Style Scenario: Valentine’s date night 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 out on the town can be a true mess. Restaurants are swamped, service staff are overworked, and it seems like everyone is trying to turn their date into an ego-feeding social-media performance. This one’s for those who prefer to avoid the crowds on Valentine’s, and instead opt for a date night at home. (Above photo by Samuel Bryngelsson on Unsplash)

The Blazer: Nordstrom Villa Plaid Knit Wool Blend Sport Coat – $156.99 ($349). A knit blazer is part sportcoat, part sweater, and all kinds of right for a date night at home. It walks the line between “I’m trying” and “I’m trying but I’m not trying overly hard because I don’t wanna make you feel awkward if you wanna wear sweatpants because everything is exhausting and seriously wtf everything is insane.” 98% wool / 2% elastane. Partially lined, so it should stay breathable if things get hot and heavy.

The (smart) T-Shirt: BR Factory Luxe Touch Long Sleeve Tee – $20ish. Smooth cotton, and color appropriate for the occasion.

The Jeans: BR Factory Traveler Jeans in Slim or Athletic Fit – $45ish ($105). Or (wait for it) whatever your favorite dark and simple pair of jeans happens to be.

The Watch: Caravelle Rose-Gold-Tone Sea Hunter Automatic – $262.50 ($350). A retro-styled favorite with an automatic movement. 39mm case diameter. Quick release spring bars on the strap for easy change-outs.

The Shoes: Vittorio Russo Peter Chelsea Boots – $90.96 ($225). This is not the night for laces. Wearing laced shoes or boots on Valentine’s is like putting a corset on your feet. Ain’t nobody got time for that, tonight. Mini lug sole in case you need to take the trash out.

The Socks: Eggplant Emoji Cotton-blend Socks – $11.   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Belt: Portland Leather Reversible Leather Belt – $60ish: A simple, reversible belt. Black on one side, and a dark brown on the other. Dark brown = more versatile than a lighter/cognac brown.