How to Dress for a Daytime Date in the Summer

Dates – you either love them or you hate them. You may have been going on dates with the same person for the last few years, or you could be going on a new one each week. Whatever situation you’re in, you’ll want to look your best.

Day time dates are all well and good until you have to decide what to wear. Do you go for your usual casual attire? Or do you dress it up a little? But then you have to remember that you don’t want to be too overdressed. The struggle is real, and even as girls we’ve not quite nailed it. However, we do know what we want to see you guys in (we think), so at least one of us will have some kind of clue about what to wear.

Day dates may be going out for breakfast, going on a shopping trip or some other kind of activity you both enjoy. Or it could even be a full-on day trip to your nearest city. But as fun as all this sounds, choosing what to wear can be one of the first problems you encounter. How do you prepare yourself for the unexpected weather that might strike, and what if you change plans half way through? It’s not as simple as the usual shirt and smart shoe combo, so what do you do? We’ve got a few ideas.

The Brunch

Every girl loves a brunch, and I know this because I am one. You don’t have to wake up really early and you have time to do the whole hair and makeup thing and have time to spare! It’s really what us girls live for, so if you’re suggesting brunch as a date then you’ve already gained yourself some brownie points. Now, with the date decided, the girl’s probably going to dress fairly nice for this. And by nice we mean maybe jeans and a blouse. So for you guys, you want to look casual but not messy.

One thing to note is that even though you’re dressing casually, you don’t want to go too casual. We’re talking your best casual jeans or chinos. You know the ones that look relaxed but you can still get away with wearing them to the office. For the top half of your date outfit, you can either go for a roll neck jumper – but this obviously depends on the season because we don’t want you sweating – or you can go for an overshirt look. The overshirt brings in an element of smart, hence the shirt, with an element of casual, i.e the T-shirt. Keep the colours tonal and make sure they complement each other. It’s always best to stick to a white or black plain tee and use the the shirt as the main focus point. To finish off, a pair of classic trainers will do the trick. We don’t need you to get out your smart shoes this early in the day.

The Day Trip

A day trip date is a big commitment – you’re spending the whole day with this person so you want to leave a lasting impression. Plus with a date that lasts all day, you never know what’s going to happen. Will the date take you all the way through to the night? Or will you want to wrap it up pretty quickly? If you’re going for an all day date, you need to be prepared for whatever it’ll throw at you. So the main things to think about here are your shoes and your jacket.

How much walking are you going to be doing and if it’s going to rain, will you stay dry? Layering is therefore your key to success. You want to be ready for all climates because let’s face it, if you live in the UK, no one knows what the weathers going to do next. A T-shirt, jumper and light jacket gives you the freedom to move around and look good. If it’s more of a winter date then switch up the jacket, still keeping the layered look underneath. For your shoes, trainers are ideal as you’ll probably be walking more than a usual date, but if you’re more comfortable in a pair of Chelsea boots or brogues then go for it. Because remember, girls always notice your shoes.

The Activity

For the activity, you want to be comfortable. You’re probably going to moving about a lot so try and dress in your usual day to day wear. Trainers are good for this kind of day date as you’ll be comfortable and casual – just make sure they’re clean and not your super old pair that you’ve managed to spill everything under the sun on. As well as having comfortable shoes, your bottoms need to give you room to move in, so it may be time to leave the super skinnies at home. A pair of chinos are a great alternative as the fabric and fit allows you to breath.

With an activity date, you don’t want to be carrying around too much stuff, and if this is a first date you can’t really chuck all of your things in her bag because I don’t think she’d be impressed and you probably won’t be seeing her for a second date. In this case, either take a casual bag with you, or invest in a wallet that holds everything you need. Because what do you really need other than a wallet and your phone?

The Unknown

If it’s her turn to choose a date idea then you’re walking in to scary territory. Who knows what she’s going to pick, so who knows what to wear? She may have given you hints and if it’s in the day it’s most likely to be fairly casual. But, to be on the safe side, we’d recommend that you go for a smart casual look. Yes, we know this is a hard category to dress for but that’s why we’re here. Either chino’s or trousers will work, keeping the colours neutral but nothing too harsh, so try and avoid black. Pair with a plain T-shirt and add a coach jacket or something similar to finish it off.

For your shoes, you should probably ask if it’s a trainer or smart shoe kind of thing, because you don’t want to turn up in something that’s going to ruin the date. But, either way, trainers or smart shoes will go well with your trouser and tee combo, so this can be decided on the day.

How to Dress for a Daytime Date in the Summer

If it’s a brunch kind of thing, you can keep it fairly casual. A pair of jeans and trainers will do the trick.
For an all day thing you need to layer. Who knows what you’ll end up doing and what the weather’s going to be like.
Activities can vary, so you need to dress to suit. The main thing we’d say is to make sure you’re comfortable.
If you’re jumping in to the unknown then go for a smart casual look so you’re ready for anything.

On That Note

Going on dates can be exciting, nerve wracking, and sometimes even downright scary. But if you get the clothes right, you’ll feel a lot more confident, and we all know that confidence is key. Make sure your outfit brings in both smart and casual pieces, and remember that shoes are important. Girls always look at your shoes, so it’s worth thinking about them a bit more.

Feature image from Pinterest