Date Quartz Watch – $168.75. Classy. Or just wear whatever your favorite understated dress watch happens to be.

The Socks: Made in the USA Darn Tough The Standard Mid-Calf Lightweight Lifestyle Socks in Charcoal – $26. Midweight for warmth, all merino for breathability and moisture wicking. As comfortable as you’ll find for a pair of dress socks. “Versatile terry loop cushioning under the foot and below the ankle.” They really are worth the twenty six dollars.

The Shoes: Nordstrom Dane Cap Toe Oxfords – $74.96 ($99.99). Having a pair of black oxfords is about as close to a “must” as it gets in menswear (there just aren’t nearly as many rules as others would have you think). Yet at the same time, most guys won’t wear their black shoes as much as their brown ones. Therefor, while they’re a “must,” you can cheap out on your black dress oxfords a bit since they probably won’t see frequent wear. Full review of the Nordstrom Dane can be found here, albeit in brown. Ships and returns for free since it’s Nordstrom. Want to spend? Can’t go wrong with the Allen Edmonds Park Avenue. Want to hit something in between the Nordy budgets and the AEs? Try Spier’s new line of blake stitched footwear.