What Not To Wear to a First Date

You need to make a good impression, so avoid these instant tickets to a bad impression.

Going sweater-less

You should always wear a sweater or jacket on a date. You may think that dressing lightly is better so you can huddle for warmth, but there is nothing attractive about a man whose teeth are chattering. Being cold also makes you more inclined to cross your arms across your chest, which will make your body language too closed off. Plus, you can offer your sweater to your date if it gets chilly. She will appreciate the gesture. It?s not a bad idea to wear a light jacket over a sweater, so you can offer her your jacket while still keeping toasty yourself.

Slogan tee-shirts

You want to show that you?re hilarious, and think a slogan tee-shirt will do the trick. You are quite wrong about this. I cannot emphasise enough that there is no right time to be wearing a ?funny? slogan tee-shirt. To people that have a slightly different sense of humor to you, there is nothing funny about most such tee-shirts. Tees also generally do nothing to show off your body. A first date is a terrible time to wear a tee-shirt that?s trying too hard to be funny. Instead, show her your great sense of humor by cracking a few jokes of your own.

Inappropriate shoes

Women notice shoes. For most women, simply wearing ugly shoes may not be a sufficient reason for her to fake an emergency at home and cut your date short. However, wearing inappropriate shoes for the place you?re going to is not okay. Wearing flip flops at a fancy restaurant shows that you really don?t care about making an effort to impress her. Try your best to wear snazzy shoes, but failing that, at least get the dress code right.

Ugly underwear

If all goes well on your date, it?s quite possible you?ll end up back at her place or she will end up at yours. Don?t ruin the moment by wearing unappealing underwear. Even if you suspect you won?t be tumbling into bed after your first date, it still pays to be prepared just in case. A nice pair of trunks (brand name ones, if you think she?ll like that) trumps an ugly pair of tightie-whiteys. Saggy underpants are no good either- if they?ve lost their elastic, it?s time to chuck them out.

A suit

By all means, wear a suit if you are going on a super fancy date. However, you should never wear a suit to a more low-key date. Going to a slightly upmarket restaurant or getting drinks at your local do not call for you to be suited up. It is nice to dress a little more formally than the venue requires, but a suit is overdoing it for most places. Wearing a suit also shows a complete lack of imagination. You?re better off dressing in a smart casual way that shows off your individual sense of style.