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. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. The restaurants will be packed, the menus will be pre-fixe, and the lovebirds will be twitterpated. If that’s you, here’s one way to look your best (without going stupid for cupid) on love’s big night out.  (Top Photo by Asena on Unsplash)

The Sportcoat:Nordstrom Plaid Merino Sportcoat – $199.50 ($399). Ships and returns for free. Some pattern to keep it interesting and add visual contrast against the pants, but nothing too crazy. Alternatively, you could wear a charcoal suit if you’d prefer. If doing so and the white dress shirt seems too plain with a solid charcoal suit, try a pale pink dress shirt or a dress shirt with a white base and small red micro pattern.

The Pants: Old Navy Rotation Chinos in “Panther” (Dark Gray) – $30ish. Inexpensive, dependable, and in a dark gray that pulls the sportcoat and shoes together. As they’re a more casual chino fabric, make sure you iron them if needed. Of course dress slacks or even something like the lululemon ABC trouser would work here too.

The Shirt: Banana Republic Slim or Standard Fit Wrinkle Resistant Dress Shirt – $80. Or whatever your favorite crisp white dress shirt happens to be. If you prefer some buttons on the collar (to keep it in line/not have to worry about collar drift) then those are on sale for under $60. Same crisp dress shirt fabric on those. Not a more casual oxford.

The Pocket Square: Tie Bar Burgundy Linen with White Border – $12. That’ll do nicely for Valentine’s Day.

The Watch: Dan Henry Gilt + Black Dial 1937 Dress Chrono – $290. Classy yet still really interesting. Looks and feels more expensive than it’s reasonable price. Comes with a brown and black strap. Wear the black to match the shoes and belt

The Socks: Pink Dot Made in the USA Over the Calf Boardroom Socks – $18.50. True dress socks with a charcoal base and a day-appropriate pink dot pattern.

The Shoes: J. Crew Ludlow Cap Toe Oxfords – $144.50 ($248). Goodyear welted. Good quality. On significant sale at post time.

The Belt: Black Leather Ratchet Dress Belt – $16.99. Looks like a dress belt but with a super precise ratchet system. Dorky? Genius? Maybe a little of both, and no one can really tell. Or just wear whatever your favorite black dress belt happens to be.